The old 'hangar vs. covered tie down' saga

[jmills]

Well, it appears I may soon be the owner of a '90 M20J.  I'm in Las Vegas, so rain, hail, snow (i.e. pretty much any form of moisture) and wildlife/bugs are not much of a factor. Of course, heat, dust and wind are.

That being said, hangars in my neck of the woods are high, very high at $600 - $1800... a month ($7,200-$21,600 year) at both GA airports in the Las Vegas Valley (VGT & HND).  If I was REAL lucky I might be able to find a hangar 35 miles away in Boulder City (BVU) for maybe $500 a month, but only if my timing was perfect (most hangars there also usually go for $600-$700 per mo.).

At VGT I was able to obtain and east facing covered shade parking from the county for $100 a month.  So, the point of my post was to obtain advice about what sort of things should I do (cleaning/waxing/rubber preservatives etc) and acquire (covers, etc) to do my best to preserve and maintain such an aircraft?  Any tips, tricks, or thoughts on how best to maintain a Mooney that is going to be housed under covered shade?

Thanks in advance!

[Mooney65E]

Congrats on finding that plane of your dreams! I kept my Mooney outside for almost a year at Van Nuys before my name came to the top of the waiting list for a hangar. First things I bought were a custom fit cover, cowl plugs and a California duster. The biggest problem area was blowing dust in the gear wells. Pay close attention to during preflight so flying debris has not been lodged in the gear wells and check your boots. Good luck with the purchase of your J model...Enjoy!

[jmills]

Quote: Mooney65E

Congrats on finding that plane of your dreams! I kept my Mooney outside for almost a year at Van Nuys before my name came to the top of the waiting list for a hangar. First things I bought were a custom fit cover, cowl plugs and a California duster. The biggest problem area was blowing dust in the gear wells. Pay close attention to during preflight so flying debris has not been lodged in the gear wells and check your boots. Good luck with the purchase of your J model...Enjoy!

[carusoam]

For 7,000 to 21,000 per year, you can afford alot of new paint and tank reseals....

Speak with Jim Cancil at www.planecovers.com for excellent recommendations for your environment.

I have had good service with these folks.  I spoke with Jim about my environment (North East) prior to deciding what jacket to put on my M20C and then again on my M20R 10 years later...

I am sure Bruce's has good support in your neck of the woods.  Unfortunately I have not experience with them to share.

Best regards,

-a-

[skyking]

I have to agree with the group here. If you cant get a hanger, then a covered parking space with covers is the minimum i would be doing. Hangers here start at $800 a month and go to over a grand. The last small hanger that sold here at Cooking lake went for over a million bucks!!!!!!

I parked mine outdoors for almost a year when i first mover here and the covers were my saving grace.

I bought mine from Arctic covers. Having said that my baby is always parked in doors now and if my M20A covers will fit yours you can have them for 500 bucks ( they were over a grand new) . That gives you wings, tail and cowl coverage.

I bought the fuselage cover seperately and want to keep that for the days i am travelling.

[Mooney65E]

Feather duster a.k.a. California duster.

After the dew has dried, a once over with the duster will do wonders.

[jmills]

Quote: skyking

I bought mine from Arctic covers. Having said that my baby is always parked in doors now and if my M20A covers will fit yours you can have them for 500 bucks ( they were over a grand new) . That gives you wings, tail and cowl coverage.

I bought the fuselage cover seperately and want to keep that for the days i am travelling.

[Earl]

One other thing to consider in your decision is whether the cost of insurance will be lower with a hangar that might offset some of the hangar costs.  I am like the others, I would consider covered parking to be a minimum but I live in Georgia so rain, thunderstorms, hail, snow, etc. are all a consideration.

[DaV8or]

Quote: jmills

That being said, hangars in my neck of the woods are high, very high at $600 - $1800... a month ($7,200-$21,600 year) at both GA airports in the Las Vegas Valley (VGT & HND).  If I was REAL lucky I might be able to find a hangar 35 miles away in Boulder City (BVU) for maybe $500 a month, but only if my timing was perfect (most hangars there also usually go for $600-$700 per mo.).

[mjc]

I have a covered tie-down for my Mooney. They call them "shelters" at my airport. It costs $240/mo., less than half what the least expensive hangar costs ($500), and twice what an open tie-down costs ($120). My insurance agent said the discount for a hangar is about $50/year for me, so that doesn't cover much of the $3k+ delta.

In the shelter, I get the roof, a light, and electricity. We don't have it as bad as Vegas, but the Bay Area gets some sun, and it's great to be able to load and work on the plan out of the sun. The shelter has also noticeably cut down on the wear on the exterior, but a cabin cover is still essential, since dust and some rain still gets on the airplane. It's a small thing, but the cover will last longer under the shelter. I got mine from Bruce's in 2002 and it's still in okay shape, after I brought it to Bruce a couple of years ago to sew up some seams. Exposed rubber, like seals and tires, also seem to look better on the sheltered planes as opposed to the ones tied out.

[Qwalton]

I keep my mooney tied down outside.  It came with a Bruce's custom cover which seems too fit very well, I like it a lot.  One thing I really like on it is it has a soft cloth backing to it which adds a layer of protection for the glass.  I checked out a few other covers on planes tied down near mine and none of them have the soft backing that the Bruce's cover has.  I'm also planning on ordering cowl plugs and a tail-cone cover from them to help keep birds out.

Overall I'm not too worried about keeping it outside, I'd love it if I could get a hangar, but at the prices you pay for them in the Santa Barbara area it's just not worth it.  I figure with the money saved I can pay for pain in the future when the plane needs it.

I also make sure to wash the plane off frequently (right around once a week) since birds love to perch on the tail and it quickly gets covered in crap.

[Jeff_S]

I live within the KPDK Class D airspace, where there are no hangars available but tie-downs are $90/month. I could get a hangar at any of several different airports but they'd be an hour's drive from my house and cost $300/month and up. It's a no-brainer for me, as part of the fun of owning an airplane is being able to bop over to it on the spur of the moment and just go fly.

So, I have a Bruce's cover, the extended model which goes all the way back to just behind the rear antenna and all the way down to the wing roots. It fits nice and snug and does a great job shedding rain and heat. I use Wash-Wax-All on a regular basis to keep the dust and dirt off, and I keep a coat of Glare on to protect the paint. Atlanta does get hot and sunny in the summer, and can be cold for a short while in the winter, so no matter what you do the paint will take some abuse, but as others have said, hangar prices add up to way more than an occasional paint job.

As to hail and tornados, that does provide some worry but that's what insurance is for. One good hail storm buys me new skins AND a paint job for free! (But please, oh gods of aviation, don't think that I'm asking for that! The down-time would suck.)

[LFOD]

Quote: Jeff_S

As to hail and tornados, that does provide some worry but that's what insurance is for. One good hail storm buys me new skins AND a paint job for free! (But please, oh gods of aviation, don't think that I'm asking for that! The down-time would suck.)

[aschardt]

All I can say is WOW!!! How can you guys afford to own a plane with hanger rents like that.  Renting hangers must be the best business in town.  Hmmm, build a metal building for say, $50 grand, then rent it for $600 per month!!!  And there's a waiting list!  I want in.  Here in Nebraska, we get our own hanger with electricity included for $75 bucks, $40 for the common hanger with two planes in it.    We've got three extras available right now I think.  Only 11 planes on the field, 4400 new concrete runway with a crosswind.   Takers???