do you leave your plane open in the hangar?

rbridges

rbridges

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rbridges
I've always kept my passenger and luggage doors closed, but my wife hates the smell of the "old" and leather. I left my plane open the last 3 days and it definitely tones down the smell. I'm worried about doing it all the time because of humidity. There have been rainy days when I've gone to the hangar and it seemed like everything was coated in moisture. Surely this can't be good for the electronics in the plane.

just wondering if keeping the plane open all the time would be a bad idea.
 
I also kept mine close....less dirt and dust inside...and fewer critters, too.
 
Closed.

Just one less way for little critters to get in and either corrode or chew me into a repair bill.
 
I usually leave my window popped open. Closing the window won't keep out the humidity. I haven't had any problems with critters.
 
Nice hangar, well sealed, no critters, not in the steamy SE.

Open...closed...both. Mostly closed though.
 
Closed, with cowl plugs and pitot covers installed. Lots of homeless bugs in NC looking for a place to crawl in.
 
I once had a spider slide down a web in front of my face while taxiing.
Now it is sealed completely when put away.
 
Locked would be a good idea.

Consider Pella Iowa, which probably has one of the lowest crime rates among towns of its size. An airplane owner might think it's safe to leave a plane there unlocked, and even leave its doors open.

Not so.

In 2010, when the barefoot bandit was crossing the country on his spree of theft, he tried to steal a late-model SR22 in a hangar in Pella, where the plane was left for service at the shop. He broke into the locked hangar, but he failed to break into the locked plane. He succeeded only in damaging the baggage compartment lock. So he stole the FBO's courtesy van and drove it to another city. I think that shows the value of locking the plane in a locked hangar.
 
Side window open, door cracked open, nothing locked except the hangar door. The insurance company owns the airplane, I just get to pay for everything and play with it.
 
Plane locks are a joke, add the cover of working in a hangar and the likelihood of having tools handy, locking the plane inside a hangar is mostly mental masturbation.
 
If someone is willing to break into the hanger, they're not there to steal the plane. They're there to steal everything in it to pawn. The cheap locks won't stop them. They'll just break the window or door. Airworthiness is not their concern.

I classify this up there with putting the wood stick on your glass sliding door on the patio. Because that will stop a brick from coming through the glass to make a hole the size of a car.
 
Maybe for some cases, but this lock actually stopped the barefoot bandit from stealing the plane.


http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2010/July/1/Barefoot-bandit-believed-to-be-headed-east

Excerpt

The series of break-ins underscores the importance of adhering to the principles of AOPA’s Airport Watch: Lock up and look out. In some cases, one additional lock can make a big difference. The burglar at Pella Municipal was able to gain access to a locked hangar, Vandevoort said, but could not break into the SR22 inside.
 
Im in a group hangar,keep it closed,for critters ,also if they move it outside don't need a passing rain shower to get inside and build mold.
 
They are assuming the plane lock stopped him I seriously doubt that. Plenty of reasons to drive.
 
My buddy had a rat take up residence in his 421! He left it open in the hangar with the door down! :mad2: Never again! :yes:
 
In the hangar I usually leave the vent window, floor vent and door vents open. On a parking ramp I always close up everything and put on the cover.
 
On the subject of Rodentia taking up residence in aircraft:
Someone once told me that Bounce brand drier sheets keep mice away - I was doubtful but tried it at our mountain house, and a very serious mouse problem went away!

So....I throw a few Bounce sheets under my seats, in the baggage compartment, etc... So far so good.
 
I have a boat, nice car and camper. All get dryer sheets over the winter. Also during summertime I run a dehumidifier in the garage. Moisture over time wrecks just about anything.
 
wrbix said:
On the subject of Rodentia taking up residence in aircraft:
Someone once told me that Bounce brand drier sheets keep mice away - I was doubtful but tried it at our mountain house, and a very serious mouse problem went away!

So....I throw a few Bounce sheets under my seats, in the baggage compartment, etc... So far so good.
Click to expand...

www.dreamingearth.com Mouse away. Bounce drier sheets just keeps mice away from the sheet.

I use it in everything and no mice at all. None. Nada. I live in a very rural area. And it won't kill your dogs or children. However I did see mountain lion tracks in the snow on my porch a few years ago.

Back to the original subject: I close everything even when parked in the hangar. I left the little corner window open once. Came back and had pidgeon poo on the yoke and feathers every where else.
 
In my T-hangar in Culpeper, there are birds that get into the hangar, so I shut things up.
In my personal hangar in NC, I leave it the way I parked it (canopy open usually).
 
I do. Small pilot's window open to keep somne fresh air in there. Nose baggage door open because that's where the battery maintainer plugs in.
 
hmmm, I must have a tougher strain of rural mice.
Put bounce in the combine in the off season and all they do is make a nest out of it.
But hey, at least it smells good.
The best method I have found is traps baited with fresh peanut butter - change the bait every two weeks so it does not dry out.

The plane sits with the door wide open the past 14 years (closed hangar). No critter problems I know of. If I have one then I will take action as required. The airport has a cat that patrols, religiously - probably because she only gets about half-rations from the manager.

I did have mice get in my boat this past summer (Ranger Tug R25 - parked next to the combines) and make a nest. A trap did them in and I have since scrubbed the entire boat down with bleach water and then Formula 409. My knees are killing me but the boat is sparkling clean, even the bilge.
 
I frequently get birds building nests in my hangar and the associated droppings all over. Absolutely not going to leave doors and windows open for that reason alone.
 
NoHeat said:
Locked would be a good idea.

Consider Pella Iowa, which probably has one of the lowest crime rates among towns of its size. An airplane owner might think it's safe to leave a plane there unlocked, and even leave its doors open.

Not so.

In 2010, when the barefoot bandit was crossing the country on his spree of theft, he tried to steal a late-model SR22 in a hangar in Pella, where the plane was left for service at the shop. He broke into the locked hangar, but he failed to break into the locked plane. He succeeded only in damaging the baggage compartment lock. So he stole the FBO's courtesy van and drove it to another city. I think that shows the value of locking the plane in a locked hangar.
Click to expand...

Or,
it could have been either Mike Kennedy or Kevin Lacey ....
 
rbridges said:
thanks, Scott. Between those and some febreeze, I may be able to get ahead of it.
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One thing about the dehumidifier crystal things, take care to not spill them into the belly, they are not aluminum friendly.
 
Norman said:
We kept two hangar cats. Kept them lean and slightly hungry.

No meeses! :no:
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That's actually the wrong way to have a mouser. If you make them lean and hungry, they will catch the minimum to exist and conserve energy. When you feed them, they have the energy to hunt for fun and are much more productive at it.
 
Henning said:
That's actually the wrong way to have a mouser. If you make them lean and hungry, they will catch the minimum to exist and conserve energy. When you feed them, they have the energy to hunt for fun and are much more productive at it.
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I defer to the expert............................................. on everything. :mad2::mad2::mad2:
 
Henning said:
That's actually the wrong way to have a mouser. If you make them lean and hungry, they will catch the minimum to exist and conserve energy. When you feed them, they have the energy to hunt for fun and are much more productive at it.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%..... Cats are not loyal....if you keep them too lean they find the hanger owner who has already figured this out.

Domestic cats rarely eat their prey entirely and a lot of times not at all...it's about the chase and the hunt. There is nothing better for rodents than a cat....baits n poisons are fine...but cat food is generally cheaper.
 
Shorter term, window open, longer term, everything shut. Like posted above I can open the door and window to ventilate while getting things ready.

I squirted a bit of 'Corrosion X' inside the wing and tail when I had the wingtip off, then the rest in the tail. That leads to a bit of smell after being all closed up.
 
I leave my airplane (RV-6) parked inside with the canopy wide open. I also put mouse/rat poison blocks around the inside perimeter of the hangar. I figure the mice get into the poison and die before they set up housekeeping inside anything in the hangar. I see a number of dead ones every year and I'm sure my hangar neighbors see a few too...
 
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