The Drive
Today was the day! My empennage kit is ready, I got a day off, a U-Haul trailer, and my buddy Lee to ride passenger. We headed down to Aurora State Airport (KUAO) to pick up the kit from Van’s headquarters. First thing this morning we went over to UHaul to pick up the trailer, a 6’x12′ covered trailer. Well, at least that’s what I ordered. I walk into the rental place and tell the guy at the counter that I had a trailer to pick up and he says, “I’ve got you in a 5’x10′ trailer for 1 day.” I very quickly said no, I ordered a 6×12. He says, “oh I’m showing that as your ‘preferred’ equipment, but we don’t have any of those in the area.” So much for UHaul’s reservation guarantee. So….. we get an uncovered 6’x12′ – more on that later.
We jumped in the Jeep and started driving, a quick 3 1/2 hours drive and we’re in Aurora, Oregon – just south of Portland. Skies were beautiful and I’m starting to get excited. I might actually get to take one of the demo flights offered by Van’s for prospective customers. Keeping my fingers crossed – I’m not exactly a “prospective” customer since I already bought a kit. The answer is always no ’till you ask right?
Windshield View 
A bit windy but… 
CAVU! 
Let’s do this 
Parked out front
Pick up
Most important thing first though – we’ve had to get an airplane (part)! I walked into the Van’s front office and it was awesome. And by awesome, I totally mean boring. A few airplane pictures on the walls, a small display with a few landing lights that you can try out (heed the warning on the display about them being really bright), and a display with some glass avionics going through their demo “flights” – a G3X Touch and a Dynon/AFS screen. Not sure what I expected, it’s a warehouse not a retail store after all. Shortly after we walked in, a very nice woman came out from around the corner, I filled out some paperwork, and she gave me the gate code to drive around and pick up the kit. A few minutes later, a guy with a fork lift is loading the kit onto the trailer and I’m smiling ear to ear – I’m actually building an airplane.
Lunch
The day wasn’t over yet though. I talked to Lee and we decided to grab lunch and then catch the factory tour at 1:30 PM. It’s about this time that we both realized we’re starving. Lee found this awesome little place just a couple miles from the factory and we grab lunch. Definitely a great place to visit if you’re ever itching for a $100 hamburger.
Factory Tour
After lunch, we headed back to the factory for the tour. Lee and I were the only ones there, which from what I gather is pretty normal. It was great though since it made for a very personal experience. When the tour starts, you walk through a small door off the right of the counter, and immediately you’re in the warehouse section of the factory. Sadly, I can’t remember the name of the guy who gave the tour, but it was a really nice laid back sort of thing. I don’t know if it was because I mentioned I had already purchased the tail kit or not, but the tour felt like 3 guys talking airplanes a not a sales pitch. One of the first things he asked – literally just a couple minutes into the tour – “have you flown in one?” In my head I’m thinking, “no but please please please please can you arrange a demo flight.” But I managed to maintain my cool – “No, but if you can work out a demo while we’re here that’d be great.” Without so much as a second thought he said, “Yeah we can probably work that out. Let’s make the tour quick and I’ll go confirm with my boss that we can get you a ride.”
At this point, the tour kinda becomes a blur to me. We went through the warehouse, the area where they pack all the kits, where they punch and form all the parts, the quick build staging area, etc – but my mind was on one thing. Let’s go flying. The tour ended in the best spot – the hangar where they store all the RV models. I got to see all the models up close and really get a feel for the different aircraft in the Van’s fleet.
