Outdoor Aircraft Storage

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Chris Dickens

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Chris Dickens
I live in an area where there aren't a plethora of general aviation airports. I've checked around at virtually every public GA airport within 1.5-2 hours from where I live and everyone has a very lengthy hangar wait list. I am planning on purchasing an airplane (Baron 55) in 2025. I've gotten on the wait lists early (at least the wait lists that don't require me to already have an airplane).

I'm starting to accept that I'll have to store the airplane outside for a while. Hopefully it's only a year or so, but given that reality, anyone have recommendations for aircraft covers and tie-down straps? In addition to fuselage covers I'm considering getting wing covers and engine plugs as well. Thanks!
 
https://www.aircraftcovers.com/

Engine plugs are a must, lest your nacelles become bird sanctuaries.

I got my tiedown stuff from the aviation departments of west marine and amazon.

What kind of climate are you in?
 
GeorgeC said:
https://www.aircraftcovers.com/

Engine plugs are a must, lest your nacelles become bird sanctuaries.

I got my tiedown stuff from the aviation departments of west marine and amazon.

What kind of climate are you in?
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Western Carolinas. Most likely I'll base the airplane at KFQD (Rutherford County, NC) unless a hangar opens up somewhere else.
 
If I were unable to have a hangar forcing my only choice to be leaving an aircraft in the weather, I wouldn’t be an aircraft owner. Many people make it work for them, but I personally wouldn’t be able to subject my aircraft to it It bothers me even to leave a plane in weather on the ramp for a few days when I travel.

My $0.02.
 
MBDiagMan said:
If I were unable to have a hangar forcing my only choice to be leaving an aircraft in the weather, I wouldn’t be an aircraft owner. Many people make it work for them, but I personally wouldn’t be able to subject my aircraft to it It bothers me even to leave a plane in weather on the ramp for a few days when I travel.

My $0.02.
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Problem is there are some airports that won't let you even get on the waiting list with out a N-number. The only way to avoid outdoor storage out here is either not own an airplane ever, or build your own hangar at a cost of $300-400k+. I'll eventually get into a hangar, it'll just take 12-18 months. In the meantime, I'd like some good advice on the best products to store it on a tiedown.
 
Chris Dickens said:
I'd like some good advice on the best products to store it on a tiedown.
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It can be done. Look around the ramp at the airport you're interested in and inquire what works best... especially from those owners whose plane looks the best parked outside.
 
I've kept my plane tied down outside for the last seven years with no ill effects. For that matter I've kept my car outside for the last 15 years and it still runs pretty well too. The biggest danger I can see is hail - unfortunately that's just a "roll the dice" kind of risk.

Ask the airport manager if you can keep a storage bin near your plane. When I was able to do so, I kept oil, tools, cleaner, and a generator for preheating the engine.
 
AlleyCat67 said:
I've kept my plane tied down outside for the last seven years with no ill effects. For that matter I've kept my car outside for the last 15 years and it still runs pretty well too. The biggest danger I can see is hail - unfortunately that's just a "roll the dice" kind of risk.

Ask the airport manager if you can keep a storage bin near your plane. When I was able to do so, I kept oil, tools, cleaner, and a generator for preheating the engine.
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Thanks...fortunately we don't get a lot of hail here.
 
man, u got a baron, cover that puppy up! it's not like u got a 172 or something....

whatsup.gif
 
GeorgeC said:
Engine plugs are a must, lest your nacelles become bird sanctuaries.
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To emphasize on the above, all engine bay openings need to be plugged.
Additionally, small birds will find their way in the fuselagw through any fresh air vents that don't have a mesh screen.
They also love to perch on the VOR antenna and crap on your horizontal stabilizer.
If snow/ice accumulation is a possibility, get wing/tail covers as well.
 
AV8R_87 said:
To emphasize on the above, all engine bay openings need to be plugged.
Additionally, small birds will find their way in the fuselagw through any fresh air vents that don't have a mesh screen.
They also love to perch on the VOR antenna and crap on your horizontal stabilizer.
If snow/ice accumulation is a possibility, get wing/tail covers as well.
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I plan on spending the $$$ to buy a really good cover for not just the fuselage, but also the wings, engine and tail. It won't be cheap but it's better than leaving that stuff exposed. I'll also buy plugs for anything the covers don't, well, cover. Snow and ice isn't super common (planning on basing it at FQD unless a hangar opens up at another field) but it's still a possibility.
 
MBDiagMan said:
If I were unable to have a hangar forcing my only choice to be leaving an aircraft in the weather, I wouldn’t be an aircraft owner. Many people make it work for them, but I personally wouldn’t be able to subject my aircraft to it It bothers me even to leave a plane in weather on the ramp for a few days when I travel.

My $0.02.
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This right here ^^^
 
Hopefully you're at least on pavement. My club plane has been outside in the grass. Was a pain to keep clean. At least now we're on a small, cement pad. As others have said, birds in the cowling have been a problem. Fire ants. Most recently, a black widow spider nesting in the tie down chain. I've given up on plane ownership mostly b/c I don't fly enough but also b/c the list of head aches, like no hangers, is long.
 
Chris Dickens said:
I plan on spending the $$$ to buy a really good cover for not just the fuselage, but also the wings, engine and tail.
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FYI: covers can be a double-edge sword. While they can protect from some things they can also damage things themselves like windows and paint finishes. So not all covers are created equal. A good place to start for outside parking, is always keep your aircraft clean and waxed, ensure your tiedowns are of the proper kind and used correctly, and fly your aircraft as much as possible.

Where I've seen the issues happen the most is not cleaning/maintaining the exterior, use of wrong tiedowns, and not performing the proper preventive mx on the aircraft that don't fly regularly. Regardless, have seen and worked on many aircraft that remained parked outside their entire lives, to include fabric covered aircraft, that had minimal issues provided they were maintained in a proper manner.
 
sansoneservices said:
This right here ^^^
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Not owning an airplane isn't an option, and it's not a very constructive suggestion. What y'all are suggesting is an impossibility for me...that I only own an airplane if and when a hangar is available. The problem with this is even if you get on the waiting list (some waiting lists require you to provide an N-number), if they offer you the spot and you don't have an airplane, then they pass you. The only other option is to build my own hangar, which in today's environment will cost double the value of the airplane itself.

I've flown lots of airplanes that were stored exclusively outdoors for many years. It might not be desired but it's not impossible. Maybe y'all live in areas where hangars are more available, and that's great. But that's not the case where I'm at. The closest field is 35 minutes from my house. There are about 7-8 public airports within a 90 minute drive from where I live and ALL of them have very long wait lists for hangars. That's just the reality.
 
Mahneuvers said:
Hopefully you're at least on pavement. My club plane has been outside in the grass. Was a pain to keep clean. At least now we're on a small, cement pad. As others have said, birds in the cowling have been a problem. Fire ants. Most recently, a black widow spider nesting in the tie down chain. I've given up on plane ownership mostly b/c I don't fly enough but also b/c the list of head aches, like no hangers, is long.
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The closest airport (FQD) is paved. It's a pretty nice airport, actually, and we rarely get extreme weather. Snow/ice occurs maybe 1-2 times a year. We do get thunderstorms but the severe variety found elsewhere in the country are uncommon due to the mountains to the west. All in all, the area we live in isn't bad for outdoor aircraft storage.
 
Bell206 said:
FYI: covers can be a double-edge sword. While they can protect from some things they can also damage things themselves like windows and paint finishes. So not all covers are created equal. A good place to start for outside parking, is always keep your aircraft clean and waxed, ensure your tiedowns are of the proper kind and used correctly, and fly your aircraft as much as possible.

Where I've seen the issues happen the most is not cleaning/maintaining the exterior, use of wrong tiedowns, and not performing the proper preventive mx on the aircraft that don't fly regularly. Regardless, have seen and worked on many aircraft that remained parked outside their entire lives, to include fabric covered aircraft, that had minimal issues provided they were maintained in a proper manner.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. I do plan on flying the airplane regularly. I'll fly it at least once a week, if nothing more than a proficiency flight. We live in Western NC, but our family lives in St Louis, Arkansas and Louisiana. We intend on using it to visit them regularly. Our airplane will not be one of the aircraft you see sitting for weeks on end! I fly for an airline and I fully intend to devote some of my time off to keeping the airplane clean, waxed and maintained.
 
The best idea I've seen used is to buy some car wash sponges and leave them in the plastic wrapper. You can used them in a pinch as cowl plugs, or to plug gaps between the tail cone and stab. The clear plastic wrap will still be on them, so they won't get soggy. The sponges are soft enough that if they are missed in preflight they are less likely to have fatal consequences than the alternatives.
 
Chris Dickens said:
Not owning an airplane isn't an option, and it's not a very constructive suggestion. What y'all are suggesting is an impossibility for me...that I only own an airplane if and when a hangar is available. The problem with this is even if you get on the waiting list (some waiting lists require you to provide an N-number), if they offer you the spot and you don't have an airplane, then they pass you. The only other option is to build my own hangar, which in today's environment will cost double the value of the airplane itself.

I've flown lots of airplanes that were stored exclusively outdoors for many years. It might not be desired but it's not impossible. Maybe y'all live in areas where hangars are more available, and that's great. But that's not the case where I'm at. The closest field is 35 minutes from my house. There are about 7-8 public airports within a 90 minute drive from where I live and ALL of them have very long wait lists for hangars. That's just the reality.
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I do INDEED fully understand inadequate hangar availability and hangar lists. I was on one list for 12 years.

As I said in my original post, I understand that there are people that make it work for them, but I would choose not to allow the airplanes for which I am caretaker to be subjected to the slow, mostly unnoticeable deterioration of outdoor storage. Others are free to do as they choose of course.

Since you choose not to give an idea of your general location in your profile, I have no idea what weather conditions to which you choose to expose your aircraft. That would make a difference. As you can see in my profile, I am in a very hot climate. Direct sunlight on an August day, exposes any vehicle outdoors to temperatures that are completely unbearable for humans. Those kinds of temperatures cause many problems cosmetically and even problems that will show themselves functionally.

I was patient and my first ten months of ownership was in a well situated “hail shed.” I had waited a long time for the hail shed and could foresee a Tee hangar opening in the near future. After a while I got a Tee hangar at another airport and had two planes at different airports, living about halfway between the airports with about a 30 or 40 minute drive from home to either one. With more patience and time, I have been in a 60 x 60 hangar, 8 minutes from home with both planes at the same airport since 2017. Also, I am at one of the very best GA airports in the state.

I am normally not a real patient person, but it has paid off wonderfully for me in my quest for a proper hangar. When I started through the process it was very frustrating, but have patience and it will work out. Best of luck and be patient.
 
If you figure out what a hangar costs, it probably would cover the cost of a new paint job every 15 years or so. That being said, I store my plane indoors.
 
MBDiagMan said:
Since you choose not to give an idea of your general location in your profile, I have no idea what weather conditions to which you choose to expose your aircraft. That would make a difference.
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He's already said — ten days ago — that he lives in Western North Carolina, and that his nearest airport is KFQD. That should be enough to get at least some idea of what the expected weather conditions would be — if he hadn't already given some idea of those, too.
 
A cockpit cover is essential to prevent heat deterioration of avionics, especially in hotter climates. I had to store my airplane(s) outdoors for a while, and the heat buildup in the cabin during sunny months was not kind to my avionics. My avionics failures declined dramatically after getting a canopy cover.
 
Build. Offer a 20 year reversion lease. You can build and apron extend, for a Baron last I looked, under 100K.
 
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if you fly often, there isn’t a huge downside to parking outside if you properly cover it.
If you don’t fly it often then hangar will be better than outside and it will probably cost you more over time in repairs if it just sits outside and doesn’t move.

If you do it outside just make sure you have very high quality tie downs. You don’t want to test their strength on a very windy day.
 
+1 Bruce's. Covers are a pain, but the covered surfaces are pristine when I take mine off vs the dust/water spots I see on other aircraft out in the elements with nothing. I have been on the KBOI hangar list for over 7 years. I'm not sure I'll get a hangar there in my lifetime...
 
I lost my hangar spot when I lost the airplane; lease gave me 30 days grace to find a replacement, no dice. Given the post covid migration explosion to this area, I'll never get a spot here again. I'm still trying to find a cheap acro capable plane that can double as a commuter for my remaining sentence. Started thinking outside the box (Hyperbipes and the like), then realized wood and fabric are not the best choice for my new reality. Back to all metal, and not really being a part of the pocket listing club, checked out that RV-6a indy air has on their site, yikes. The fruitless search continues.

That said, I refuse to let "aircraft parking" be the reason I can't fly.
 
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Covers can be hard on the paint if loose, and they're a pain in the butt to take on & off, but if I was on the ramp, I'd still use one. My plane leaks just a bit in heavy rain. Not flying in rain, just on the ramp for some reason. Assume it's the door seals, but haven't spent much time diagnosing it because it normally lives in a hangar and only spends a couple weeks a year outside on trips.

I have a nice Bruce's cover, but I rarely take it with me because it's heavy and bulky. I will say that it fits & straps down to the plane very nicely, and didn't flap at all in an Oshkosh storm that destroyed our tent.

The other benefit of a cover is sun protection for the interior. The outside can stand up to UV pretty well, but the instruments, interior, and even windows will get eaten up. If you don't use a cover, definitely get some sun shades to keep the sun off the panel. This is one advantage of high wings... built in sunshades, at least for the side windows.

The worst part is going to be getting it on & off. Barons are pretty tall, it's bad enough putting the one on my Lance, and you can see in my avatar photo how tall I am compared to it.

As others have mentioned....wax. Probably twice a year? Get the plastic parts too. Cover every hole, especially in the spring. Think also about weird places like openings in the tail and rudder. May need to cover those as well during nesting season.

Be super vigilant in your walk around... move the control surfaces. I once found my stabilator had a bunch of water in it after sitting outside for a week. My drain holes were clear, but it was tilted in the other direction. Thank God it didn't freeze in there. No idea how it got in. Speaking of, make sure your drain holes are clear.

Mice should be on your list of worries as well. Not sure how you'd prevent that outside. I have seen barriers placed around the gear that they can't jump over. Might be worth doing in the fall when they're trying to move indoors. I try to fly weekly, and haven't found any sign of them in the plane, although I know they're in the hangar. I trap several a year.
 
Wagondriver said:
If you figure out what a hangar costs, it probably would cover the cost of a new paint job every 15 years or so. That being said, I store my plane indoors.
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The airport manager at FQD states they prefer hangars at least 60x60, they might consider smaller...although much smaller and I wouldn't be able to fit a Baron in it. The 60x60s that have been built there cost about $200-250k with a motorized bifold door and HVAC.
 
woywoyboy said:
He's already said — ten days ago — that he lives in Western North Carolina, and that his nearest airport is KFQD. That should be enough to get at least some idea of what the expected weather conditions would be — if he hadn't already given some idea of those, too.
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Indeed...I thought I had made that clear. On the plus side, WNC doesn't get much extreme weather. The mountains tend to disrupt the severe storm lines, and the field elevation is low enough that it doesn't snow a lot. That said, we do occasionally get some severe thunderstorms...just not TX/OK severe.
 
chemgeek said:
A cockpit cover is essential to prevent heat deterioration of avionics, especially in hotter climates. I had to store my airplane(s) outdoors for a while, and the heat buildup in the cabin during sunny months was not kind to my avionics. My avionics failures declined dramatically after getting a canopy cover.
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Plan at this point is to buy covers for the entire airplane, including the wings, engines and tail. I may not cover all those surfaces all the time, but it will be nice to have the ability to do so in the event of snow/ice or if I won't be flying for a period of time.
 
bbchien said:
Build. Offer a 20 year reversion lease. You can build and apron extend, for a Baron last I looked, under 100K.
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The airport offers 30 year leases, and the terms seem good. They have an entire taxiway dedicated to future hangar spots. The airport manager said they prefer at least 60x60 hangars. A friend of mine who owns a 182 and is currently in a community hangar have discussed building a hangar to fit both our airplanes and splitting the cost. I heard the 60x60s cost about $250k to build.
 
idahoflier said:
+1 Bruce's. Covers are a pain, but the covered surfaces are pristine when I take mine off vs the dust/water spots I see on other aircraft out in the elements with nothing. I have been on the KBOI hangar list for over 7 years. I'm not sure I'll get a hangar there in my lifetime...
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I've heard nothing but good thing about Bruce's covers and so far that's the plan...to get covers for the entire airplane. If I'm flying regularly and the weather isn't bad I'll probably just cover the fuselage/cabin, but if it's going to sit a little longer than normal or the weather is going to be bad it'll be nice to cover the wings/engines/tail.
 
hindsight2020 said:
That said, I refuse to let "aircraft parking" be the reason I can't fly.
Click to expand...

That's my perspective too. I've flown a lot of club/rental airplanes that live outside...and yes, their paint is ugly but if maintained they are safe. I figure if I cover mine well, maybe worst case in a few years I can build my own hangar. I'm on hangar lists at about 7-8 airports in the region and the first one that opens up, I'll move the airplane to that airfield.
 
Jim K said:
Covers can be hard on the paint if loose, and they're a pain in the butt to take on & off, but if I was on the ramp, I'd still use one. My plane leaks just a bit in heavy rain. Not flying in rain, just on the ramp for some reason. Assume it's the door seals, but haven't spent much time diagnosing it because it normally lives in a hangar and only spends a couple weeks a year outside on trips.

I have a nice Bruce's cover, but I rarely take it with me because it's heavy and bulky. I will say that it fits & straps down to the plane very nicely, and didn't flap at all in an Oshkosh storm that destroyed our tent.

The other benefit of a cover is sun protection for the interior. The outside can stand up to UV pretty well, but the instruments, interior, and even windows will get eaten up. If you don't use a cover, definitely get some sun shades to keep the sun off the panel. This is one advantage of high wings... built in sunshades, at least for the side windows.

The worst part is going to be getting it on & off. Barons are pretty tall, it's bad enough putting the one on my Lance, and you can see in my avatar photo how tall I am compared to it.

As others have mentioned....wax. Probably twice a year? Get the plastic parts too. Cover every hole, especially in the spring. Think also about weird places like openings in the tail and rudder. May need to cover those as well during nesting season.

Be super vigilant in your walk around... move the control surfaces. I once found my stabilator had a bunch of water in it after sitting outside for a week. My drain holes were clear, but it was tilted in the other direction. Thank God it didn't freeze in there. No idea how it got in. Speaking of, make sure your drain holes are clear.

Mice should be on your list of worries as well. Not sure how you'd prevent that outside. I have seen barriers placed around the gear that they can't jump over. Might be worth doing in the fall when they're trying to move indoors. I try to fly weekly, and haven't found any sign of them in the plane, although I know they're in the hangar. I trap several a year.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info...I'm definitely going to invest in good covers, plugs, and get some good tie-down straps.
 
Bruce's covers are very nice.

So are Mac's covers, but a bit cheaper.
 
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