The three packages totaling 275 lbs. had clearly suffered in the months-long transit, and despite seemingly thorough packing and padding by Aviad (the Italian manufacturer), two aluminum tubes were damaged and will have to be replaced. Chip assures us that the replacements will come much faster than the kit did!
The first order of business tomorrow will be to carefully unpack and inventory the contents of the packages and to set up the work space in the warehouse generously made available to us by the Physical Sciences Laboratory in Stoughton, about 25 minutes from campus. This is where we will build the ultralight under Chip’s supervision over the next several weeks.
In the meantime, here’s what the kit looks like after unpacking: