Sending off for paint!

The day finally arrived! I was able to get all the exterior components ready for paint - except the windshield. The Sika primer never arrived on time, so the paint shop will just have to seal that up really good.

My son, Ethan, had a blast sitting in the 'big truck' and honking the horn. Glad he did, because he got the neighbor's attention.
It was just me out there and I was going to try to figure out how to get the plane in with a winch and pulley system of some sort... Not exactly a one man job.
Luckily, I have curious and helpful neighbors that came out and offered assistance!

My winch actually ended up breaking at the handle, so another neighbor went and got his. By the end of the event, I ended up with 5-6 people out there. ;-)

Finally was able to get the fuselage in and secure it with straps using the side wall slats.
The next morning I loaded the wings using the wooden stands I built and secured them against the wall.

It's nice to have an empty garage - just in time for snow season. Don't have to clear off the car anymore!

When I arrived at Hayes Aviation in Akron, CO, a few hours outside of Denver, he had a full team of people ready to unload the truck. It was bittersweet leaving the plane there, but I'm looking forward to the final result!