Giving up my hangar and moving to a ramp

[Nikhiln25]

It’s a hard decision. I bought a local plane last year and it came with the hangar. I was so excited I lucked out. However my hangar is 55mins to 1.5 hours away. It’s taking all the fun out of flying in spending 2-3 hours added to fly.

So I am moving to a tie down 15 mins away. I will really miss it, probably the most I will miss is the convenience of pre heating from my bed.

NJ where I live doesn’t have horrible weather. Winds usually never go above 40kts. And we don’t get hail. Occasional thunderstorms and a hurricane once every few of years. Not a crazy amount of snow couple times a year

So my question.. what is my kit for parking the plane outside? What things should I get? Appreciate the help

 

[Beachy]

I certainly understand about the long drive to go "have fun" in the sky. I have a tiedown at a local airport (35-minute drive) with a great on-field restaurant (that my wife really likes). Delaware Coastal (GED) also has the shop that maintains my plane. They also have full-service fuel delivery at reasonable prices. But I also have a hangar at a more distant airport in Salisbury, Maryland (SBY) - with no restaurant and a boring drive to get there. I keep both, the hangar for nasty weather and winter - and the tie-down for convenience and a nicer place to fly out of. All I have when outside is a good cockpit cover (that I secure with a couple of extra bungee cords) and keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Rcmutz]

Does the spot have electric hookup? If so, buy a cell phone activated Switcheon and you can still preheat. I would definitely get a cover for the plane, and perhaps wing covers. What you save on hangar fees will pay for a paint job every 10 years or so, I bet.

Edited to add: Is there a way to anchor at the tiedown location some sort of storage box for window/leading edge cleaning supplies and oil? If not, perhaps something you can keep conveniently in the trunk of your car.

 

[Bob Noel]

what airplane make/model?

Cabin cover and/or window shades would be one thing...

 

[bonefishpete]

Does the spot have electric hookup? If so, buy a cell phone activated Switcheon and you can still preheat. I would definitely get a cover for the plane, and perhaps wing covers. What you save on hangar fees will pay for a paint job every 10 years or so, I bet.

Edited to add: Is there a way to anchor at the tiedown location some sort of storage box for window/leading edge cleaning supplies and oil? If not, perhaps something you can keep conveniently in the trunk of your car.

Never heard of ramp electric?

 

[M20K]

Some full covers will help if you want. And get a BIG box, or a couple of smaller ones, so you can pull off the covers and just dump them in the box. Just make sure they have some drainage out the bottom and some ventilation so the covers will dry and not start to get moldy and/or rot.

For the winter, if you have power at your tiedown, great. But I was tied down at FRG for years and those sunny (no ice) days you wanted to fly in the winter were usually in the 40s. So it was only a few days that you had to added the time to preheat. And be sure to go shovel yourself out right after the airport plows the ramp!!! After those snow storms come through there is often a High behind it with some great flying days. But if you don't shovel, you get a snow berm that may have melted and frozen a few times over. So it may take hours to get your plane out. Better to spend the time and energy to make sure you can get out when you want. If you don't fly before everything melts, chock it up to good exercise.

 

[M20K]

Never heard of ramp electric?

For the airports that have it, you'll see the power at the spots around the sides of the ramp. I've never seen power at the tiedowns out in the middle of the ramp.

And actually.... I take that back. The flight school that had three spots next to me had a Wx proof generator chained to one of the tiedown anchors with a Cell Phone remote starter. During the cold days someone would go out to the ramp and fill the tank before leaving. The next morning they started it up remotely and the engines of the three planes were warm before the first CFIs and students arrived. After that, the planes had been flown and it didn't matter for the rest of the day. So that's also a possibility if you're on a ramp and you want to preheat. (I'm sure you need to check your tiedown agreement... Or go on the premise that it is easier to ask for forgiveness. )

 

[hindsight2020]

It’s a hard decision. I bought a local plane last year and it came with the hangar. I was so excited I lucked out. However my hangar is 55mins to 1.5 hours away. It’s taking all the fun out of flying in spending 2-3 hours added to fly.

Concur. You did the right thing. I'd do the same in a hearbeat. Many others on here feel that's a reason to exit the hobby. Glad you're still flying. Cheers.

 

[Nikhiln25]

what airplane make/model?

Cabin cover and/or window shades would be one thing...

Cessna 182

 

[Rcmutz]

Concur. You did the right thing. I'd do the same in a hearbeat. Many others on here feel that's a reason to exit the hobby. Glad you're still flying. Cheers.

I agree. If I had to travel an hour or more to get to my plane, I’d sell.

 

[iamtheari]

Get a pickup with a 120V outlet in the bed. Then you can plug in and preheat while you preflight and load the plane.

I have a hangar and diligently shovel snow throughout the winter and spring so I don’t have to fight it for hours just to go flying. The difference from a tiedown is probably that I shovel more acres than you will have to.

I like the idea of covers for the flying surfaces and prop. They should protect the paint a bit and really save time to get in the air if you get a dusting of snow.

I can get to my airplane in under 10 minutes. If I had to drive an hour or more, I would fly a lot less both for fun and for travel. Those $100 hamburgers aren’t as much fun when it would save time just to drive all the way.

 

[MRC01]

I've tied down my airplane outside for more than 15 years. My advice:
Get a good cover, like from Bruce.
Be vigilant about corrosion inspection & treatment.
Get some good tiedown ropes; I use mountain climbing ropes from REI.
Lightweight aluminum wheel chocks, like these, which take up almost no space or weight.
Get a garden sprayer with propylene glycol for de-icing in the winter.
If you have to repaint every 10 years instead of every 20, don't feel too bad because in many areas the cheaper cost of tiedown more than pays for that.

How cold does it get out there in the winter? Out here in the PNW the coldest days aren't much below freezing and the engine starts just fine without preheat (20w50 oil).

 

[AvNavCom]

It’s a hard decision. I bought a local plane last year and it came with the hangar. I was so excited I lucked out. However my hangar is 55mins to 1.5 hours away. It’s taking all the fun out of flying in spending 2-3 hours added to fly.

So I am moving to a tie down 15 mins away. I will really miss it, probably the most I will miss is the convenience of pre heating from my bed.

Not sure what the rates are like where you are, but the tie-down is probably not a huge additional expense. Personally, I'd keep the hangar in addition to the tie-down. I'm on a number of hangar lists (some a couple of hours away), so I'm putting (or will put, at least) my money where my mouth is. In the meantime, I rent a tie-down that is ten minutes from my house, and another that is 35-45 minutes away. My logic is I can do oil changes and other FAA "owner maintenance" stuff on the ramp at the further-away airport, which my very local airport does not permit (seriously, not even oil changes or plane washing). Over the course of 3-5 months, the additional monthly cost of that secondary tie-down is less than what it would cost me to have an A&P do an oil-change that I'm perfectly capable of doing myself.

For a hangar, I'd want it for storage of tools, more involved maintenance, weather protection in the winter, and secure storage in the event of extended absences.

Keep your airplane at the close tie-down in the fair-weather months for convenient flying, and keep it hangared over the winter months when you're likely flying less frequently. Your hangar is "home base" for all your airplane stuff. Get on the hangar list for your local drome (which I don't doubt is 3-5 years) with the plan to transfer to the closer hangar when able.

Trust me, after digging three bird nests out of my aircraft (two in the engine compartment and one in the tail-cone), and seeing my aircraft covered in pollen, bird-crap, and dust, I'd kill to be back in a hangar. Now I've reached the point that I need to drop 1.5+ AMUs on some new covers for the aircraft to protect it!

If you do decide to transition to a tie-down exclusively, getting covers (including tail-cone!) and plugs should be a high priority. I personally use tie-down ratchet straps to secure the aircraft, although ropes are fine. I don't like chains. I also got chocks.

 

[Nikhiln25]

Not sure what the rates are like where you are, but the tie-down is probably not a huge additional expense. Personally, I'd keep the hangar in addition to the tie-down. I'm on a number of hangar lists (some a couple of hours away), so I'm putting (or will put, at least) my money where my mouth is. In the meantime, I rent a tie-down that is ten minutes from my house, and another that is 35-45 minutes away. My logic is I can do oil changes and other FAA "owner maintenance" stuff on the ramp at the further-away airport, which my very local airport does not permit (seriously, not even oil changes or plane washing). Over the course of 3-5 months, the additional monthly cost of that secondary tie-down is less than what it would cost me to have an A&P do an oil-change that I'm perfectly capable of doing myself.

For a hangar, I'd want it for storage of tools, more involved maintenance, weather protection in the winter, and secure storage in the event of extended absences.

Keep your airplane at the close tie-down in the fair-weather months for convenient flying, and keep it hangared over the winter months when you're likely flying less frequently. Your hangar is "home base" for all your airplane stuff. Get on the hangar list for your local drome (which I don't doubt is 3-5 years) with the plan to transfer to the closer hangar when able.

Trust me, after digging three bird nests out of my aircraft (two in the engine compartment and one in the tail-cone), and seeing my aircraft covered in pollen, bird-crap, and dust, I'd kill to be back in a hangar. Now I've reached the point that I need to drop 1.5+ AMUs on some new covers for the aircraft to protect it!

If you do decide to transition to a tie-down exclusively, getting covers (including tail-cone!) and plugs should be a high priority. I personally use tie-down ratchet straps to secure the aircraft, although ropes are fine. I don't like chains. I also got chocks.

I had thought about that. My local tie down is a delta which is $320/month while my hangar is $560/month.

Wouldn’t the covers take care of the birds nest?

 

[Nikhiln25]

I've tied down my airplane outside for more than 15 years. My advice:
Get a good cover, like from Bruce.
Be vigilant about corrosion inspection & treatment.
Get some good tiedown ropes; I use mountain climbing ropes from REI.
Lightweight aluminum wheel chocks, like these, which take up almost no space or weight.
Get a garden sprayer with propylene glycol for de-icing in the winter.
If you have to repaint every 10 years instead of every 20, don't feel too bad because in many areas the cheaper cost of tiedown more than pays for that.

How cold does it get out there in the winter? Out here in the PNW the coldest days aren't much below freezing and the engine starts just fine without preheat (20w50 oil).

Usually is 30 or below for 2 months during January and feb. over night can occasionally hit teens

If the plane is fully covered corrosion shouldn’t be a real risk right ?

 

[MRC01]

I had thought about that. My local tie down is a delta which is $320/month while my hangar is $560/month.
Wouldn’t the covers take care of the birds nest?

Out here that would be a very expensive tiedown and a very cheap hangar. If the difference were that small I'd hangar my airplane - all else equal. But all else is not equal, your reason isn't cost, but time.

Usually is 30 or below for 2 months during January and feb. over night can occasionally hit teens
If the plane is fully covered corrosion shouldn’t be a real risk right ?

At 30 below you'll want preheat before starting. And while a cover is a good thing, I don't think it protects against corrosion.

 

[GaryM]

I belonged to a club in NJ (KMMU) for years. We had a big Knaack box at the tie-down for oil, cleaning supplies, a dragon heater, etc. etc. Snow shovels to shovel out the plane, and a a long extendable RV snow brush to clear the wings and fuselage. A small ladder for checking fuel in the high-wing was kept tied to the box.

 

[AvNavCom]

I had thought about that. My local tie down is a delta which is $320/month while my hangar is $560/month.

Wouldn’t the covers take care of the birds nest?

Oof, those are pricy. My tie-down is $95/mo, which literally and figuratively changes the math. At those prices and distances, I might be considering something similar to what you're doing.

Regarding the birds, it's about limiting access. Covers don't necessarily sufficiently limit where birds can go. For example, I have cowl plugs, but the little buggers figured out that they can get in from the bottom aft part of the cowling. A standard engine cover is still going to leave that area accessible. I'm planning to have a chat with the Bruce's Custom Covers folks to create a custom engine/canopy cover with an extra flap to completely block off access to the engine bay. Two weeks ago I removed a full nest from inside the cowl, complete with eggs. I had to do it again today. For the tail cone, they tend to access where the arm moves the stabilator (on my Cherokee). A properly fitted cover should stop that access.

Today, I removed two nests and nine eggs, in addition to the nest and four eggs I removed a couple of weeks ago. The guy next to me has the sound of cheeping chicks coming from his tailcone, so that's not great. If it was mine, I'd be stuck on the ground until the little guys could fly. I can just about bring myself to move eggs, but I'm not killing a bunch of chicks.

Regarding corrosion, it's worth considering getting your interior fuselage sprayed with Corrosion-X. Corrosion is always going to be a concern with unsheltered aircraft outside of the high desert regions, unfortunately.

 

[MRC01]

... Regarding corrosion, it's worth considering getting your interior fuselage sprayed with Corrosion-X. Corrosion is always going to be a concern with unsheltered aircraft outside of the high desert regions, unfortunately.

Yes, and interior wings too. Every 2 years. Watch the outside surfaces like a hawk and if you see any signs of corrosion such as paint defects, get it fixed immediately. Corrosion is like cancer - you've got to kill it before it sets in else it will spread and kill your airplane.

 

[AA5Bman]

I’ve had planes on ramps for years and years. Actually just finally got a hangar after 10 years on the waitlist but was kind of like “meh…”. I took the opportunity knowing I could always go back to the ramp if I decided I didn’t like the extra expense.

Anyway, here are my tips on ramps: 1) Don’t park on grass (this is usually not a thing anyway, but just pointing it out). 2) IME it’s very debatable if covers help or hurt. Plenty of times I would come back and find the cover loose and obviously flapping around beating up the paint, and I became convinced that dust was getting up under the cover and grinding against the windscreen. I eventually stopped using covers altogether for this reason, and if you leave your plane out for a while, you will notice it quickly gets covered in dust (including on the windscreen), and I really do think the covers just ground that dust into the paint and windows. 3) If you choose not to cover, definitely get at least a front window reflector/shade thing. The sun will pulverize your dash and interior, ask me how I know. 4) If you get frost in the morning, a weed sprayer and rv antifreeze (or TKS fluid, if you’re feeling fancy) does an A+ job of prepping the plane for an early flight. 5) Would recommend plugging up all the holes you can with remove-before-flight type plugs. I never had a problem even when I didn’t use them, but it seems that many do.

Other than that, unless you have a real cream puff (and even then), I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Just block the sun, get you a sprayer, and enjoy the shorter commute and cheaper parking.

PS - I have no experience or comments on corrosion, I always parked outside in super dry climates.

 

[Chrisgoesflying]

This is very interesting. I'm in a similar situation. Currently, I'm in a "shade hangar" about 45 minutes from home. I'm also on the waiting list for an enclosed hangar at that airport with priority because I'm based there but still at least a year from getting one - without priority forget about it. My closest airport is about 20 minutes away but only has ramp space available. I'm really worried about parking my plane without a roof over it. Difference to OP is, I'm in Texas and hail can have the size of basketballs here. What do the Texas folks say here? Probably a good idea to stay put, keep the roof and suck up the longer drive, right? @Nikhiln25 Sorry for hijacking your post by the way lol.

 

[AV8R_87]

what is my kit for parking the plane outside?

Plugs for every single hole, no matter how small. Besides the usual spots, like getting in the engine compartment through the bottom opening, the little buggers used the vent hole at the bottom of the fuselage to enter in the space under the rear bench seat, building nests in there. Took me a while to figure that out.

Wouldn’t the covers take care of the birds nest?

They perch on the top of the tail (or the NAV antenna) and $#!t all over your horizontal stabilizer. One bird tried using the anti-collision light as a spot to build a nest. The buggers are as determined as prison inmates planning an escape. They will find every weakness and exploit it.

I was ready to accept paint degradation. But not the complete trashing that birds would do to a plane. Between that and the ability to do owner-assist maintenance, I moved into a hangar the moment I found one.

 

[MRC01]

... Between that and the ability to do owner-assist maintenance, I moved into a hangar the moment I found one.

To me, this would be one of the most compelling reasons to get a hangar - flexibility of owner-assisted maintenance. If you can find a local independent A&P-IA at your field willing to work with you, sometimes the biggest challenge is finding a hangar to do the work.

 

[Gary Ward]

Yes I do owner assisted repair and annual inspection in my hangar.
I also store other stuff in my hangar like a couple of cars.
I have become good friends with the guy next door and we hang out in each other's hangars and grill out some times. Even when the weather is bad. We have keys to each others hangars.
The hangar is a great place to hang out with other pilots. We have a group of 5-6 of us that socialize in our hangars.

My good friend is a 26000 hr pilot who is a standards check airman for SW. He does the BFR and IPC for all 5 of us. He has made me a safer pilot.
Really enjoy hanging out at the hangar.

 

[Gary Ward]

My plane was stored outside by a prior owner. He used white plastic covers inside the windows to block the sun. It helped save the interior but the windows are crazed. The front window was replaced.
I have cleaned out dozen and dozens of mud daubers and wasp nest for the last 6 years because of it's time outside.
Our airport asks us to close our hangar doors while we are out flying because of the birds during the nesting season. He says he has seen bird start to build a nest either in your plane or hangar and the birds won't give up. He said he has seen it happen while you are opening your hangar after a flight. So I plug my cowl as soon as get out of the plane after a flight. Plug every opening on your plane if it sit's outside.

 

[TCABM]

…I'm in Texas and hail can have the size of basketballs here. What do the Texas folks say here? Probably a good idea to stay put, keep the roof and suck up the longer drive, right?…

Yup. You can always move closer to the airport instead of moving the airport closer to you.

 

[Luigi]

A good cabin cover, cowl plugs and pitot cover, you can install a Tanis heater, or a less expensive reiff oil pan pad heater, and buy a small generator if power is unavailable, and show up an hour or so early and run the generator. It usually doesn't get that cold in NJ.
Wing and empennage covers also help for frost and snow.

 

[WDD]

Personally, I'd keep the hangar in addition to the tie-down.

Let me add a big vote for this choice. Keep your supplies in the hangar, do your oil changes there, winter pre heating, cleaning, etc. Tie it down in the flying months.

Tie down needs? What I can add is to spend the money and buy good quality sun shades, high quality pitot cover, high quality straps. Make your own chalks out of pressure treated wood; make them heavy, substantial. BTW, "good quality" = more expensive. Trust me, the less expensive pitot cover with break down and fly away in a good rain storm, the less expensive sun shades will break down, etc.

Have the plane ceramic coated to give it more protection when tied outside.

FWIW, the 15 minute away airport I have has a 2 year waiting list ...... for a tie down. My current tie down is 40 min away. Closet hangar? Probably 2 hours or so somewhere in the next state LOL.

 

[Nikhiln25]

My plane was stored outside by a prior owner. He used white plastic covers inside the windows to block the sun. It helped save the interior but the windows are crazed. The front window was replaced.
I have cleaned out dozen and dozens of mud daubers and wasp nest for the last 6 years because of it's time outside.
Our airport asks us to close our hangar doors while we are out flying because of the birds during the nesting season. He says he has seen bird start to build a nest either in your plane or hangar and the birds won't give up. He said he has seen it happen while you are opening your hangar after a flight. So I plug my cowl as soon as get out of the plane after a flight. Plug every opening on your plane if it sit's outside.

Wow that’s from it parked inside the hangar??

 

[Nikhiln25]

Let me add a big vote for this choice. Keep your supplies in the hangar, do your oil changes there, winter pre heating, cleaning, etc. Tie it down in the flying months.

Tie down needs? What I can add is to spend the money and buy good quality sun shades, high quality pitot cover, high quality straps. Make your own chalks out of pressure treated wood; make them heavy, substantial. BTW, "good quality" = more expensive. Trust me, the less expensive pitot cover with break down and fly away in a good rain storm, the less expensive sun shades will break down, etc.

Have the plane ceramic coated to give it more protection when tied outside.

FWIW, the 15 minute away airport I have has a 2 year waiting list ...... for a tie down. My current tie down is 40 min away. Closet hangar? Probably 2 hours or so somewhere in the next state LOL.

Which airport has a 2 year tie down wait? Dang

 

[WDD]

Which airport has a 2 year tie down wait? Dang

KRYY - Atlanta area

 

[Gary Ward]

Wow that’s from it parked inside the hangar??

No that is from sitting outside for a few years. I found all kinds of nest everywhere inside the plane even up to 6 years later being in a hangar.

 

[Bell206]

So my question.. what is my kit for parking the plane outside? What things should I get?

There have been literally 10s of 1000s of aircraft that have spent their entire life on the ramp with minimal issues. A good place to start is to see what your new ramp-mates do to protect their aircraft, then adjust according for your aircraft. Follow all the OEM recommendations for the care of your aircraft to include covers, preventive mx, etc. Determine what paint you have and bring it up to spec per factory recommendations and keep at that level. But most of all keeping your aircraft clean goes a long way. While I'm not a fan of entire aircraft covers for several reasons, interior sunshades for all/most windows are a definite plus. Regardless, if parking it on a ramp allows you to fly your aircraft more often vs parked in a hangar that will add more life to it than any hangar could. Good luck.

 

[DMD3.]

I’ve had planes on ramps for years and years. Actually just finally got a hangar after 10 years on the waitlist but was kind of like “meh…”. I took the opportunity knowing I could always go back to the ramp if I decided I didn’t like the extra expense.

Anyway, here are my tips on ramps: 1) Don’t park on grass (this is usually not a thing anyway, but just pointing it out). 2) IME it’s very debatable if covers help or hurt. Plenty of times I would come back and find the cover loose and obviously flapping around beating up the paint, and I became convinced that dust was getting up under the cover and grinding against the windscreen. I eventually stopped using covers altogether for this reason, and if you leave your plane out for a while, you will notice it quickly gets covered in dust (including on the windscreen), and I really do think the covers just ground that dust into the paint and windows. 3) If you choose not to cover, definitely get at least a front window reflector/shade thing. The sun will pulverize your dash and interior, ask me how I know. 4) If you get frost in the morning, a weed sprayer and rv antifreeze (or TKS fluid, if you’re feeling fancy) does an A+ job of prepping the plane for an early flight. 5) Would recommend plugging up all the holes you can with remove-before-flight type plugs. I never had a problem even when I didn’t use them, but it seems that many do.

Other than that, unless you have a real cream puff (and even then), I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Just block the sun, get you a sprayer, and enjoy the shorter commute and cheaper parking.

PS - I have no experience or comments on corrosion, I always parked outside in super dry climates.

 

[DMD3.]

I’m located in GA, so snow is virtually a nonissue, but the heat and sun definitely are. I wonder if would be ok to use full airframe covers during the hot summer months, but leave them off during autumn/winter. It’s still in the sunlight, but the sun’s rays are more direct due to the Earth’s tilt (that’s why we sunburn easier in summer), so perhaps it’s easier on the paint in winter. I could also leave them off if it’s forecast to be cloudy for the next few days. That way the covers don’t abrade the paint year round? I would always use canopy covers to protect the cockpit from heat.

 

[Pugs]

I agree. If I had to travel an hour or more to get to my plane, I’d sell.

Depends on the hour. An hour in MD/VA/DC area sucked my will to live. Now I drive an hour to the plane and look at lakes and mountains and trees and no traffic on the way. Would be nice to be less time to the plane but the lack of vehicular buffoonery makes up for it.

 

[Nikhiln25]

I’ve decided to get a tie down for the summer and see how it goes, while keeping my hangar. Excited to fly more this summer

 

[MRC01]

I’ve decided to get a tie down for the summer and see how it goes, while keeping my hangar. Excited to fly more this summer

I think you're going to love it. Last summer I moved and my new home airport is 12 minutes from my house. Previously it was 30 minutes, unless there was a football/baseball game or other event, in which case it took an hour. Being so much closer to the airplane is just awesome. I used to fly about 90 hours per year, now it's about twice that.

 

[WDD]

I’m located in GA, so snow is virtually a nonissue, but the heat and sun definitely are. I wonder if would be ok to use full airframe covers during the hot summer months, but leave them off during autumn/winter. It’s still in the sunlight, but the sun’s rays are more direct due to the Earth’s tilt (that’s why we sunburn easier in summer), so perhaps it’s easier on the paint in winter. I could also leave them off if it’s forecast to be cloudy for the next few days. That way the covers don’t abrade the paint year round? I would always use canopy covers to protect the cockpit from heat.

I'm in GA as well and use a tie down. I'm avoiding a full cover for a number of reasons. I'm concerned about scuffing the paint and windshields, after a rain the wet cover sitting on the exterior, wind blowing and again scuffing concerns, etc. IMHO an interior sun shade (all windows) in the summer will be fine. I had my plane washed and ceramic coated right after I bought it, and going forward I'll keep it washed so the dirt and whatnot doesn't degrade the paint, and clean the windshields with the right cleaner.

 

[rwellner98]

It’s a hard decision. I bought a local plane last year and it came with the hangar. I was so excited I lucked out. However my hangar is 55mins to 1.5 hours away. It’s taking all the fun out of flying in spending 2-3 hours added to fly.

So I am moving to a tie down 15 mins away. I will really miss it, probably the most I will miss is the convenience of pre heating from my bed.

NJ where I live doesn’t have horrible weather. Winds usually never go above 40kts. And we don’t get hail. Occasional thunderstorms and a hurricane once every few of years. Not a crazy amount of snow couple times a year

So my question.. what is my kit for parking the plane outside? What things should I get? Appreciate the help

I'm late to the party, but I had this exact same situation ten or so years ago. I was in a hangar almost an hour away and absolutely wasn't flying as much as a result. I moved to a ramp 10 minutes away and could go flying anytime I got even a tiny bit inspired. If you're anything like me, you'll make the move and never look back.

I had thought about that. My local tie down is a delta which is $320/month while my hangar is $560/month.

The second thing I did, and never looked back, is something that a lot of people can't do or don't want to do. I moved to the sticks. Now I can fly my plane into my farm and go flying anytime I want. And, for those Wisconsin winters or summer storms, I rent a hangar 18 minutes away for $125 a month.