It has been a time of frustration to some degree. It was important to find the correct place to send the machine to. I really wanted an airfield that:
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a) wasn’t too far from Long Beach port.
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b) preferably East of Long beach.
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c)was big enough to have services and storage.
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d)has accommodation and rental cars nearby along with public transport for later on.
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e)has a good EAA chapter for assistance
After struggling with a few places and their contacts, I decided to try a few Falco builders.. I was almost resigned to going to plan B using San Francisco as the entry point (port of Oakland).
I tried Dan Dorr.. he a pilot with Southwest. He’s obviously a busy man. He offered a few suggestions but he is in the SFO area which isn’t my first choice mainly due to Air NZ not flying there as often as LAX.
Then I tried Ray Hecker. He arranges the West Coast fly-in each year. He bought a pre-loved Falco and he is a super keen Falcoholic. I couldn’t have asked for more. overnight I got three info packed emails with lots of helpful advise. He is based at Chino in LA and suggested I launch from there. With help like that I couldn’t say no. I was excited again!
AND.. We’ve got a cat called Cino (pronounced Chino) so I have to.. right?