Buying a pre-owned Patrol QB project

[Light&Sweet]

I have spent several hours combing the forum for information to questions I have on a Patrol build and haven’t seen discussion on the following:

What words of caution or things to look for would someone have in buying another’s Patrol QB kit which is partially completed?

Should I look at something in particular in say, wings that are closed out?

Were there inventory sheets delivered with the kit to help me inventory parts and pieces?

What packing and transport advice would you have for a DIY move?

What questions would you ask as a buyer of a partially completed QB kit builder?

I am considering a Patrol QB that was purchased 6-years ago by the original purchaser and by what I see in photos of the project, only a limited amount of items have been assembled on the fuselage (gear, horizontal tail, seats) and some riveting on the wings has been accomplished. I saw no fabric, nothing firewall forward, and perhaps no plumbing, electric, or flight control work. The project has been collecting dust in a hangar and appears to have been left unmolested.

Please free to chime in on any or all of these questions.

[Utah-Jay]

Ok, I’ll bite

I am only a builder currently working my way towards the the end of my fuselage sans panel and engine….

I would not hesitate to buy an incomplete kit, but I would want to check everything, namely ALL rigging and anything to do with control surfaces and control surface actuation. The fact that the panel and FWF are not done lets you do it exactly the way you want.

As for the horizontal, I would make damn sure it is set to the proper degree of incidence…. Sure you can call me untrusting, but I would triple check it.

[Light&Sweet]

Thanks, Utah-Jay. If the horizontal incidence was incorrect, would that be a difficult fix or are you just emphasizing the importance of checking it? Lew

[Utah-Jay]

Lew, you can correct it if it is not perfect

[BravoGolf]

I have purchased one scratch built Patrol set of parts and have passed on a quick build project and a slow build project. I purchased someone's Patrol wings, one wing close to QB and the other wing was just the parts. Fortunately the ribs had been fabricated and the spars were done. So that really jump started my almost scratch built Patrol. His work was excellent, a real craftsman, and I am happy to have them. In one project I looked at there were corrosion issues that I did not want to tackle and in another the quality of the work was suspect. I guess my point is when purchasing an unfinished Patrol you really must be able to look at the work and judge its quality. Is it really airworthy? And if it isn't, how much time will be required to take something apart and fix it. Are your skill sets such that you feel comfortable taking on that kind of project? How much time will be required to fix it?

Having said that I do not want to push you away from the incomplete or used kit market. There are some really nice projects out there. Mark / Avipro makes a great product so I would seriously consider a QB project, especially one that hasn't been worked on. You can transport the entire kit inside a 24' Penske truck. Hang the wings on the sides with the fuselage in the middle. If the wing shipping cages are still available even better. If you haven't watched them check out Mark's videos about the factory. You will see the package they put together to ship the aircraft.

Just my two cents worth. Good luck with your search.

Scott

[Light&Sweet]

Thanks, Scott I feel better than two cents richer. Points well taken. As a novice builder, I may not consider anything other than a lightly touched QB, because I don’t know what I am looking at other than obvious problems. I am still in the information gathering phase, and the kit is about 1100 miles from me so I have so work to do. I own a former 23’ uhaul, so that should work for transport. Unfortunately the owner of this QB does not have the original crating, but hanging the wings on the (in) sides sounds like a good way to go. I will watch the videos again with this stuff in mind. Thanks, Lew

[spinningwrench]

You might see if there is a Bearhawk builder closer to the location of the QB which is for sale. Having someone who is already building at least look over the kit could be a real asset. Use the map feature of the forum to see if there is someone close by.

[Light&Sweet]

Great idea....for future reference. The QB I mentioned above just sold. Lew

[Paul Johnston]

All the important structure was fabricated in the factory/ sounds like this aircraft is not far along so you can make it your own build . Sounds good to me

[Paul Johnston]

Incidence on horizontal was set by factory I believe

[robcaldwell]

I'm not sure about that. I purchased my kit in 2018 and the incidence of the horizontal was up to me to set, and is still adjustable.

[Utah-Jay]

Mine is a 2020 kit and I had to set mine too