SPA has been busy producing parts and delivering Panthers to builders all over the globe. Panther builders have been busy in their shops and are making a great deal of progress along the way. We have many builders that are at the 90% done and 90% to go and here are a few photos that show their progress.
One of our hometown builders, Steve Pedano, has his engine hung, wings fit and working on his canopy install.
Builder Brent Mayo in Fernandina, FL has his Panther on the gear and wings installed.
Builder Andrew Shorter in New Bern, NC has his wings installed too –
Something you should notice about these builders is they are doing most of this from their home garages.<br />
We also have three kits on the way to New Zealand, one on the way to Australia and two more leaving in a few weeks. This has been a busy Panther delivery month and we have more moving all the time. The parts a now steadily flowing out the door as we wrap up the final production pieces.
We have worked hard at SPA to develop a delivery method that makes it easy for a builder to inventory their kit and to find the components they need, when they need them, during their build. All kits get an inventory folder with a master list. Each box is labeled with a box number and the master list describes the general contents. Then there is a packing list for each box. See below for details on how the kits are delivered.
Then the master box/pallet/crate check list.
Each box is labeled with the box number for quick and easy identification.
Then there is a packing list for each box in the Master Inventory Folder delivered to the customer. The list is clearly broken down by the box so parts can be easily inventoried and identified.
Now it is time to pack everything up and get it ready for shipment. This shipment is going in a container, however all of our shipments get packaged similarly to this – unless a fully enclosed crating option is chosen by the builder.
And that, my friends, is how you ship 3 whole Panther kits all the way from Podunk Green Cove Springs Florida to New Zealand!
You learn something new every day. That is the saying we use as a mantra. Dan’s version is “We reserve the right to get smarter!”. We feel like we are learning all the time, every day, and getting better at it all along the way. Building a foundation for being great (ok – maybe not great, but at least good) at what we do now, and expanding the horizons for what is yet to come. We aren’t there yet in all aspects, but the path is golden and strong and we are on the path and moving forward. All of the builders rave about how great the parts are, how awesome the kit is, how much thought and ingenuity went into the design. Now we are focused on documentation, and delivery. With so many builders on the threshold of maiden flights you need to hold tight, there is about to be a Panther invasion!
