Removing the canard

Big day, major surgery, I finally removed the broken canard.  Would you call that a canardodectomy?  I tell you what, that sucker didn't come out without a fight.

First, I leveled the airplane then made templates to establish the flight level condition.  These will be critical to get the proper alignment when I install the new canard.

Making the first cut, with Mr. Sawzall.

After a couple of hours of wrangling it's finally breaking loose.  We had to take an hour off because I accidentally cut through the main fuel tank supply line.  there was about a gallon and a half of fuel left in the tank, so we had to wait for it to drain and dry out.

Smiling on the outside - crying on the inside.

It's out.  Pretty sad, really, for a hunk of Styrofoam and fiberglass..  A couple hundred people had their feet rest on the passenger's side when I gave them rides.  Only one set of feet on the pilot's side.