I placed my order for the full kit just before Xmas 2004, 20 December, and exactly 5 long months later all my kits with all my tools arrived in South Africa. It was the best and biggest Xmas present ever.

It arrived in a big 40ft container together with 3 other aircraft. One being a RV6 with just 86 hours on the clock. We joked as we stood around while waiting to unload the container, the one RV almost ready to fly the other still in boxes...

 

A peep inside the container showed my boxes hidden behind the RV6. I was concerned about the box obviously on its side and not the right way up, but the freighting guy assured my that all would be in order and Van's pack their stuff very meticulously.

 

All my crates loaded up on the truck, ready to head home. Once again some boxes on their side. Once again I was concerned,  but the freighting guy said it came 1/2 way around the globe that way, another few kilometers to the house would not do harm. ;-)

 

I watched as they pulled out the RV6 from the container, the moments the aircraft was suspended in the air without wings was quite anxious for the new owner!

 

 

The kits all offloaded and safely in the garage after it's journey 1/2 way across the globe, and 6 weeks on the ocean.

 

Me ready for my first peep...this was my completed empennage crated at Alexander Tech Center. Just check out that RV Grin!

 

Alexander Tech Center did an excellent job of packing my completed empennage...somewhere in the foam balls a tail section lurks.

 

Alexander tech wrapped my tail section in black plastic as well

 

I just could not resist the white foam...Crate with wings...

 

Next on the list is to open the Finishing kit.

 All my tools I ordered from Cleveland, Browns, Harbor freight was in this crate, so it made sense to check that next.

 

The crate is lined and covered with black plastic against ocean corrosion. 

 

 

 

My beautiful (7 month pregnant) wife helped as we went through the 3 pages of finishing kit packing list.

She ticked the items off the list as I unpacked. In no time the garage floor was full of aircraft parts!

 

After unpacking and checking everything in the finishing kit, everything except the tools went back into the crate and I screwed it closed until it will be required again some time in the future...I think the next crate will be the Fuselage Kit, we will most probably do it over the next couple of nights in the next week.