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Who moves airplane projects?

KatanaPilot

KatanaPilot

Well Known Member
I recently purchased an RV-7A project in Grand Junction, CO. Before committing to purchase, I contacted one of the better known airplane transport companies, as the project had to be out of the facility by December 1.

They indicated they could meet the deadline and I agreed to purchase. Shortly thereafter, the transport company said they could not meet the deadline and it would be sometime in the first week of December.

This forced me to travel to Grand Junction, spend a couple of days and move the project into an unheated storage location.

Now the transport company tells me it probably won't be picked up until near the end of December (and won't even commit to that) - which will cost me another months storage rent. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of airplane building, but annoying and frustrating nonetheless.

Additionally, this delay complicates the planned schedule to start the inspection and completion in Eugene.

Is there only one game in town or are there other companies that specialize in moving airplane projects? I would do it myself but the airplane is on its wheels and the engine is hung - so a Penske truck would not work (plus I have no desire to take the risk and drive from Colorado to Oregon in the middle of winter).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
I have used Denan Transport in the past. I found her on uship.com She loaded mine on a flat bed, tied it down and moved it from Seattle to DC. I was happy with her service. She stopped along the way to have some of my wings crating rebuilt because the trip apparently beat mine up. I paid her for that extra work when it arrived in DC.
 
Partain Trading Co.

Krea,
Call Partain Trading Co. They moved my project twice: From WA to VA, then VA to TX. It cost roughly the same price it would have cost me to rent a truck and do it myself, but their trailers are rigged for moving airplane projects.

Two thumbs up from me. (I hope they aren't the outfit you're currently trying to deal with.)
 
Things did not go well with Deland Barnstormers for my RV4 move. Feel free to contact me for my experience.
 
Yes, call Partain. They moved a couple of projects for me here to Mallards, Keith. They know what they are doing. That's why I said call Van's. Didn't know if Tony was still doing that.

Vic
 
Thanks for the replies

I deliberately did not mention the name of the company so as to not be accused of vendor bashing.

Unfortunately the company I am having issues with has been mentioned here.

So I'm still looking and will call Van's for an alternate suggestion.
 
Krea,

After trying to arrange for various alternatives (rail, over the road truck, etc.) for several months, I rented a Penske truck and moved an RV-8 project from NW Arkansas to Florida. The fuselage was on its wheels and engine and prop were mounted. Wings were in a typical RV wing storage rack. Empennage was boxed. There was plenty of room in the truck for additional equipment and odds and ends thrown in by the seller. The move worked out fine. At that time (2014), it cost more for the fuel than for the truck rental.
 
DIY isn't a bad idea, if you can make the time. An alternative to renting a big truck (and buying big diesel), a light trailer can work.

My 1st a/c purchase (approaching 3 decades ago; before my RV career) was a completed Dragonfly that had ~3 hrs on it. I took off the wing & canard, and bought a ~4x8 flat bed trailer locally. Towed the fuselage home from MI to MS and went back a couple of weeks later for the wing/canard. Put them on roof racks (no trailer) & brought them home.

While an RV project will be a bit larger, point is that you can often buy a used trailer (a boat trailer & some plywood can work great) for not much more than the rental cost of a big truck, and your vehicle will likely get better mileage than the truck. Wrap the critical stuff in plastic drop cloths/duct tape and go.

Charlie
 
Be careful with packing!

When using a truck or trailer typically these vehicles are sprung for much heavier loads. The relatively light loads of an RV sized aircraft will cause the ride to be pretty rough. Keep this in mind when packing.

On another note I've seen people buy a trailer, transport the aircraft. Then sell the trailer with very little, if any, loss.
 
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I have used Partain

Several times to deliver projects. One was from northern Arizona to east Texas. It ended up being several hundred dollars cheaper than getting there, renting a truck and paying for fuel and expenses. Each time the kits were delivered undamaged and the drivers were nice and also helpful.
However, you do have to work with their scheduling and it may take a couple weeks or more for everything to work out.
Just my experience and i would use them again.
 
Move

Partain, has moved near 30 projects to my shop here at Hicks T67. He only has one driver now. So he is limited to the moves lining up. He had 4 drivers when Vans was selling more kits. He had more flexibility then.
You could rent a box truck and move it your self. And get on down the road.
 
Great suggestion

GatorJim said:
Krea,

After trying to arrange for various alternatives (rail, over the road truck, etc.) for several months, I rented a Penske truck and moved an RV-8 project from NW Arkansas to Florida. The fuselage was on its wheels and engine and prop were mounted. Wings were in a typical RV wing storage rack. Empennage was boxed. There was plenty of room in the truck for additional equipment and odds and ends thrown in by the seller. The move worked out fine. At that time (2014), it cost more for the fuel than for the truck rental.
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I would be interested in knowing how you loaded the airplane up the narrow ramp of a Penske truck. Doesn't look like an easy task - especially in the middle of a Colorado winter. Plus I have no facilities there to build crates or wing stands - all of my equipment is in Georgia.

If I had known how much trouble I was going to have with the rolling pick up date, I would never have bought this project to begin with. Hopefully in 6 months or so when this airplane is flying, I can forget about the issues with the transport company. Right now it is very annoying and frustrating.
 
KatanaPilot said:
I would be interested in knowing how you loaded the airplane up the narrow ramp of a Penske truck. Doesn't look like an easy task - especially in the middle of a Colorado winter. Plus I have no facilities there to build crates or wing stands - all of my equipment is in Georgia.

If I had known how much trouble I was going to have with the rolling pick up date, I would never have bought this project to begin with. Hopefully in 6 months or so when this airplane is flying, I can forget about the issues with the transport company. Right now it is very annoying and frustrating.
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Never having done this, might not work, but how about hiring a tow truck to load the fuse/engine on its ramp, then move that ramp so the back is level with moving truck? Of course you'd have to do that on both ends
 
loading

Check the landing gear width on a plane close by then check how wide the moving truck is I found the landing gear on my RV6 to be to wide for the ramps on my tractor trailer.
Bob
 
Thanks for the advice

The practical reality of all of this is that I am going to have to wait for the properly equipped transport company to move this project for me.

I simply hoped that a commitment made by them would be honored. I assume it will, just not when it was promised. Oh well, it's only money and a few more gray hairs for me.
 
"I would be interested in knowing how you loaded the airplane up the narrow ramp of a Penske truck."

I used a sling around the engine mount and lifted the fuselage/engine/prop combination to truck deck height with a forklift the seller borrowed at his airport.
 
GatorJim said:
"I would be interested in knowing how you loaded the airplane up the narrow ramp of a Penske truck."

I used a sling around the engine mount and lifted the fuselage/engine/prop combination to truck deck height with a forklift the seller borrowed at his airport.
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Interesting solution. Thanks for the information.

Like my previous post indicated, I'm just going to wait. I had to shift the inspection and completion schedule, but so be it.
 
KatanaPilot said:
I would be interested in knowing how you loaded the airplane up the narrow ramp of a Penske truck.
Click to expand...

I helped a friend move an RV6 project this way, maybe 13-14 years ago, he was able to rent a truck with a lift gate on the back. We put the mains on the lift gate and raised them up while lifting the tail by hand. I'm not sure if it would work with a -A since you would probably want all 3 wheels on the gate at once and they might not fit.
 
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Appreciate the information

I'm just going to wait and let the experts move it. Not worth the risk of damage on my part. The transport company is insured so if they break it, they buy it.

I'm over the frustration. It's costing me an extra $500 or so and delaying the process one month. I'll know better next time.
 
Still waiting...

For the project to get picked up. Another months rent (paid 3 months now), another trip to Grand Junction to repack and a few more gray hairs. Was supposed to be delivered to Eugene this week so I could assist in the unloading and inspection at Synergy. Now, I'll have to come back out here in a few weeks.

Maybe, just maybe, it will get picked up within the next week.

Too bad there are so few choices for shipping of airplane projects.

Never again. And I know the dangers of saying "never".
 
KatanaPilot said:
I'm just going to wait and let the experts move it. Not worth the risk of damage on my part. The transport company is insured so if they break it, they buy it.

I'm over the frustration. It's costing me an extra $500 or so and delaying the process one month. I'll know better next time.
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Be sure to read the fine print on the ins, are they just going to pay you for a fuse kit if it falls off and gets ran over by a Kenworth.....hauling logs?
 
movers

Not that it will help you, but perhaps someone else. I had to do an international move of my project. Sure, it was only about a 2 hour drive and less than 100 miles, but still - once it's on the truck it could be 20 hours and 2000 miles.

I used a local moving company that is known for moving fine art - http://www.harsch.ch/en/

They did a fantastic job - I didn't even pack a single thing - they spent time understanding how to move an airplane and a workshop and had about 7 guys come out and do everything. They even set it up in my new house in a logical way, rebuilt the shelves, and put things back about where they were in my old shop.

Yes, it cost a fortune, but it was totally hassle-free, and not a single item was lost or damaged in any way (as far as I can tell). As they say, if you buy the best, you only cry once.
 
Finally!

It was about 7 weeks late, but the project was finally moved from Colorado to Oregon.

I was reminded by the owner of the company that pickup and delivery times are just "estimates".

When the pickup was finally scheduled, I'm 2500 miles away from home and 1000 miles from Colorado in Eugene, Oregon. The folks I had arranged to supervise and load cannot be there on a Sunday. So I have to get myself back to Grand Junction. The driver is very meticulous and it all works out.

I understand that there are many pieces that have to fall into place. Not being at either the pickup place or the dropoff location makes this process really difficult.

Next time, I'll do it myself.
 
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reply

Keith
Unfortunately you delivery came in the perfect storm of problems, weather delays, shipping delays from customs and manufacturing delays lead to a much slower delivery than we typically provide.

I would like to remind you that the estimate that I sent you had on it the pickup and delivery time are estimates and not guaranteed. So you were informed BEFORE you sent in a deposit. We do this for several reasons, first and foremost we will not risk equipment or lives for any delivery. This winter has been brutal on delays. The northern part of the country has been hammered with snow and has lead to significant delays. Second is that we are relying on many different sources to consolidate deliveries, several different source's of imports and suppliers. All of thee things need to come together to make a shipment work logistically. Even Vans has it posted on their website, they have have been hit hard this year.

I can understand your frustration, your shipment took longer than I preferred and we typically provide. One this to keep in mind is that we are a SMALL niche market and we provide a very inexpensive method to shipping kit. Without the consolidation that we do prices would be 2 to 3 times what you paid, fast but way more expensive. You could have received the kit quicker but the price would have been quite a bit more.The fact that we ship for all major kit manufactures and have done so for the last 12 years leads me to believe that we do a good job. Sorry that your didn't work out to expectations. Good Luck with your build.
 
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I received my QB RV-8 kits today, through Tony Partain and his carrier, Stewart Transport. I've been waiting for this shipment for over 8 months, and as it turned out the delivery was scheduled on my anniversary, and during a period of bad weather here in Michigan. I am very happy with the service I received from Tony and the carrier. The driver, Don Furr, kept me updated during his trip cross-country; he arrived at exactly the time he said he would arrive; he managed to get closer to my house than I expected; he was very patient and helpful during the offload, and all components arrived in excellent condition. I am very happy with the service I received from Tony Partain and Partain Trading Company, Don Furr and the crew at Stewart Transport, and everyone involved in this shipping experience. I highly recommend all the parties that helped in my delivery.
 
goatflieg said:
I received my QB RV-8 kits today, through Tony Partain and his carrier, Stewart Transport. I've been waiting for this shipment for over 8 months, and as it turned out the delivery was scheduled on my anniversary, and during a period of bad weather here in Michigan. I am very happy with the service I received from Tony and the carrier. The driver, Don Furr, kept me updated during his trip cross-country; he arrived at exactly the time he said he would arrive; he managed to get closer to my house than I expected; he was very patient and helpful during the offload, and all components arrived in excellent condition. I am very happy with the service I received from Tony Partain and Partain Trading Company, Don Furr and the crew at Stewart Transport, and everyone involved in this shipping experience. I highly recommend all the parties that helped in my delivery.
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Awesome! My QB wings are on that truck!
Due here Thursday assuming he doesn't get delayed or already been delayed.
 
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