Coping with hail and tornadoes

[Piloto]

I just wonder how plane owners cope with hail and tornadoes in Kansas and nearby states. Every week i watch the TV news there is severe bad weather in the area. I figure in this part of the country a hangar is a must. I just heard on the news baseball hail in the area. If I have my plane tie down outside I wouldn't be able to sleep every time it rains. And if it does not hit your plane but your head you still are going to have a big headache. I am based at KFXE in south Florida and is rare to get hail here much less that big. The only severe weather we would get is hurricanes and is not every year. And you a get one week notice if it is going to hit. Glad to be in Florida.

 

José 

[ArtVandelay]

One option is to get a full airplane cover, would have to be padded on the top I guess.  But I think their hangers are cheaper than south florida, so if you can afford the gas, I would think you could afford the hanger.

[aviatoreb]

I just wonder how plane owners cope with hail and tornadoes in Kansas and nearby states. Every week i watch the TV news there is severe bad weather in the area. I figure in this part of the country a hangar is a must. I just heard on the news baseball hail in the area. If I have my plane tie down outside I wouldn't be able to sleep every time it rains. And if it does not hit your plane but your head you still are going to have a big headache. I am based at KFXE in south Florida and is rare to get hail here much less that big. The only severe weather we would get is hurricanes and is not every year. And you a get one week notice if it is going to hit. Glad to be in Florida.

 

José 

 

When I lived in Boulder Co about 20 years ago - one time on a bike ride I got caught in a golf ball sized hail storm - good thing for my helmet - but boy that hurt.  There was one hail event that damaged a massive number of cars and caused a major insurance strain and many many cars for years were dimpled.

[co2bruce]

Hangers everywhere have to be cheaper than in South Florida! If you leave your plane in e path of a hurricane, I don't think your covered by insurance. Because you get warning you are expected to move her out of danger.

[carusoam]

Your insurance may pay you to move it away from the hurricane. Mine did. Mostly for gas Money and a chicken sandwich.

Call before you flee...

Some approval or agreement may be required.

Best regards,

-a-

[bonal]

Hail tornadoes incredible heat and humidity freezing cold snow ice and rain and let's not forget those nasty hurricanes I know that people here in California are mostly nuts but it's all about the mild weather we have year round. In fact the best time of year for aviating in CA is in the middle of winter. Ever since I was a little kid and saw the wizard of oz I could never figure out why any one would live in tornado alley.

[1964-M20E]

Negative. Not in all policies, any way. We have at least one member here who replaced his Mooney this way.

I resemble that remark.    I did end up with a better plane though it did cost me more than the insurance value.

 

The insurance prefers you to move it but it is not required.  Sometimes the plane may not be airworthy at the time for mechanical reason and you can't fly it out.  The weather or other time constraints may prevent you from flying out.  The amount they will pay you to move it varies on the insurance company and usually they have a min distance you have to move it to qualify.  Mine is a min of 100 miles and out of the warning area.

 

I've adjusted my thinking and plan for future events.

[DonMuncy]

People live in Tornado Alley because of the odds. You read about and hear about tornados, but the odds of getting hit by one are quite low. I spent about 10 years in Tulsa, and most of the rest of my 75 years in Dallas. In that time I have seen one tornado from a distance of about 15 miles.

[bonal]

True enough but it seems like every day I see on the news another bunch of tornadoes touching down. Biggest hail I have ever seen is pea size. We do get some really bad fires out west but I have never seen them cause damage to any aircraft kind of hard to burn an airport..

[Rhumbline]

The commonality of a tornado and divorce in Arkansas...  someone's going to lose a trailer.

 

An hoary and tasteless joke that I could not resist.

[DonMuncy]

Hail is an entirely different story. In the last 10 or 12 years, my insurance has bought me about 5 re-roofs. I wouldn't want to have any plane tied down and not covered.

[Danb]

Bottom line Mother Nature is everywhere from mudslides, Gail hurricanes floods 140 inches of snow per yr ice San Diego fires ...just need to try and protect our investment the best we can. Every place seems to have positives and negatives...just happy we have what we have and are fortunate to have this conversation...Jose. How's my boys doing at Premiere MSC

[N601RX]

Our car was totaled by softball sized hail about 8 years ago.  It happened while we were driving down the road and all of a sudden the trees a few hundred yards in front of us just disappeared and then it started.  We pulled over and set there for about 10 minutes while the front, rear and passenger side windows were busted out.  The body panels were all badly damaged. I don't think a airplane would have survived flying through it. 

[Joe Zuffoletto]

I hangar my planes here in Denver mostly to protect against hail and high winds. Tornadoes are quite rare here.

[rainman]

José, I hangar my plane here near San Antonio, but also try to hangar it when I'm traveling. It paid off when I was in New Mexico a couple of weeks ago. A brief but intense hail storm that damaged some cars, so you know the thin airplane skin would have been toast. The folks in Colorado and Oklahoma got it last night. Ray

[ArtVandelay]

I'm curious, what do y'all do when you travel??

Assuming you'll be somewhere for several days...do you arrange a hanger for it?

What does that normally cost, it seems leaving tie-down is usually free if you get fuel.

[donkaye]

I'm curious, what do y'all do when you travel??

Assuming you'll be somewhere for several days...do you arrange a hanger for it?

What does that normally cost, it seems leaving tie-down is usually free if you get fuel.

I almost always hangar it when traveling unless 100% of no storms.  Cost is usually around $55/night.

[rainman]

As Don wrote, I also hangar when I travel, and am often gone for over a week. Price varies wildly from $30-55. I usually know when I'm going well in advance and call ahead to the FBOs to arrange for the hangar. The peace of mind is well worth the money. Ray

[Guest]

Doesn't the wind blowing in south Florida contain salt? Doesn't the bright sunshine burn the paint, the windows, the interior and everything else?

It seems no climate is perfect for airplanes.

Clarence

[Hank]

I often travel to places without hangars. That's what tie down ropes, chocks and canopy covers are for. Like when the tornado at Sun n Fun missed me by a couple hundred yards, but put the plane to my right turned around windshield to windshield and inverted on top of the Bo to his right.

 

Sometimes there's just not much you can do about the weather and inside storage other than stay home . . . but as Cruiser says, "airplanes are safe in the hangar, but that's not what airplanes are for."

[gsxrpilot]

We've got thunderstorms, hail and tornados tonight here in Austin.  I'm glad my Mooney is tucked away in it's own hanger.  It won't survive a tornado, but an actual hit from one would be very rare.

[bonal]

Looks like more unstable weather slamming the mid west and central states. i saw one showing a big twister up in Canada, i thought nothing bad ever happens there.  How long before the egg heads start blaming global warming on he high number of tornados this year.  And I cant wait for them to link it to General aviation due to all the wake turulance. aka USA today.  bunch a jerks!