Giving up my hangar and moving to a ramp

[Gary Ward]

I am lucky to live 20 minutes from my hangar and go there almost everyday even if I don't plan to fly. Sometimes I go just to hang out with a friend who has a hangar right next to mine. Last night I went there to use a press to remove a old bearing off a shaft for work today.

 

[Nikhiln25]

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.

I think we have similar planes (I believe you have a 182?)

How do you get over your fear of corrosion and water getting in places it shouldn’t ?

 

[WDD]

I think we have similar planes (I believe you have a 182?)

How do you get over your fear of corrosion and water getting in places it shouldn’t ?

I keep the plane washed, I use it regularly, and since we’re not on the coast I don’t have salt air to deal with. If water gets into places it shouldn’t then I have a leak that I’ll fix.

I just replaced my fuel cap gaskets a few months back, I’ll replace the baggage door seal sometime this year, etc.

 

[frfly172]

i have a hangar an hour and a half away. I also have a shade hangar 20 minutes away. I have cockpit cover for the shade hangar. I try to keep the plane clean and waxed when it’s outside. The full hangar is for inclement weather . And general maintenance. I’m in Florida and it seems to work for me.

 

[GaryM]

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

A wise plan, but if you really want to see how it goes, get a tie down for the winter.

 

[WDD]

A wise plan, but if you really want to see how it goes, get a tie down for the winter.

Depends - in ATL area, tie down in winter means maybe one day you have to wait to fly because of frost, and maybe two days you need a pre heat.

Now in NJ land where Nikhiln25 lives, I can't say.

 

[WDD]

i have a hangar an hour and a half away. I also have a shade hangar 20 minutes away.

Curious - wouldn't a shade hangar give you 90% of what a hangar does? Cover from the sun, hail, and you probably have an electrical outlet.

 

[AvNavCom]

Curious - wouldn't a shade hangar give you 90% of what a hangar does? Cover from the sun, hail, and you probably have an electrical outlet.

Seriously. I've been begging the folks at Manassas airport and Warrenton airport to consider shade hangars. I'd sure as heck pay a premium over a tie-down, and I imagine they would be far, far more economical to build than fully enclosed hangars.

 

[chemgeek]

If you are keeping a plane outside, a cabin cover is a must. It will pay for itself many times over in prevention of avionics failures. High heat is a killer of electronics. When I kept my plane outside, my avionics repair bills decreased dramatically after getting a canopy cover.

 

[geezer]

If plane at the local tiedown occasionally in the winter, place an old tire around the tail tie down. If you get a bad snow, the weight on the tail overbalances the tail, bringing the elevator in contact with the snow. If it freezes there and there is any wind, the elevator is damaged.

For our club plane, I donated a tire after we were damaged, in 1985, and that same tire is still there.

Side issue, the presence of that tire seems to scare off transients considering our convenient spot if vacant. Previously, that was a persistent problem, but ended when the tire arrived.

 

[schmookeeg]

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.

Do you then use the plane to fly to metropolitan hellscapes and view them from above?

 

[Mooney Fan]

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

I drove 1 hour 20 minutes to two different airports over a period of 2 years until I got a hangar 45 minutes away.

The drive never got to me but I'm retired so my time wasn't as valuable as it may be for others who work.

My 45 minute drive now to Hopkinsville has me cutting south to north through Ft. Campbell Ky back country. Not a single traffic light and only 6 stop signs to the hangar door.