Flying in the rain

[NotarPilot]

Yesterday I fly to Aircraft Spruce, to pick up some goodies, but opted to fly IFR being that the weather was MVFR with 2800 BKN and light rain.  First of all let me say that I haven't flown in hard IFR since my instrument training days.  Just about all of my IFR experience has been popping above a marine layer or descending through it.  However, I was up for the challenge.  I flew the short distance from Long Beach (LGB) to Corona (AJO) without issue with most of the flight in IMC.  When it was time to fly back there was still light rain and visibility at Corona seemed to be less than 2-3 nm.  I decided to file and return IFR.  Both ways I flew through light rain in IMC.  Nothing too heavy nor turbulent and upon returning to Long Beach it was still coming down, albeit lightly. 

 

My biggest concern was putting the plane away in the hangar while she was still wet, knowing the water was in every nook and cranny.  I'm planning to get the plane treated with corrosion X next month.  So my question is, does flying in the rain concern any of you, either due to corrosion issues or wearing down the leading edge of the prop?  Should flying in the rain be something to be avoided?

 

Steve

[Will W]

It makes the bugs come off the leading edges easier.

No, there is no reason to not fly through light rain. How else are you supposed to wash it?

[MB65E]

Corrosion worries me a bit with an old machine like mine. I try my best to keep it dry. However, just think about all the airplanes that sit outside, they are still fine. It sounds like you are aware of the cause and effect, and that's half of the battle. Most rain water is cleaner than what comes out of the tap!

At least the front is passing today! It's been cold! (Relatively, for SoCal)

-Matt

[ArtVandelay]

Does anybody have trouble with the rain coming into the cabin thru the vents?

[Bob_Belville]

You might find some cabin leaks. Seal around windshield, overhead vent, seals at main and baggage doors... 

 

A little more of the (18 year old) paint on the leading edge of my wing chips off whenever I spend time in rain... I doubt a water hose develops sustained 180 mph. 

[Deb]

We keep a chamois in the plane...

[PTK]

I always worry about water coming in through the NACA inlets but hasn't happened. Not even from heavier rain.

[Hank]

"The airplane doesn't know it's raining." So said the man who owned the flight school I used--CFII, MEI and I don't know what all else.

[NotarPilot]

Well, planes that sit outside also experience corrosion faster and the rain blasting any and all leading edges is another concern I figured others might have. I personally am not too concerned about it but I was wondering if I was being too laxed about it.

[FloridaMan]

If you come out to the ramp in any state in the southeast around sunrise, you'll notice all the airplanes are soaking wet from the dew. Even at the coastal airports where there's salt in the air, it seems that you really have to neglect an airplane that's parked outside for it to develop bad corrosion.

 

If you're really worried about it, go buy yourself a can of corrosionX, take the bottom cushion out of your back seat, pull the aluminium tape off the square panels beneath it, inspect your spar through those round holes and hose it down with corrosionX.

 

While I have no evidence for it, I would think that a passenger spilling a cocacola in your back seat to where it runs into the floor is a much higher risk than climate-based corrosion.

[ArtVandelay]

You have to be pretty close to the ocean to get elevated salt levels; 100-1000 meters, I'm guessing most airports even in Florida are outside that range.

[BorealOne]

... my question is, does flying in the rain concern any of you, either due to corrosion issues or wearing down the leading edge of the prop?  Should flying in the rain be something to be avoided?

 

Steve

 

Not in the least. In fact, flying in the rain has several benefits:

 

- helps maintain IFR currency

- removes bugs from leading edges

- keeps cabin temps comfortable

 

Prop wear and corrosion do occur in floatplanes, but they operate in an entirely different environment than what most of us do with our Mooneys.

[N201MKTurbo]

DONT DO IT! If one rain drop hits the plane it will fall out of the sky!

Seriously, our planes are certified to fly in IFR conditions, that implies flying in the rain. Think about it, airliners fly in the rain almost every day and they don't suffer from it. Other then eroding the paint on the leading edges and propellor I've never seen any ill effects from the rain.

I flew in the rain for about 45 min. on Friday on the way back fron Oregon. There was a little confusion on the radio because my production line mate N201MJ was flying in the same airspace.

[Shadrach]

Does anybody have trouble with the rain coming into the cabin thru the vents?

 

Only in absolute torrential downpours.  In those conditions, I get an occasional drip on my left shin.  That it all.  

[Bob_Belville]

Not in the least. In fact, flying in the rain has several benefits:

 

- helps maintain IFR currency

- removes bugs from leading edges

- keeps cabin temps comfortable

 

Plus: when I was flying 250 hours every year I liked being in IMC. Much less likely to run into another plane in the soup.

[atn_pilot]

John Deakin was always fond of pointing out that the airplanes that seem to last the longest with the fewest problems are those that are rode hard and often. Think of all those GA airplanes beaten to hell in thunderstorms for decades flying canceled checks through the worst possible weather. They've got so many hours on them you might as well not even count.

Rain won't hurt an airplane. Definitely gives it a free bath, though. So I like the rain.

[1964-M20E]

I have been in everything from light rain to thinking I was a submarine.  But to the best of my knowledge it will not hurt the plane.

Turbulence now that is another matter.

 

Besides if the plane doesn’t know it’s flying in the rain  the rain doesn’t know your are flying through it.

[atn_pilot]

Even turbulence would have to be pretty extreme to cause damage. Your airplane is tougher than you think it is.

[Bob_Belville]

Even turbulence would have to be pretty extreme to cause damage. Your airplane is tougher than you think it is.

The yellow arc of the ASI on our vintage Mooneys is pretty conservative (Vno is 130 kts). I do not worry about being there in light (or a little more) turbulence during descent. My M20E cruises in the yellow unless I'm above about 7-8000' so keeping it in the green in a 500 fpm descent is a real waste of the energy invested in the climb.  

[atn_pilot]

Yep. In my airline days I used to get a chuckle out of the guys who would hurridly slow to Vb at the first tiny sign of light chop. "It's turbulence penetration speed, not 'my coffee has ripplies in it speed.'"

[Cruiser]

Being in Long Beach (LGB), I would be much more concerned about salt air than good, clean, fresh, pure rain water. It was probably good for the plane to wash all that salt out of it.

[ArtVandelay]

I thought it you suppose to flow to Va in turbulence? Which in Mooneys is pretty slow

[atn_pilot]

I thought it you suppose to flow to Va in turbulence? Which in Mooneys is pretty slow

There's a difference between turbulence and chop.

[Bob_Belville]

I thought it you suppose to flow to Va in turbulence? Which in Mooneys is pretty slow

Va is important for severe or extreme, not necessary for light or moderate. Va "guarantees" that full control deflection will not break something important. 

www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Turbulence

[Marauder]

Even turbulence would have to be pretty extreme to cause damage. Your airplane is tougher than you think it is.

Then there was this one cloud on Sunday... The plane did fine, but my stupid temporary crown popped off!

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