I get many questions about how we ship aircraft and what's entailed to make the process happen. Here is a guide to make it all happen smoothly.
When you place your order with Vans, write "Partain" in the crating charge section. This will let Vans know not to charge you crating. We Do Not ship QB's crated! Your plane gets a dedicated spot on the trailer. No cross docking, no transfers to other trailers and no fork lifts. This will minimize the possibility for damage.
After placing your order with Vans, the first thing that you should do is call me so I can get your plane on the schedule. Our schedule will fill up during times of peak orders.
Vans will give you an ETA on your kit arriving from the Philippine's. Keep in mind this is an estimate and not a firm date. A lot of things need to fall in place for your kit to make it back on time. But with that said they occasionally show up early.
So now you have placed your order and you are about to call me. I will need the following
Name
Phone number
Delivery address and zip code
Builders number
Kit model
All extras like finish kits and firewall forward kits
Any special request (airline pilot schedules etc)
From this point I will email a quote to you. A slot reservation fee is required to secure a position. We can not hold delivery positions unless we have a slot reservation fee in hand.
When your kit comes in Vans will request full payment and then do a do a quality control check on your kit. Upon a clean bill of health they will release your kit to us for shipping.
At this point I will put your kit into the rotation and schedule a ship date with Vans. From there the driver will call you the day it ships and make arraignment for delivery. Typical delivery time is 3 to five days for the West coast, 5 to 7 days for the Midwest and 7 to 10 for the East coast. All times are estimates and could change either way!
If you have any restrictions in getting a 65' long truck to your shop we need to know this now! Our trucks are very maneuverable and our drivers are well seasoned but there are limitations. If you think there will be a problem call me and we will work it out.
You will need a set of wing stands and padded saw horses for the fuselage. The plans for the wing stands are in wing section of the preview plans. Also on my web page http://www.partaintransport.com/ there is a couple of links to builders who have modified wing stands. Home Depot has some very nice aluminum saw horses that I am now using for my third plane.
Unloading. This is a very simple and quick process. You will need a total of three people including the driver to unload all kits except the RV10. The RV 10 fuselage is quite a bit heavier than the two place planes. For the RV10 you will need a total of four people.
Most kits are on a dolley so we can roll it right into your shop. If you order a finish kit with the QB your fuse will not be on wheels. So it will need to be carried out of the trailer. The kit can not be unloaded unless we have the proper number of people listed above. This is for your safety and for the safety of your kit. After all waiting several months only to drop you fuse would make for a bad day.
The driver will require full payment upon delivery.
Have fun building and thanks for letting us delivery your plane!
Tony Partain
Partain Transport Company
541-330-0828
