Scott's RV-14 Build

Back to Work...In Texas

It's been a busy and stressful past few months. Moving 1000 miles is hard. Moving a partially completed plane and shop just adds to the complexity and cost. Unpacking and getting established at the new destination takes time too. More the I would have liked. So many big and little details to deal with. The aircraft move in early January using Stewart Transport went extremely well. They clearly know what they're doing with knowledgeable drivers and trucks equipped for the job. Utilizing the built-in crane on the trailer my RV-14 fuselage was lifted by the motor mount and carried all the way into the trailer using the interior traversing gantry. The driver had a remote control to run the crane and just steadied the tail as the crane ran forward along the inside of the trailer roof. There was about 2 inches of clearance on either side of the main landing gear to the walls. The wings were secured to the sides of the trailer using pads and straps designed for the purpose. Tail surfaces were wrapped in blankets and placed under the fuselage. My organized boxes of parts, wing cradle, cowling, rear glass and some power tools went in last and were secured. I had high confidence there would be no damage as the truck droves away. Two days later we met the truck at our new TX home and unloaded. That process went quicker, and I was relieved to find no damage to anything. A few weeks later after moving full time to TX and getting our household goods here and unpacked I turned my attention to my cavernous hanger to get it up and running. The hanger came equipped with a workbench, tool cabinets and other nice to have things like a compressor and shelving from the previous owner. I added my own stuff, unboxed all my tools and got everything organized. I'm also establishing relationships with fellow RV builders in the local area, both in my airpark neighborhood and the local EAA 938 chapter which is big and active. So, it's finally back to work on the plane. I'm starting off by getting all the tail surfaces mounted. The fuselage wouldn't fit in my garage with the elevators and rudder mounted but that won't be a problem here.

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