Tents for Airplanes?

[cocolos]

I was curious why they don't tent like structures to cover your airplane? Let's say you have a tie down or even a shade hanger wouldn't it be nice to have a cover to cover your whole airplane? Would the airport allow that?

 

[bbchien]

When they bust loose they damage the next airplane. That's a big brzzap.

 

[BillTIZ]

Can you build a tent than can handle a 70 knt+ gust front?

 

[cocolos]

It doesn't have to be a tent just a cover that wraps around the whole airplane.

 

[BillTIZ]

It doesn't have to be a tent just a cover that wraps around the whole airplane.

Your first post said "tent" like.
There are canopy covers that essentially cover the fuselage upper. Not really the wings. The glider community has full covers, for quick overnights but not for long term.

Any cover must be tight to not move in a wind. Dirt and sand under a cover becomes sandpaper on the paint, finish and plastic canopies.

 

[bluerooster]

Seems that there's someone out there that makes wing covers and whatnot

 

[Clark1961]

There are many different types of covers available for small GA aircraft. Mostly they use various sections or pieces to cover portions or all of the aircraft. Probably the most common are canopy covers.

They are useful for specific things like making snow/ice removal relatively easy. As previously pointed out any sand, dirt, etc. can do a lot of damage to Plexiglas and paint. I stopped using the cover that came with the 'kota pretty quickly when I saw what it did to the windscreen. Fortunately the windscreen was in pretty sad shape (at least on the right side) when I bought the plane so no big deal.

 

[cocolos]

Your first post said "tent" like.
There are canopy covers that essentially cover the fuselage upper. Not really the wings. The glider community has full covers, for quick overnights but not for long term.

Any cover must be tight to not move in a wind. Dirt and sand under a cover becomes sandpaper on the paint, finish and plastic canopies.

True but I was just trying to shoot ideas out. I think it would be useful when away from airports to have something that covered more than just the fuselage.

 

[Sleepingsquirrel]

To avoid hail damage when tied down, I was considering a foam cover for the wings and tail. Of couse that was impossible to stow in the plane then I considered an inflatable cover just to give impact damage from normal sized hail. Of course the wings should have spoilers on the wing covers to keep it on the ground. I have thought about working this out for another retirement income. Thought provoking thread for anyone on a hangar waiting list or someone like me ,just plain cheap.

 

[frfly172]

I have a set of covers for the entire fuselage and tail from Bruce custom covers ,they also make wing covers.you can also purchase padded covers in case of hail.takes a little longer to get ready to fly and also to put aircraft away.