Long term prospects with no hangar

[rebmoc]

Hi all, my name is Aaron and I live near Stuart, FL. I’m a new member and would appreciate some advice. If an airplane is regularly flown, washed and covered, could she live on a tie down in Florida long term? I was always told never to own an airplane if I could not afford to keep it in a hangar, but for the cost of a hangar per month around here I just don’t want to heed that advice! Anybody want to help nudge me along here!? For the record I live here for work so moving to a cheaper hangar location is not in the cards right now (knock on wood!) Thanks!

[6863]

Welcome Aaron. After the downturn of 2008 I had to take work where I could find it which meant Florida, not Stuart but Miami. Even after making some acquaintances with airport connections etc I gave up on bringing my airplane from Kansas to Florida. Even common hangar situations were too costly down there. Having made a decision to maintain our family domicile of 20 plus years in Kansas while I worked in Florida pending finding work back in Kansas also meant being able to keep my airplane in my same hangar in Kansas, Unfortunately that also meant no personal airplane for me in Florida. Instead I got my regular recreational airplane fix by towing gliders at Homestead General. The tow plane, a Pawnee was kept outside but had regular TLC and remained in relatively decent shape for a tow plane.

While in the southern Florida region I watched in real time as a Cessna 172 at Roberts Field exfoliated right before my eyes. It was not washed or flown or attended to in any way so that hastened its demise. That confirmed to me my philosophy of not owning an airplane unless I could keep it hangared.

I hope you can find a suitable solution.

[6183]

Aaron, John hit the situation in Florida right square on the head. Salt air corrosion as well as heat from the sun are some of the worst environments that an aircraft can be subjected to. I live near the Gulf Coast in the panhandle of Florida, but keep my airplane inland approximately 50 miles from the coast as a result of exactly what John experienced in the Miami area. Even if you could put the airplane in a hanger you would still need to take special precautions to help prevent destruction due to salt and moist air. First, regular washings in order to remove contaminants and waxing to protect surfaces are a must if you want to increase the longevity of the structure. Second and just as important it will be imperative that you treat the inside of the structure every year with a corrosion inhibiting material such as ACF 50 or Corrosion X. Lastly, make sure to invest in a good quality cover especially for the wings, tires and cockpit areas as well as invest in some moisture absorption containers in order to reduce issues inside the cockpit. Just remember to remove them before flight or you'll have wet areas inside due to spills.

[rebmoc]

Thanks John and Mike,
I updated my profile with my name, I didn’t notice that when I created the account. John, your 120 is the only flight i’ve done in the model! Thanks again for the inspiration flying to the work hangar occasionally as that is exactly what I’m trying to do (avoiding the mess of I-95 down to PBI) in addition to teaching the boys to fly. That said, I’ll keep looking because an hour drive to get the aircraft and keeping it on tie down a few nights a month would work for as often as I’m actually able to do the commute scenario. Thanks again, I hope to learn more here before I find the right aircraft. Aaron

[6863]

Hey Aaron good friend nice to hear from you. We'll connect further privately.

[5422]

Yeah, a hangar would be nice. But there are many planes kept outside for most of their lives that do just fine as long as you frequently fly them and do all the corrosion mitigation, washing, waxing and cleaning on a regular basis. The only planes I’ve seen that literally withered away were unused unloved ramp queens. Just google a pic of Lake Hood or Merrill field in Anchorage Alaska and there are hundreds of planes that never see a hangar and still look great. We are kinda in a salty environment being next to Cook Inlet. I’ve heard that advice don’t get a plane unless you can get a hangar..........I personally think that’s BS. If you want to fly and own an airplane that bad your enthusiasm and pride of ownership will ensure that plane will do just fine at a tie down outside. (disclaimer....if I had an extra $200,000 I would have a hangar in town)

[8342]

One of the worst things for a fabric covered airplane is ultraviolet light. It reduces the life expectancy of the fabric significantly.

If you want a 120 or 140 and will be letting it sit outside, I would consider one that has had the fabric replaced with metal.

Just my two cents.

Rick

[5422]

Tons of fabric covered planes in Alaska sit outside and do just fine. Paint,cleaning,wax and new synthetic fabrics help with the UV issue. Just helps with it but does not cure it though.

[8349]

I'm in southern New England. Hangar space here in CT can run $400 and up with tie-downs running $100 or less. So figure a $300 savings or $3,600 per year. Every four to five years of not paying these exorbitant hangar fees would cover the cost of a recover. And (at least up here) fabric will last far more than 4-5 years, so saving money over time. Yes, would need to be sure to spend time washing/waxing on a fairly regular basis to help it last, and worth investing a grand or two in a good set of covers for the wings, tail, and cabin cover. Even if you have to recover every 10 years or so, not a bad thing to be able to get a great inspection in at those times on a 70 year old plane.

Plus, that $300/month buys a lot of gas.

[rebmoc]

Thanks for the replies guys! I have spent many hours walking around Lake Hood admiring the GA lifestyle up there (and looking for a couple C180’s that my grandfather owned that ended up in Alaska). I might try to live outside 8 months per year, and hangar an hour And a half away during the intense summer rain and heat when I will be flying less often anyway. The search is ON!