“If something sounds too good to be true it usually is.” It’s an old reliable adage, which I have subscribed to most of my life. However, I also believe that even a blind squirrel finds an acorn, once in a while.

So, I’m reading Barnstormers classifieds when I see an ad, maybe some of you recall this ad back in April:

“MERLIN GT FUSELAGE • $300 • SALE PENDING • 4130, Side by Side, originally a Merlin GT. Set up for Rotax 912, engine NOT included. Hobbs showed 150 Hrs T.T. Fuselage w/ Vert Fin, Rudder, Stab / Elevators, Door Frames, Cowling, Wheels / Tires / Matco Brakes & TW. Owner retired from flying, registration expired, and airframe dismantled / sold for parts. Wings were modified & ordered destroyed. No logs. What you see here is what you get. Located at X59 (Fl SpaceCoast), 10 miles south of MLB, 2 hrs. east of Sun N Fun. If you are attending Sun N Fun, I will hold the airframe for pickup after the show. Owner – located Malabar, FL USA. Posted April 9, 2018”

I originally assumed it to be a misprint. Only $300? Showed the ad to wife but told her it was too far away. Why do these guys have to be in Florida instead of Montana? It would only be a good deal if the logistic challenges could be overcome efficiently and done so very economically. Hmm…it might be worth it. However, I looked for every excuse not to and talked myself out of it as one usually does. It even said “sale pending” so the point was moot anyways. Thought can be an insidious thing. The more I contemplated it, the more I was convinced it was doable. Why not give it a try? It was one of those rare moments in life when you ask yourself “what the hell’s holding me back”?

The sale was being handled by a Searay dealer in Florida, Jim Ratte. On a lark, I sent an email saying that should the sale fall through, that I would be interested in it. To my surprise he replied, “Funny you ask…” It turned out that the purchaser was transferred across the country and had to back out.

He then gave further aircraft background: 2003 model, bought through a Merlin dealer in Florida, Aerocomp Inc. 150 hours TTSN, one owner and professionally built for him. Had a modified custom metalized wing, composite ribs and flaps incorporated. In-flight adjustable prop and even an Auto Pilot!!! (Way too much on a Merlin) The owner retired from flying and let the registration run out. He also ordered the modified wings destroyed for liability reasons. Fortunately, only the wings were modified, fuselage and wing mounts remained factory original. We reached agreement, emailed paperwork back and forth and I expressed a bank draft to him.

Now the first of many questions to answer and many challenges to overcome, getting it here. Do I ship it? Would be large and awkward to ship, would be expensive and very probable that damage would occur. Even considered Uship but was not impressed with that option. Decided this is a job best handled personally, as I sometimes tend to be a “control freak”, so I chose to fly down commercial and bring it back myself.

I started brainstorming alternatives.

• Option One: Priced out a one-way U-Haul. Very expensive rental, then add 3,000 miles of fuel in a very fuel inefficient vehicle. Cost prohibitive. The only advantage was it could go over the border and drop in Canada.
• Option Two: Rental pick-up Truck. More fuel efficient and less expensive rental, but not allowed to cross border and drop in Canada. This could be overcome by dropping the aircraft at one of the border storage companies in Sweetgrass, Mt and picking it up with my truck later. This too had problems associated with it though.

I decided to get it out of Florida up to Montana and sort the rest out along the way. Solve one problem at a time, then solve the next one and so on. I enjoyed the challenge of overcoming obstacles as they appeared, and they did.

So, I opted to go the pick-up truck route, but how to load and haul it? I imagined a modular rack & crate unit that could be assembled with only a cordless drill/driver, and crescent wrench. The materials, tools and hardware would be purchased down there, as boarding a flight to the US with a one-way ticket and tools would obviously raise way too many questions. The unit had to be quickly and easily assembled, strong and stable enough to go down the Interstate with a disassembled aircraft on it, not inflict damage, yet be light enough and with minimal wind resistance for fuel efficiency. Nooo problem!

I scratched out a rough design on the computer with materials and most dimensions dialed in but the length was TBD as I was unsure of the box length of the truck I would end up with. I did a lot of prep work and planning online in advance, including sourcing items, price and availability.

Also determining routes and directions with Maps and Street view, allowing me to choose a motel that was within a few blocks of Harbor freight and Home Depot. It was like doing a dry run of the trip on my computer. Even went as far as estimating total load height and checking against overhead clearance heights on the Interstates along my route. Very O.C.D. I know.

Truth be told, the deals on Airfare, Truck Rental and Accommodation were my Wife’s doing. She has a tremendous knack for searching and locating incredible deals. She was able to get me a really cheap direct flight with WestJet, a super cut-rate weekly Rental Pick-up with Enterprise with unlimited mileage and the EXTRA INSURANCE, which would prove to be invaluable later and an inexpensive Motel close to everything I needed. She’s amazing!

The first obstacle appeared right after paying for my flight. WestJet was in contract talks and there was potential for a strike. The news indicated that no job action would occur during the May long weekend but was possible within a 72-hour notice timeframe following the weekend. Due to vacation time and other requirements, my schedule was very strict, and this could derail carefully laid plans. We watched this very closely.

Day One:

Flew into Orlando and hit the ground running. Rental pick-up, drove 67 miles to Palm Bay and checked into motel. Went to Harbor freight to get tools and cargo straps. The checkout girl was wonderful. She gave me a free membership and great at-till discounts on everything I bought. Next was Home Depot to pick up hardware and lumber as per my pre-planned cut list. The associate made all my lumber cuts at no charge! I returned to the motel and went to bed. Like a kid at Christmas, I could barely get to sleep.

Day Two:

That morning, I started to assemble the rack/crate unit in the motel parking lot. This was to take under an hour as per plan, then “Murphy” showed up on cue. While moving the unit during assembly, a momentary lapse (read brainfart) caused the unit to tip over and go through the back window of my rental pick-up. OH NO! I had planned to be at the airport, loaded and gone before midday. This setback would cause an unexpected delay.

Undeterred, I cleaned the truck and parking lot and myself of all glass shards and sealed the opening with plastic film. There was no time to go back to the rental place and risk non availability of trucks and further delays. I decided to get loaded and underway and sort it out at the drop off end. Asking for forgiveness later, than permission now.

Arrived at Grant Valkaria airport in the afternoon and wasted no time. Friday afternoon of the Memorial Day long weekend, I couldn’t dismantle, load and secure it fast enough. I removed and stowed all loose items in the crate below, including tail empennage, main gear, engine mount, seats, doors, cowlings, etc.

Then we loaded the fuselage on the rack and secured it with ratchet straps. I would check the strap tension every time I stopped and found no cargo securement issues for the entire trip. However, due to scoop or cupping effect of the windshield, firewall and open aft section, it caused it to catch too much air, like a drag chute. I eventually had to tarp it up.

The tarp would prove to be a constant work in progress involving many repair/re-secure stops enroute. It made it to Montana in one form or another…1 tarp, 20 bungees and 3 rolls of Gorilla tape later. The Tailwheel was dangling out over the windshield spurring me along like the proverbial carrot on a stick. However, some concrete block sections of highway caused a bobbing motion in it I didn’t like, prompting me to eventually remove it. I was ready to depart but with night approaching and after a burning hot day, I decided to get a good sleep and leave in the morning instead.

Day Three:

My departure from Florida had an extra element of urgency that day. Tropical storm Alberto had potential to morph into a hurricane. This would expedite my travel north and further inland. I chewed through the rest of Florida, then Georgia and finally shut down in a rest area near Chattanooga, Tennessee. An amazing rest area with 24 hour security, janitorial, vending machines and campers parked separate from the commercial truck section. I found Tennessee beautiful, lots of nice scenery but this was not a vacation. I was a man on a mission to get the whole round trip done in one week or less.

Day Four:

A Big day, as I had to make up for lost time to be back on track. This was my longest leg. Chattanooga, Tennessee to Sioux City, Iowa. 963 MILES, through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa.

Day Five:

Sioux City, Iowa through South Dakota and Wyoming to Great Falls, Montana. They were on Flash Flood Alert in many areas of South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana, due to rains associated with the Wx related to Alberto.

Now I had to figure out the logistics of getting over the border and home. I used a hybrid combination of the earlier two options. With no U-Haul trucks available in Great Falls of the right size, I ended up having to go 50 miles NW of Great Falls to a very rustic backwater called Augusta, Montana, population 315! Look it up in Google images. They had the only ideal size truck within a 100-mile radius. Fortunately, I could rent it for 24 hours, take it over the border and drop it in Calgary. So here is the logistic shuffle (juggling act) I had to perform, see if you can follow along:

Drive pick-up from great falls 50 miles to Augusta. Rent U-Haul. Quickly transfer aircraft, rack, tools, etc. to U-Haul and lock it.

Deadhead pick-up truck 50 miles back to great falls airport and drop it off. This included the explanation of the broken window… glad I took the insurance… no charge!!! Take a taxi from Great falls airport 50 miles back to Augusta. Finish securing load in the U-Haul then continue north to Shelby, Montana and shut down for the night.

Day Six:

The final push. Crossing the border went way easier than I initially thought. I was sent to the garage as soon as they heard “aircraft” but was in and out of garage in less than ten minutes. The border guard was a nice young lady. I had all my paperwork in order including sales documents and a copy of the Bank Draft. I also had receipts for all the tools and straps I bought. She was satisfied with everything she saw and gave me the best news of all.

Due to the low purchase price of the aircraft items and the limited cost of tools and such I bought, it would all fall under my personal exemption for the week I was down there, and I would not have to pay anything! She sent me on my way, and I didn’t stick around to ask questions.

Heading home I popped by Indus to see Wayne Winters, if he had a moment. He was busy but was kind enough to drop what he was doing so I could show him my aircraft. He looked it over and confirmed that it was actually a BYA frame welded at Indus. If I understood him correctly, the arrangement then was that Blue Yonder would weld the frames up and ship them down to Aerocomp in Florida. He pointed out a few other details as well. Super guy, thanks Wayne. I continued on my way but was struck by an odd sense of Irony.

So many of Wayne’s planes find their way home to Indus, this one was no exception. It went all the way to Florida, flew above the Atlantic Ocean then traveled by land through the US to return to its birthplace, Indus, Alberta. A phenomenon unique to Merlins. Arriving home around supper time, with help from the neighbors, she finally found her new home, in my garage.

Day Seven

And on the seventh day I rested because I was right back to work the next day. What a week!!!

It was a true journey in every sense of the word. Starting at Grant Valkaria airport, about 175 miles north of Miami, I went through so many States, Cities and Towns, several gallons of gas, nearly an equal amount of bad coffee (Where are you Tim Horton’s?) I met many fascinating and unusual people along the way, most of which wrongly assumed that I had a helicopter on my truck. I now sympathize with those who drive antiques, hot rods and other exotic cars. You end up talking with so many people everywhere you stop for fuel, bathroom etc. It’s fun but delays an already tight schedule. The trip provided lots of bonding time with the aircraft and 3,000 miles of alone thinking time, definitely a journey in more ways than one.

I did cross the Suwannee River, didn’t see a Chattanooga choo choo, but was singing Kansas City here I come. I Rolled through Atlanta, Georgia in the middle of the night in dramatic lightning and pouring rain, from Storm Alberto chasing me, so it was definitely a Rainy night in Georgia, but the lights didn’t go out. The images and sceneries are forever burned into my memory. Sunrise in the mist driving through rock cuts in Tennessee, driving down tall tree lined highways, looking at my long outstretched shadow as I go across the light sparkling Missouri River multiple times, arriving in Kansas city at night to see the colorfully lighted downtown skyline, the barren desolation of rural Nebraska and Iowa, which smell like one giant pig farm, the scorching midday heat on the badlands areas through South Dakota, cruising with windows open and a warm breeze traveling through the clear starlit night in Wyoming listening to classic rock, the beautiful purple gold and blue colors streaming ribbons across the endless “big sky” of eastern Montana at first light, the familiar outline of the mountains shouldering the Western horizon as I drew closer to the border and coming home.

Cruising down the Interstate at a posted speed of 80 mph which is damn near the cruising speed of the aircraft, only tail first. I hope to fly the aircraft a lot further than the 3,000 mile journey I drove it but its this first trip together I’ll remember most.

Regarding price, the Whole is lesser than the sum of its parts… way less! Many of the parts alone are more than $300. I got a Fuselage frame, rear empennage with support struts, full pitch trim system, boot cowl and upper and lower cowls for a 912, doors with slight bowing and custom armrests, Matco wheels with pilot side toe brakes and Carlisle tires, Matco tailwheel, engine mount for a Rotax 912, nice professional looking custom fiberglass fairing piece between windshield, skylight and wing root area, seats, seatbelts and other misc items. It needs an engine, prop, wings, lift struts and instruments. If anyone has some of these smaller items in good usable condition at a reasonable price, I may be interested in them. The frame is in great shape and virtually corrosion free with no signs of any damage, abuse or neglect.

Overall, I think it worked out satisfactorily. It got here with minimal expense, without any damage or lost pieces and in reasonable time with very little paperwork, fuss and difficulty. Let’s face it, when you need to move an aircraft across the continent, those are the most significant factors. In final analysis, was it worth it? To me…hell yes! Would I do it again? Probably.

Would I do it a little differently? Maybe. You learn as you go, and I probably would make a few small changes and improvements.

Some may think I was crazy to pursue this undertaking, but I feel I got a tremendous amount of value in return for a comparatively small investment of time and money. As a working family man, this is important. A co-worker once said that a good deal is a state of mind, it’s all perception and I believe that to be true.

More importantly, life’s about adventure sometimes. You have to occasionally reconnect with your sense of wonder and adventure you once had, instead of the adult inside of you rationalizing and talking you out of it. Most of the exciting things in life started when someone said, “why not” and followed their dreams. It may not seem like a big deal to some, but this is very meaningful to me.

Now that I own an aircraft (or at least an aircraft project), have my ultralight permit and am actively flying, I finally feel like I’m in the game, not just a spectator living vicariously through others, although the tales and anecdotes shared by others have served as a great inspiration to me to not give up and I thank you for that. It’s a nice change to be the one contributing to our shared stories and experiences this time.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the people who kept me motivated. Three club members who have been very helpful, encouraging and inspiring are Stu Simpson, Dirkjan Kiewiet and Al Baljak. Guys like you make our club great. Of course, my wife Sue and children Jennifer, Steven and Melissa who have all been supportive and encouraging and put up with my crazy dreams.

A lot has happened from March to June, I hope to have more to report in the near future and will keep you posted.