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The science of parking outside

Vlad

Well Known Member
I could use some advice here. Now I am parked literally minutes from the place I live 6 minutes to be exact. There is no hangar space at that airport. There is fair amount of traffic of different kind and there are birds and there are some funny insects too. I am able to check airplane at least two times a day (airport located between home and work) I am able to fly at least every other weekday evening weather permitting. Other then the primitive tie down ropes what tricks in your bag you have when parking outside for long term. Thanks :)







 
Sink an anchor and tie the tail. That jet looks dangerous.... and winds may come up as well.
Do you have cowl plugs to keep birds out? And pitot cover?
Cheap sleeping bags from Walmart can be fashioned into wing and tail covers as well.... if hail is a concern.
Been there... for 17 years now. Used to it, unfortunately.
 
Mud dobbers can stop up fuel tank vents in just a few hours, check them always and you can also cover them too. Plugged fuel vents can ruin your whole day.
 
Check out Bruces covers. They have full aircraft covers including the cowl plugs. I had my -6a outside for 2 years and these protected well. Get something to secure the control surfaces also. Especially the rudder.

I used tie down straps instead of ropes also. More positive. Ropes work if you keep them tight though.
 
Flaps up, tie the tail, secure the controls in neutral (including a rudder lock).

Add cowl plugs, a canopy cover, a pitot cover, and fuel vent covers.
 
Also, chocks would not hurt anything. You mentioned a lot of insects, maybe some sort of stick on flap over the static ports. :)
 
I keep a small rubber snake on the cockpit floor and have not had a single mouse since I got him. Before that, they came regularly. Of course that's in a taildragger, with tailwheel access....

Dave
 
I don't have static ports and fuel vents covers all the rest is taken care of. What kind of static port covers could be used on Vans stock rivets?
 
Yep just regular masking tape over static rivet one on each side. I have some lime green masking tape I use for that, it helps catch my eye so as not to forget to remove it.

Bird
 
Vlad,

I would certainly cover those lightning holes in the horizontal stab (and anywhere else) .. Birds love them! Tape will work.....


Better still, move to CYSH and you can live in your hanger :D
 
To keep the mice away.

Hey guys,

We have trick we use when storing our boat in the old barn out back. We use bounce dryer sheets in every compartment of the boat. We've never had mice or chipmunks get into the boat, although our barn is full of them.

As a bonus, it smells fresh when we go boating, and no static cling!

Steve Wolfe;)
 
Hey Vlad,
If that disc on your rudder is the gust lock I don't like it's location.
I think in a strong wind it could do as much damage as help.
Seems like you would be better off using the leverage of the counter balance.
Plus the counter balance area is much sturdier than the skins.
 
vladster, checked your track from yesterday, we almost ran into each other near long island about 4pm. keep on trucking. i like your new location. nice airport. you will fly more if close to home. :D
 
static ports

For the static ports I have seen the use of cotter pins with a flag attached. If you bend them open slightly they will stay put after inserting them into the ports.
 
birds???

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I was having a heckuvatime with birds on my tail....not just the mess, but they managed to drop their load right where it would end up in the little opening to the elevator bellcrank...not where you want some corrosive, hard junk!
...and, found quite a few little wasp nests in the elev. hinge openings, and wingtips. Some areas just not possible to seal up.
Some kinda leaf roller bug in my fuel DRAINS, never in the vents!!!
 
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I had my last plane outside for 10 years. A Bruce's cover for the canopy AND the engine kept them both is great shape. I had to replace it about every 3 years.
Be very careful with the vent plugs. if you block the vents you will cause your tanks to spring leaks. Mine have threaded caps that breath, but you may have to come up with something different.
You actually have an advantage in that you do not have paint to protect. Keep the alu waxed and you should be fine.
 
Be very careful with the vent plugs. if you block the vents you will cause your tanks to spring leaks. Mine have threaded caps that breath, but you may have to come up with something different.

Another way to protect the vents from intruders but still allow the tank to breath is to epoxy a small piece of window screen over the opening in the vents.
 
dirt criters

I parked my RV-6a outside one time and next day took off and noticed erratic airspeed. Circled around and landed no issue. I checked the little bity static hole before I left and didn't see anything. Got on my knees and got my spectacles out and sure enough there was a dirt home in that little tiny static port. Looking around I found a piece of safety wire and cleaned it out. Apparently the little insects got both static ports that night.

Being paranoid now, I got some of those small mixing cups and mixed up some 2part epoxy about 1/3 full and left the brush in the cup to cure. Once cured, I grab those cups by the brush which acts like a handle, and shove them up the exhaust pipes to seal them. The idea of having those insects go up my exhaust and build a nest on the valve overnight is something I don't want to experience. If they can do a static port overnight, then they can do a valve job overnight.
Just my .02.
 
Prepare for big gusts that WILL come

Sorry if I'm telling you what you already know, but I would just remember that although NJ weather might seem to be fairly mild and benign now and much of the time (except for the cold of winter), you WILL, especially in the spring, be hit with really powerful and violent winds and gusts up to 60 mph or more, like the ones that flipped and destroyed the Cherokee at 39N this past year. Winds like that, or similar, come every year, but people who don't usually have airplanes parked outside tend to not be that aware of how violent they are or remember them.

So I'd carefully consider (a) whether your aircraft is tied down well enough to not be flipped or moved in such winds when they come, and (b) whether your control surfaces and adjacent structures can survive that type of abuse given whatever type of gust locks you have in place.

If you ever decide to put on some type of homemade covers for protection from birds, sun hail or whatever (e.g., sleeping bags, as mentioned above), just expect that at some point gusts violent enough to lift or flip planes are going to do everything they can to rip and tear those covers and the straps holding them back and forth and off. Any buckles, zippers, hooks, hard plastic or anything else hard that is on there and not secured for severe gusts can be sawed back and forth and cause scratches and damage.

Unfortunately, I'm now forced to use that tired expression I see on here so often: "don't ask me how I know." And I wasn't actually outside at the time - just under a hangar with no front door, trying to keep the dust and birds off.
 
Hi Vlad, I posted this about a month ago, but let me repeat it here. A RV 8 friend of mine told me the story about some RV owner came to start his engine one day, and 3 minutes later, had $18000 worth of damage. Seems mud daubers had crawled up his exhaust pipes all the way into the engine, and had built a sizable nest, I think it was on one of the valves.

So----I went to Walmart and bought rubber nerf balls that easily squish into the exhaust pipes. Then somebody on VAF also talked about putting "pipe cleaners" in the static vents and fuel vents. Walmart had those in nice bright colors, so I thought bright orange was perfect. Regarding the warning from someone else here about making sure your fuel vents can breathe, I believe the pipe cleaners will allow that, but still keep the critters out. Looks a little strange with all this stuff poked into my airplane, but hey, why take a chance.:eek:

My $.02 worth

PS, I liked the story where a guy bought a rubber snake to keep mice out:D
 
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Under cover...

I could use some advice here. Now I am parked literally minutes from the place I live 6 minutes to be exact. There is no hangar space at that airport. There is fair amount of traffic of different kind and there are birds and there are some funny insects too. I am able to check airplane at least two times a day (airport located between home and work) I am able to fly at least every other weekday evening weather permitting. Other then the primitive tie down ropes what tricks in your bag you have when parking outside for long term. Thanks :)

Vlad,
I parked my RV4 outside for 3 years with a similar scenario to yours. I had Bruce at Bruce's Custom Covers make me a one piece full body cover for my RV4. Yep, one piece, open at the bottom and held on with nylon straps and clips. I drilled my fuel vent tubes and ran a strand of safety wire through them. The cover kept everything else clean. Took 10 minutes to remove and install.
I sold the cover to my Squadron bro "Mob" and his RV4 parked outside for 4 years in Tucson with equally good service.
Highly recommended...:)

V/R
Smokey
https://www.aircraftcovers.com
 
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