What the $#@%$ have I gotten myself into?

I just spent the last half day (after cutting out early from work) to cross the border (I'm in Canada) and pick up my QB wings and fuse from Partain (who doesn't deliver here... but it saves me a few hund to rent a Uhaul to go across the border to trans-load and get'em anyways). So... over the last several hours, I've "survived" threatening snow storms (turned out to be a flash in the pan), a rattletrap Uhaul that made the derelict spam cams I rent look luxurious, sceptical customs officers who looked at me sideways when I said I'm bringing across an "airplane kit," absolute fear that the loading in the Uhaul would bring disaster to my cargo at the slightest bump (it didn't), and anxiety that I wouldn't have the help I needed unloading when I got it home (delays meant I was late... just moved here and don't know the neighbours well yet... neighbour John arrived like clockwork and all was well).

Everything worked out great, she's tucked away nicely in the "Aircraft Manufacturing Facility (AMF)"... aka garage, but I'm suffering from post traumatic stress disorder! Man... I look at this as a hobby to relieve stress! I enjoyed building the emp... hope now I can get settled and building again.

OK. Had to vent. It's 2:30am now and I'm about ready to go to sleep.

PS. It does look pretty cool peeking in the AMF and seeing the "aluminum canoe" in there though!!!

Good work Jase!
Now, spend the rest of the weekend taking inventory and next weekend you can really start building. Sunday morning my wife and I (yes, she's finally getting involved ) will start my eight hour trek to Van's. I'll drag the 18' trailer behind my Chevy Suburban. Where, if all goes as planned, I'll slide the finish kit in the back of the Suburban and place the QB fuse and QB wings on trailer. I'm not looking forward to inventorying all three boxes at once (we have 30 days to disclose shortages/overages )you know.

But here's an interesting question for all....after inventorying your kits
(QB or SB) how many had issues (insignifigant or glaring)?

vent and vent often!

I didn't cross any country lines "seemed like it" but traveled with trailer from
Ft Meyers, Florida to Corpus Christi, Texas , Dodge Durango, with my 9a qb wings and Fuse, & Engine, talk about Road Trip, we only stopped for Fuel and food and to switch drivers.. Lots of work since then, as for inventory
I think the only parts I had missing were the ones I lost, the kits are
great.. I have a lot of extra parts and thats starting to concern me..


Danny..

Jase, congrats. All of those feelings of "What the $#@%$ have I gotten myself into?" eventually turn into another form of disbelief... "Holy $#@%$, I built this thing in my garage and it flies this f'ing good?!" (as you look down & around at beautiful scenery going by at 200mph).

The only parts I didn't get were ones that were clearly marked on the inventory as back ordered (wasn't much) and these arrived soon after at home. Van's does a great job of getting it all together.

Congrats on getting into your new therapy!

Roberta

lorne green said:

Good work Jase!

But here's an interesting question for all....after inventorying your kits
(QB or SB) how many had issues (insignifigant or glaring)?

Click to expand...

Lorne, not to steel the post but how many "issues" did you have with the emp? I think I know the answer-) The same quality will carry through. I did not inventory my fuse but came up short on a very insignificant part (as price goes), called Van's several months later and tried to pay for the part only to be turned down and be shipped one free. I'm not one to look for issues with any company, kinda the half full thing, and I'm still shaking my head at just how great of a job Van's does. Just my opinion.


And Jase.................Congrats...............now for a marathon training run and a big weekend tying up loose ends.

I've only received the emp kit and a standard wing kit but have had zero inventory issues.

Bill Settle
Winston-Salem, NC
-8 Wings

Welcome to Alumitherapy, Jase.

Reading your post got me to thinking about two memories. The first I was crawled up under the upside down 'canoe' in late September working in the 110F garage with a shaved head - going outside every fifteen minutes to run water over my whole body to keep cool. The second was seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time in my life - crossing it in my RV. The later is such a vivid memory. I crossed over the edge and the ground dropped down a mile. I dipped the wing so I could better see and my stomach came up into my throat. It was comparable to the sensation experienced when jumping over trash cans with a bike as a kid.

I remember saying out loud that every moment and penny spent building was worth it. I've had dozens of 'it was worth it' moments in the plane, but this one really stands out. Here's a pic from 15 seconds +/- that instant:

vans packs nearly close to perfect.

lorne green said:

But here's an interesting question for all....after inventorying your kits
(QB or SB) how many had issues (insignifigant or glaring)?

Click to expand...

i never had anything missing but on more than one occassion i had damaged parts. 1 spar, ribs not wrapped well enough and rubbed back and forth on the spar to remove the annodizing. 2 longerons gouged.pakaging, however the box had feet prints on the bottom may have been upside down at one portion of the trip. a small piece fell out through the hole forklift/shipping. center section bottom skin packaging rolled it up and dented it in several places not to mention all the parts i screwed up. vans packs very well and complete, but the shippers well thats another story. i live in south carolina so it was a fair distance with an off load or two. and fork lift drivers are somewhat slack. you may not realize the trouble you saved by getting partains help and your rental dump truck but beleive me i got box's stading on edge, upside down and maybe even one right side up. if you got it home and no issues you ahead of the game good luck and get to work.

main gist,,, never a shortage that i can recall.

Never had a problem with the inventory of the 6-A kit.

Only a couple of minor problem on the 7A.

On the Fuse. Inventory called for .625x 1 x 1 x17 angle, and the angle in the kit was .625x 3/4 x 3/4 x 17. Quick call to Vans, and they have one coming in the mail @ no charge.

On the 7A empenage, one of the HS skins was scratched. I sent them pics, and they sent another right out N/C.

Gotta tell ya! For as many parts as they send and the number of kits they have shipped, I think they do a great job.

They have no problem sending replacement parts as long as you meet the 30 day inventory deadline.

Wes Hays
Winters, TX
RV-6A Flying
RV-7A Fuse

PRIDE will never die!

It would seem that you're having doubts, what with the troubles you've just endured. But take heart, every obstacle you overcome will not just get you closer to an airplane but also to being a stronger person.

"Adversity builds character. Shared adversity builds unit cohesion!"

This sight is the culmination of the second half of that statement. Intentional or not, we are all becoming brothers and sisters of sorts. When you're tempted to take the whole project to the recycling center for pennies on the dollar, I'll be here to listen to your woes!

Good luck!

"Say Again, Over..?!"

DeltaRomeo said:

..... with a shaved head .....

Click to expand...

OK, THIS is a complete shock!! OUR Doug Reeves? Shaved Head??


Congrats on getting the kit home Jase ! Enjoy the whole process - once it sucks you in, it can go faster than you think, and then it's done. And then, you might just miss building....

On Inventory:

1) As others have said - no missing parts that I can remember. I quit inventorying bag contents after the empennage - no point.

2) If you're overly frugal (like me...), save the larger sheets of wrapping paper, fold them up and tuck them away to use for masking and such when painting and fiberglassing bits and pieces. Works better than newspaper....

Enjoy the build!

Jase,
Advise is cheap, so I will pass on what some very experienced airplane builders told me.

1. Don't look at the project as a 2000 or 3000 hour project. Look at the project as 2000 to 3000 one hour projects. Its difficult to see the end product when you are looking at so much to do, but one little project at a time, and you will suddenly see the airplane come together.

2. Try to do something on the plane every day. Even if you just go to the shop for thinking time. (what to do next, and how you want to do it). On the first one, the thinking time seemed to take as much time as the building. Once I figured out how I wanted to do it, the little project seemed to come together in no time.

Hang in!! Keep smashing those rivets. Someone on the Matronic list when I was building the -6A referred to the RV's as a "Magic Carpet". Best description I have ever heard. Our plane has taken us to the four corners of the US. We have met some of the most fantastic folks on the face of the earth, and have made some close and lifelong friends that we would have otherwise never met.

Another closing quote I saw on the Matronics list was, "You are gonna LOVE that airplane!"

Believe me, you will. Keep smashing those rivets. It's worth it.

And yes, as I put the last bolt in the 6A, I remember thinking, Man I will NEVER do this again. However, after a time, I found that I missed the building and have turned in to a repeat offender. I know, I know! Never say Never!

Sorry for the long post, but I just can't tell you how much we love our RV, and how much I enjoy the building. Its a journey and a rite of passage. Enjoy the trip.

Even now, 6 years later, when I open the hangar, see the plane sitting there, I still get that RV grin and think, "I just can't believe that I built this thing!"

Sorry, I just got carried away.

Wes Hays
RV-6A Flying
RV-7A Fuse

It's all worth it

The two most trying times in the whole process were Moving Day and Inspection Day. Moving the fuse to the paint shop was tramatic for me. I followed my partner with the fuse tied down on a trailer that was barely wide enough. It was only 15 miles, but it felt like it was across the continent. Moving it to the airport wasn't as bad; I had seen how it rode, and Larry (my partner) had widened his trailer about a foot.

Inspection was like being in a waiting room while someone you didn't know did exploritory surgery on your wife. No, worse than that. That was a week ago yesterday.

Then comes the good part--seeing the ground drop away and feeling the plane become alive. Knowing that you not only control something YOU built, but that you can actually keep the Earth at bay and make it turn and dip at your whim. All the pains are worth it!

Bob Kelly, loving every minute of it

Ironflight said:

OK, THIS is a complete shock!! OUR Doug Reeves? Shaved Head??

Click to expand...

...it was a phase. Remember, I did it before Britney

Getting across the border.

I brought my 9 qb wings and fues across the border in crates, I had it shipped to ABF in Detroit, only 20 minutes away. Customs didnt even bother to peek, I could have had anything in those crates(gave me ideas for next time) ...having them swipe my visa for over $3000 just to welcome me to Canada was plain nasty. I knew it was coming, but you just feel like you threw away money...thought could have bought some cool dash toys. BUT, the QB wouldnt fit under the seat.
Best of luck on your build...keep plugging away, rumour has it its worth all the work.

Much better now...

Thanks to all for the encouragement.

Having had a night to sleep on it, I'm much more settled now. Man! I have a lot of work in front of me! ...but not as much as y'all with the slow build.

Stay in touch... In a couple of years you'll be hearing about my first flight.

Build on

I'm working on the emp and it wont take too long. I will have to get on with ordering the wings. I live in Arnprior Ontairo and may be making the voyage over the US border. Did you have any isues or require much prep to go through customs? Other than paying the PST and GST?

Mike A

For those of us so far away from the border that we rarely cross, can you please tell us why you had to drop $3k just to get it across the border? Customs fees? An import tax?

I'm curious what effect NAFTA may have on this.

Crossing the boarder into Canada

Feel free to email me any questions. Canadian Customs wants their PST AND GST on every single penny. EVEN SHIPPING, really! So, consider your options...
Anyway, they take the invoice you give them, they convert it to canadian dollars, then add on both taxes. No duty as such just all the taxes.
Again, they never asked origin, they never peeked at it...they just needed to heat up my credit card. The plane was ok'd by the wife, but telling her for $3000 I get nothing...thats going to be my secret.
The QB is assembled in the phillipines...the bill of sale is stamped US ORIGIN. So that was good enough, no worries about duty as such.
As long as you are NOT COMMERICAL, and in a average vehicle and trailer, not paying a moving firm or contractor to bring across the boarder, the agents are fine with it. If you appear to be a commercial venture, building for others...etc...I think you best call a customs broker and right even bigger cheques.

Get it ordered and lets get an ontario rvairforce going.

Pretty easy, so long as you don't count the $$$...

mikeasselin said:

I'm working on the emp and it wont take too long. I will have to get on with ordering the wings. I live in Arnprior Ontairo and may be making the voyage over the US border. Did you have any isues or require much prep to go through customs? Other than paying the PST and GST?

Mike A

Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

No real issues, and no prep whatsoever. Just pulled up to the booth, told the guy that I had an aircraft kit in the back of the Uhaul. He asked a couple questions (how much is it worth, personal or commercial, etc.) and directed me to the office. Once in there, gave them a copy of the invoice from Van's, answered a few more questions, paid, and was on my way.

Though I didn't really have any issues, it did take awhile in the office for them to decide what was required. I would suggest you call it "aircraft parts" and not an "aircraft kit"... that seemed to befuddle them, but they could find aircraft parts in the binder they referenced, and ran with that.

It does kinda make you choke to lay down that $$$ for nothing.

Taxes... the bane of living in Canada

Jamie said:

For those of us so far away from the border that we rarely cross, can you please tell us why you had to drop $3k just to get it across the border? Customs fees? An import tax?

I'm curious what effect NAFTA may have on this.

Click to expand...

The $ is to pay PST (Provincial Sales Tax) and GST (Goods and Services Tax... the Federal counterpart of the PST). PST is 8% (in Ontario, other provinces go from zero in Alberta and the 3 Territories, to 10% in PEI) and the GST is 6% (just down from 7% following the last federal election).

Yes, that means that on just about everything I buy in Ontario, I have to pay 14% more than what shows on the sticker.

There is no duty on aircraft parts (NAFTA?), but the taxes kill ya.

Gotten myself into

I feel your pain kinda sorta. I live in Kitchener and made 3 trips to Buffalo for my RV-7 kits. It was relatively painless. I had the boxes shipped to the Roadway Express terminal in West Seneca, about 10 minutes south of the Peace Bridge on I-90. I rented a full size van from Avis and timed the trip to arrive at the Peace Bridge before 8 am on a Saturday(shift change). Sure it cost me $100 bucks with fuel and lunch for two, for the van for the day but it was worth it. The Roadway Express people were very nice and helpful, make sure your paperwork is in order. They loaded it into the van. No problems at the Peace Bridge coming back..just showed the inspector my paperwork and he sent me in where I ran up the 15 % PST/GST on the Visa and it was off to Kitchener. But I saved $100's of dollars over direct shipping to Canada
I would suggest if you haven't already order it, to include you FFW kit in the finishing kit box. Van's did that for me which meant only one box to pick up in Buffalo on that last trip.

Dave C

RV-7
C-GCPD (reserved)

Memories,

Ah!! the memories...
I purchased my RV-4 "QB" including an O-320 from a great bunch of guys in Phoenix AZ, loaded it all in a 27' International and drove it to Vancouver BC. Customs was a breeze as others have mentioned, I showed them the invoices paid the taxes (painful) and was on my way. I would second the recommendation on calling it aircraft parts, for any other doing this, it will be simpler for you. I had more problems bringing my motorcycles into the country.

The biggest inventory trouble you'll have is keeping track of the stuff for over a year(s)!! Organization, organization, organization!!!!

Mike Rhodes
RV-9A Fuse - plumbing