Measurement in metres.
The Europa’s ability to decouple its wings is a tremendous advantage when we think of transportation.
Please take care to secure the aircraft and pack the remaining void with suitable materials such as air bags. Remember to consider Customs, Health, Enviromental, Hazards (e.g. fuel in aircraft). Make full use of guidance available. Consider appointing a specialist handler.
But let’s begin with a story of how things went wrong. We are grateful to Robert Hatton for publishing for the greater benefit.
Robert Hatton
Do your homework if you do ship your Europa to Europe and then wish to ship
it back to the USA again. I shipped a Europa from the UK to the USA and the
"white glove" UK shipper that I used, who was supposedly an expert in
shipping aircraft, proved completely incompetent.
I was told that the shipping company "had to be responsible" for cleaning my
aircraft and trailer, which I was nervous about in case during the cleaning
the aircraft was damaged. I went as far as insisting that I would clean my
aircraft myself, only to be told not to worry for they would do it since
they needed to go to a specialized cleaning station and this would be backed
up by paperwork they would need for the shipping. However, the shipper never
did clean my Europa or trailer (although I was charged for the privilege!).
I used a 40 foot shipping container for the Europa trailer would be put into
the back of it, taking up about 20ish feet, and then household goods were in
the front half of the container.
When my shipping container arrived at Houston, the port of entry, US border
control briefly opened the container doors to observe "Heterogaster Urticae"
or Nettle Bugs wandering around my container. These little creatures are
indigenous to the UK and quite rightly US border control did not want an
alien bug entering the USA with unknown repercussions the the USA
environment. The US had just managed, after many years trying, to eradicate
a species of moth that had been an 'import' and had caused havoc to US
agriculture, so it is totally understandable that they did not want any
other unknown bugs coming into their country. I was given seven days to
remove the container including the Europa, from US soil or it would be
destroyed and I would be billed for the destruction. Not a happy moment in
my life!
Without any options the container returned to the UK where I met it and
subsequently cleaned the aircraft and trailer myself at a dockside cleaning
station - removing all traces of what little mud and dirt there was - and
found there was no paperwork to be had, for this action of cleaning counts
for "squat". In my research I found out that the container should have
originally been fumigated in the first place "to kill all known bugs dead"
and the shipper had never done this either. Toxic fumigant being somewhat
more effective than 'soap and water'. I organized a fumigation company, but
then had to make sure the fumigant being used was acceptable to the US
border control authority - here you do have to supply paperwork showing when
and what fumigant had been used - whilst at the same time what fumigants are
available and legal to use in the UK that still satisfy the US requirements.
Not originally having this paperwork was probably a huge red flag to US
border control to inspect the container. The fumigators, wrapped up in their
protective clothing, for the stuff they use is just as lethal to humans as
it is to bugs, threw in a couple of fumigant pellets like hand grenades and
rapidly shut the container doors to seal the fumigant in to do its stuff.
The container then made a repeat crossing back over the Atlantic.
Although I looked at suing the shipper after my first experience I ran a
credit check on him and his company, and found out that he had previously
shipped another 'plane before mine to the USA where that shipment had also
gone wrong. He had been sued by that owner and was in debt after the court
action and had no assets to speak of. I also could not afford to go with
another company and the shipper offered to re-ship my container without
further charge. It seems that the shipper wound up the company he was
trading under that I dealt with not long after my saga, but what I find
disturbing is that he has popped back up under a new name and is still
trading as a shipping agent.
The second time the container arrived it came through US Border checks fine.
However, it was rail freighted across the USA, which I then found out is a
huge mistake. When it finally arrived and I opened up the container,
extracted the trailer and pulled my Europa out, I found that it had been
damaged. The trailer I have is an enclosed one. It had been extremely
securely tied down in the container and the Europa strapped down inside the
trailer. My Europa is a mono, and the tailwheel had been bolted into the
floor of the trailer. Sadly, the bolts had sheared and the rudder bashed
into the trailer roof and caught the leading edges of the wings. That was a
bit of an 'own goal' for I should have known better and Bud is totally right
by saying "really strap it down" - emphasis on strap!
The shipper had arranged the insurance and whilst he had insured for the
first and second outgoing trips from the UK to the US, he had omitted to
insure the container for its return from the US to the UK. The insurers then
tried to get out of the claim because of this. Another nightmare to go
through. The insurer was also an international company and "paused trading"
after the tsunami hit Japan and they effectively were themselves swamped
with claims which resulted in their US arm filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
They did resurrect themselves, but it all took time before I could get an
loss adjustor out to inspect my claim.
The adjustor asked why I had used rail freight for the land element of the
journey and not road transport for the container. I had not chosen rail
freight, it had just been organized by the shipper, and I did not know any
better. I do now, and the adjustor explained that aircraft should never be
shipped by rail. His conclusion was that the train's sharp jerking movements
as the freight cars are pulled to get going and braked to stop, then they
shunt into each other were the most likely reason for the stress on the
bolts holding the tail down causing them to shear. The roll of a ship is
smoother, and he thought it unlikely that the ship's rolling at sea was to
blame. Thankfully though the claim was eventually paid.
I do not wish to pour cold water on what should be an achievable dream but
for the modern world's bureaucracy, rules, regulations and red tape, but
shipping an aircraft to and from Europe is a very complex exercise. I became
somewhat of an expert after everything went wrong for me and I found out
what the shipper should have done in the first place for me, his client. The
other aspect to consider is flying an 'N' registered experimental aircraft
in Europe that did not fly into a European country, but just arrived there
and then was assembled to fly from that country. However, please do not be
put off, I would just say reach out to the necessary authorities and maybe
you'd find one who could accommodate your dream and allow you to fly from
there and then throughout the rest of Europe.
And finally, I did remove the prop completely because I thought it safer to
have the shipper box it up rather than leave it on the Europa risking any
potential damage to it or the gearbox. The shipper use a wooden box too
small to fit the spinner properly, without any packing material and crushed
the spinner when screwing the lid down.
Good luck! Would I ship an aircraft again - no! I'd fly it over the
Atlantic, for I reckon it would be less risk to the aircraft and certainly
I'd keep my sanity intact. (Get a long range tank for your Europa and meet
your wife over there.)
Clive Sutton:
What an ordeal Robert - thanks for sharing such great detail though - the rail shipping loadcase insight is an especially useful tip.
I have my Mono at home in my single UK garage at the moment and as a result of this post, decided to take a few measurements to see how/if mine might fit into a 20ft container.
The image of the Mono in side view above comes from the Owners manual, scaled to the right length and height for my aircraft. The envelope outlines shown are the 20ft container dimensions in red, my garage dimensions in blue and the dimensional figures from the manual in black. It is clear that removing the spinner will save some space (how much depends on your prop spinner - for a Woodcomp the saving is ~30mm), as will removing the rudder.
Interestingly, with the rudder removed, the rear of the fin is more or less vertically above the tailwheel (Singleton tailwheel), and its removal saves around 250mm on the overall length of the a/c on its wheels.
It may also be possible to get some extra length clearance in the container simply by turning the attached rudder to one side - and there is always the possibility to position the aircraft diagonally in the container of course.
My garage is about 200mm wider than a container and at a push i can stow both my tail-planes on top of each other in the cockpit space (yes the doors do close - but plenty of padding needed), and the main wings will go leading-edge downwards on some supports alongside the fuselage (no tools or bench in the garage then of course).
I also have a Mono trailer and the aircraft goes into my garage space comfortably in width and height - but i did have to extend my garage doors to accommodate the length of the aircraft on a mono trailer, to 6200mm.
A planned movement or a recovery situation.
Bob Hitchcock.
ISO shipping containers usually come out of the factory as 40ft or 20ft, the universal size for intermodal transport and shipping. 20ft containers are always available. The 30ft is rare by comparison and is often a cut down 40ft. The price paid for hiring a 30ft container would likely be the same as a 40 foot. The larger the container the less chance a small port on a small island would be able to handle in a contingency situation of trying to get your plane back from the middle of nowhere. If constrained to not use multimodal containers the costs increase. So ease of using multimodal transport is key. The cost of handling increases with size. So the movement of a 20 foot container is say £1000 to £2500 depending on where in the world you are stuck. A 30 ft or 40 ft would be say £1800 to £3500. (Prices correct 2019)
It is possible to contract out the solution. A white gloves service capable organisation could sort out the return, paying £1500 to well over £10000 .(Prices correct 2019)
Insurance
Key factor is what was the incident that necessitated the contingency and what events the existing aircraft insurance covers. What is paid for the insurance and what does the insurance actually cover in respect of recovery, if anything. Thoroughly understand your insurance policy. Read the small print. Read the detailed container shipping rules. Who is takes the lead in organising the return.
Seperate cover is likely required in addition to the aircraft insurance for the movement by container. Check.
U.K. LAA rules: Remember to advise your inspector if you are constrained to remove a control service (e.g. rudder) for shipping purposes
