Good place to hide a spare key on plane?

WDD

WDD

Final Approach
PoA Supporter
Joined
Oct 16, 2019
Messages
6,089
Location
Atlanta / Marietta
Display Name
Display name:
Vintage Snazzy (so my adult children say)
Where might a good place be to store a spare key for your plane? Say you're about to do a return trip home and you lost the key. Does anyone stick a spare key somewhere on the plane? Easy for doing that on a car, but between 140 degree ramp temps, 150 mph wind when cruising, rain, etc., where would you put it?

Or skip this idea and just put a spare key in your wallet?
 
Tape it inside an easily-accessible inspection panel. Use good tape so it doesn't let go due to heat/temp changes.
 
WDD said:
Where might a good place be to store a spare key for your plane? Say you're about to do a return trip home and you lost the key. Does anyone stick a spare key somewhere on the plane? Easy for doing that on a car, but between 140 degree ramp temps, 150 mph wind when cruising, rain, etc., where would you put it?

Or skip this idea and just put a spare key in your wallet?
Click to expand...
When I had a key, I kept like 3 of them in my flight bag. Because I have a bad habit of forgetting to put the spare back if I have to use it.

My new plane only requires knowing what buttons and levers labeled in Chinese you need to push. Good luck with that! lol
 
I used to keep one under the battery in the battery box. It takes a little effort to get there.
 
Lockbox on a tie down point.
 
flyingron said:
I used to keep one under the battery in the battery box. It takes a little effort to get there.
Click to expand...
Nice: Some built-in punishment for losing your key, to deter you from doing it again! :nono:

I don't keep one in the plane. I keep one in my flight bag, one in my hangar, and one with my car keys. It's a very strange situation if I need one and don't have access to one or more of those things.
 
trenton said:
Lockbox on a tie down point.
Click to expand...

not much help for the OP's hypothetical "Say you're about to do a return trip home and you lost the key."
 
Bob Noel said:
not much help for the OP's hypothetical "Say you're about to do a return trip home and you lost the key."
Click to expand...
Ok, that makes sense. For some reason I was picturing a lock box hanging down from the tie down ring under the wing or tail. I could just imagine the wind swinging that around wildly against the fuselage.
 
The guy I bought my mooney from gave me two keys. I stored one as a spare and used the other for months. He came and flew with me and was like "did you change out a lock or something to use one key". I looked, and sure enough the keys were not the same. But either key opened either door, and further, opened every other mooney I ever tried them on. ;)
 
My key is attached to a carabiner keyring with a 4”x1” Remove Before Flight streamer. Carbiner is clipped to flight bag before walking away from the plane.
 
If I was going to keep a spare key in my plane in the event someone stole my flight bag from a janky crew car, I'd probably zip tie it to some structure behind an inspection panel.
 
My key is attached to a carabiner keyring with a 4”x1” Remove Before Flight streamer. Carbiner is clipped to flight bag before walking away from the plane.
Click to expand...

I do nearly the same thing except I attach it to my car key, which is always with me. I also keep a spare in my flight/headphone bag.
 
Salty said:
The guy I bought my mooney from gave me two keys. I stored one as a spare and used the other for months. He came and flew with me and was like "did you change out a lock or something to use one key". I looked, and sure enough the keys were not the same. But either key opened either door, and further, opened every other mooney I ever tried them on. ;)
Click to expand...
You should be able to get a key from a John Deere to work.

My homebuilt has nothing keyed. I drilled a hole in the canopy latch for a padlock but then I realized I will never lock it…

Unlocked: If someone wants to steal my radios, my insurance will buy me new radios and I’ll go flying soon.

Locked: The radio thief will break my canopy and take the radios. My insurance will buy me new radios and a canopy kit. The canopy took me a year to build. It was basically my only accomplishment for the whole year in 2019. So I’ll probably never go flying again.

For your spare key, maybe you can wire it to something under the cowl where it will be safe and only require a screwdriver to get to.
 
Use a piece of lock wire and strap the key to something in the engine compartment.

Or, just don’t worry about it. Lots of aircraft have no key.
 
iamtheari said:
You should be able to get a key from a John Deere to work.

My homebuilt has nothing keyed. I drilled a hole in the canopy latch for a padlock but then I realized I will never lock it…

Unlocked: If someone wants to steal my radios, my insurance will buy me new radios and I’ll go flying soon.

Locked: The radio thief will break my canopy and take the radios. My insurance will buy me new radios and a canopy kit. The canopy took me a year to build. It was basically my only accomplishment for the whole year in 2019. So I’ll probably never go flying again.

For your spare key, maybe you can wire it to something under the cowl where it will be safe and only require a screwdriver to get to.
Click to expand...
When I first moved to Philadelphia many years ago, my new neighbor told me the first day to get rid of my locking gas cap ASAP. He said "they'll actually target you for having it and punch a hole in your tank with a screwdriver and steal the gas without having to pump it."
 
When my co-owner forgot the key to the Grumman, he randomly tried the key to his home storage shed. It worked.
 
Hi.
WDD said:
Where might a good place be to store a spare key for your plane?
Click to expand...
Disclaimer, FAA / TSA is Not happy with you having a key on the plane, especially it it's tied down outside.
It does depend on the Make, Model... of the acft but some are attaching it to the oil dip stick in the engine compartment, or with a magnet to the firewall. Any one messing in the Engine area is always attracting attention, if anyone other than yourself, is around. CFIs and others are trained to look for these unusual things, in particular if they know the area / owner.
 
Last edited:
I don't know why the FAA will care.

Most airplane locks are cheap-assed disk locks that can often be operated without a key as well as they can with one. Further, anybody with a clue can probably fire up a plane without using the lock at all.
 
When I was a kid my girlfriend and 2 of our friends shared a old beat up car. There was no key because it broken off in the ignition switch. The car never got stolen and we all had a back up car to use if we needed. It was a 1976 gremlin, who would steal a gremlin? lol
 
On the Cessna we taped it to one of the inspection plates. Since there are around 40 of them, chances of anyone finding the right one are slim.
On the Pipers we tape one under the empennage fairing or on the ELT. But almost any Piper key will open the door.
On both the starter key is different from the door key and that’s hidden in the plane.
 
JScarry said:
On the Cessna we taped it to one of the inspection plates.
Click to expand...
OK. Where then do I hide the screwdriver to open the access plate? :). (Just trying to be difficult here…..).
 
WDD said:
OK. Where then do I hide the screwdriver to open the access plate? :). (Just trying to be difficult here…..).
Click to expand...
Don’t all manly men carry one of these at all times?
67fabcde856227efe89916af8ee8c4b4.jpg
 
I lost a key while on a long cross country.luckily I have two in my flight bag. I keep one on my car key ring.
 
bradg33 said:
Tape it inside an easily-accessible inspection panel. Use good tape so it doesn't let go due to heat/temp changes.
Click to expand...

Inside the port fuel tank!

(I'm kidding, don't do that)
 
Some things shouldn't be discussed on a public forum. This is one of them. It's almost like describing your password creation methodology.

Look around your plane - you'll be able yo identify a few good spots of your own in 15 minutes. Use speed tape and a reusable zip tie to secure the key.
 
Salty said:
When I first moved to Philadelphia many years ago, my new neighbor told me the first day to get rid of my locking gas cap ASAP. He said "they'll actually target you for having it and punch a hole in your tank with a screwdriver and steal the gas without having to pump it."
Click to expand...
Yep. That sounds like the Philadelphia I lived in many years ago.
 
Problem solved... Have one of these on the pilot side tie-down chain

MLCOM_PROD_5422D_01_Hero.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top