Parking outside -v- Hangar

[Goldblock]

I am in the process of buying a Europa Tri-Gear XS - which will be delivered sometime in late November from the current owner. I have arranged hangarage but would like your views on whether it is sensible to keep the aircraft outside (with a full set of covers for the WHOLE aircraft including rudder & tailplane).

My (limited) understanding is that, assuming the aircraft is kept weather tight with good covers, the main problem is UV damage to the uncovered surfaces.

It would seem better to hangar the aircraft but with quite high monthly hangarage costs and the possibility of hangar "rash" from other careless owners, it may be better to buy a really good set of custom made covers and keep it parked outside.

Your thoughts / experience would be appreciated.

[rogcal]

Anything beit car or plane kept covered outside will suffer from a buildup of condensation which will require something i.e. dehumidifier or moisture absorbant crystals, to keep moisture levels low enough to prevent mould forming on internal fittings.

Even the most expensive covers will not prevent moisture forming on the inside of the cover and inside the aircraft and you also run the risk of micro scratches appearing on the windscreen due to the frequent removal and refitting of the covers to either go flying or air the aircraft.

I kept my T'Hawk under covers for the first couple of winters I owned it and gave up when I realised it was better to keep it uncovered and well aired and so avoid the condensation problems I'd experienced previously.

If anyone thinks I was using cheap covers think again. I won't mention the manufacturer but they were the most expensive you could buy and despite the high cost, I might have well have bought a cheap plastic tarpulin from Machine Mart for all the good they did.

Hangar it if you can but if not leave the covers off until they are really needed and then get them off as frequently as possible.

[Rob Swain]

Inside, every time, for me.

A full set of covers would be a real bind to keep putting on and off, and the airframe is still subject to the vagaries of the wind.
Wrapping a plane up will always tend to hold in the damp to a greater or lesser extent and although the fibreglass won't mind too much (I'm guessing there) there's the instruments, avionics, various metal fittings, upholstery etc to be considered.
Hangared aircraft tend to attract less unwelcome attention from plebs and spotters etc.

The only thing in favour of keeping an aircraft outside is instant availability, and full covers put paid to that!

You could always find somebody else looking for hangarage and put up your own, assuming you can find a spot to put it. That's what a friend and I did.
£6000 for the 'fabric' hangar and £800 or so a year ground rent and rates. The one we picked has a very solid frame that bolts down and is covered in a proofed woven polypropylene. It's 45' wide by 30' deep so holds 2 aircraft easily, or 3 if carefully parked.
OK it's almost twice the price of a poly-tunnel but it's a LOT more weather tight (too tight, actually!), the cover is tough as old boots and has a 10 year guarantee, it's a truly portable building rather than a temporary one (being bolted down rather than cemented in as most poly tunnels I've seen) so has resale value both where it is or for use elsewhere. The structure would probably quite easily take a metal skin instead, if need be, so the investment isn't all gone when the cover's life is over.

We were paying something like £1,500 pa for a single plane in a communal hangar before so the new one will pay for itself in those terms in a few years.
In the meantime the monthly/annual outgoings are reduced and we've been able to use the hangar for other aircraft projects etc which otherwise would have been a non-starter.

[merlin]

My experience is similar to that of rogcal and covers can chafe in strong winds. Our Cessna lives outside without covers apart from blanks over front of engine and seems OK as long as well polished. Has had a respray lately and has had some corrosion treated.

Equation comes down to cost of hangarage times years between resprays versus cost of respray.

How all this relates to a glass a/c such as your Europa I know not.

[John Price]

We have a Europa monowheel which has been outside all summer (yes, what summer) under covers, now it lives in the hangar. There is no condensation, which was a major problem, plus the is no wind buffet so to speak. This as mentioned above causes scratching to the surface's. We would have had the aeroplane inside earlier if there had been space available. If you are worried about the cost you could always take the wings off and keep the craft at home in the garage. It's great for maintance etc and for the wallet, but can be a real pain on those wonderful moments when you want to fly NOW.
Take the hangar in the long run its better.

John.

[Goldblock]

Ok decision made - she goes inside and may the great man in the sky protect anybody who dints my baby!!

[Bill McCarthy]

If I had an aircraft in a crowded hangar, I would take steps to protect my investment by ensuring sections most at risk are protected by some form of "padding".

[Rod1]

Anybody who has been up to Wick and seen the hangarage arrangements will know that Bill is not talking from recent experience…

He is however completely correct. I kept mine in a busy hanger for the first 18 months and padded and covered as much as I could. It delayed the inevitable, but she still got scratched in the end. Having spoken to Europa owners who have tried keeping their aircraft outside it does not appear to work well. Reports of metal parts corroding, excessive play in controls and linkages, covers scratching paint and water leaks. However the Europa can be deriged quite easily. Why not invest in an enclosed trailer and rig her and derig her over the winter? You could save a lot of money and do your maintenance in you warm dry workshop at home.

Rod1

[Goldblock]

If I had an aircraft in a crowded hangar, I would take steps to protect my investment by ensuring sections most at risk are protected by some form of "padding".

Good point Bill - anybody know of anything suitable or self-made that I could copy?

[Rod1]

I used pipe insulation and slid it over the wing tips and tail. This was very effective. I also covered her up with dust sheets as the hanger was an old WW2 T2 which rained rust. I used a professional lined cover for the canopy and cowl. This was for an MCR-01 but a similar approach would work on a Europa.

Rod1

[rogcal]

Barry.

If at all possible at your airfield/strip, seriously consider constructing your own hangar!

I've just completed one for £2k using old telegraph poles as uprights, salvaged timber for the rest of the framework and factory constructed timber trusses.

The sides and roof are clad in a mixture of reclaimed and new sheeting and it don't look 'arf bad.

As security isn't a problem, I have used old "curtain" from a curtainsider lorry to secure the opening at the front against weather.

Either way, I think you have made the right decision and I hope the "hangar rats" don't damage your baby.

[macconnacher]

There was an excelent article in the magazine from Barry Plumb on a self build Hanger about a couple of years ago. He has a set of drawings which you can buy.
There are a batch of these hangers at Hinton in the Hedges if you want to see them.

If you are in a hanger always use hanger chocks, and get every one else to as well. They are simple 1.5 inch square timber made in the form of a U that can slide comfortably front and back of your main wheels (one with a classic Europa) This way the accidental pushing of your aircraft by someone trying to get to his aircraft will not impact your rudder against the hanger wall. Also useful when you are on your own since you can place them with the base of the U behind the wheels before you move out of position and then you can manouver aircraft back into the same position when you put her away.

[Bill McCarthy]

You could paint you reg on the floor where your wheels sit. With other aircraft parking spots similarly marked, then, the movements in and out will become familiar and repetitive.

[mikehallam]

Just completed October 2008, for £1k: all new materials 'T' shape. Span here 32 ft.. Floor is soil, covered in builders quality damp-proof plastic sheet. Generally, animal, wx & people proof.

Ready painted & galv. 'Profile' steel 0.5 mm thick is supplied cut to precise lengths required. Rot treated/impregnated timber frame using chosen sizes from local main merchant. 8mm hex head roofing screws fix steel to frame, power screwed in.
Tools needed :- hand saw, hammer, rechargeable drill. tape measure, spirit level, string.
This is my sixth hangar design & built mostly single handed.