Leaving your Mooney outside

[FloridaPilot]

Hello Florida Mooniacs!! 

Does anyone leave their Mooney outside in Florida? How bad does corrosion play a role? If leaving your airplane outside is the only option what kind of protective measures do you use?

 

 

Thank You!

[gsxrpilot]

Disclaimer... I'm not in Florida.

I started my search for an airplane by searching for a hangar. Once I located a suitable one, then I got serious about the airplane. I had the hangar for two months before the airplane moved in.

[carusoam]

Expect that it is very similar to keeping a car outside in the same environment.

Unfortunately putting a cover on the plane doesn't usually cover every inch like a car cover can.

Sunshine and hot weather is tough on the paint.  Rain is tough on the metals if it gets inside.

If you are in a corrosion rich environment, you will be awake in the middle of the night for no known reason...

My C lived outdoors in NJ.  It used a cover from planecovers.com 

Best regards,

-a-

[Mooneymite]

If you can only afford an airplane, or a hangar, go with the hangar.  You will get far more utility out of the hangar.  A side benefit is that it is more acceptable to drink beer in your hangar than in your airplane.  

[mike_elliott]

If left outside in Florida, the plane will suffer from paint and interior damage. If you use a cover, the paint will be damaged as sand, grit will be ground onto the paint. You will also have the tank or bladders deteriorate much more quickly. The same is true if you leave it outside in Arizona, or San Diego.

In Florida, corrosion will be more of an issue if outside. This is also true in Houston, Philly, New Orleans, and every place else on earth.

[Ftlausa]

You can pretty easily spot the plane that has been hangared vs. the one kept outside.  The weather in Florida just breaks stuff down - paint, plastic, electronics.  I hate paying the monthly rent, but the plane is an expensive commodity that deserves protection. 

[SharkBait]

Im in the same boat in Florida, been on a wait list for a hanger up north in Jax for a while now... been searching everywhere for my perfect J and almost had her... didnt force it and now back to square one.  At this point I hope i dont find my perfect Mooney until im moved in to my T shaped man cave

[Piloto]

Not only the hangar provides protection but it allows for routine maintenance. You can save a lot of money on maintenance and enjoy taking care of your Mooney. I have a small refrigerator and an old reclining chair in it for when I need some peaceful time.

José

[ArtVandelay]

I'm surprise they don't have more hangars here, there is almost no maintenance, don't need to be heated, construction costs and bank rates should be more than reasonable, obviously there is a demand...economic principles don't seem to work for hangars...what am I missing?

[Mooneymite]

2 hours ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Self storage sheds are probably more profitable in my area. Look at them comparatively on a square footage basis where you live. 

If you could build your hangar(s) on private property, they would be much cheaper to build, maintain, rent, etc.  Unfortunately, the rules set out by the airport often make them too expensive, or impossible to even build.  I built mine at my house in a fly-in community and it was a great deal.  If/when I sell, I expect to get every penny back, if not more based on rising building costs.  18 years and counting.  If you can rent a 50X50 hangar for $300/month, my hangar "paid for itself" years ago.  Unfortunately, my beer refrigerator costs have severely eaten into the proceeds.  

[FloridaPilot]

19 hours ago, Mooneymite said:

If you can only afford an airplane, or a hangar, go with the hangar.  You will get far more utility out of the hangar.  A side benefit is that it is more acceptable to drink beer in your hangar than in your airplane.  

My home airport has NO Indoor hangars at all, not even just a covered one.  The only thing that they have is a tie down area. The funny thing is there is not a lot of airplane activity either.  There are some covered options 45 mins from where I live at 875/mo which is out of my budget.

I'm just coming up with a budget for when I'm ready to buy in a few years.

[ArtVandelay]

56 minutes ago, FloridaPilot said:

 There are some covered options 45 mins from where I live at 875/mo which is out of my budget.

Are you down by Miami?  That's a great price if they come with a small apartment.

[Hector]

Im in the same boat in Florida, been on a wait list for a hanger up north in Jax for a while now... been searching everywhere for my perfect J and almost had her... didnt force it and now back to square one.  At this point I hope i dont find my perfect Mooney until im moved in to my T shaped man cave

I'm at Herlong now but it took 10 months in the waiting list to get my hangar. Before that I was at Craig airport. No waiting list there and plenty of hangars available but they are smaller and much older that the hangars at a Herlong.

[FloridaPilot]

On 12/16/2016 at 5:39 PM, teejayevans said:

Are you down by Miami?  That's a great price if they come with a small apartment.

Tampa Bay area no apartment just the hangar

[FloridaPilot]

14 hours ago, Hector said:

 

I'm at Herlong now but it took 10 months in the waiting list to get my hangar. Before that I was at Craig airport. No waiting list there and plenty of hangars available but they are smaller and much older that the hangars at a Herlong.

 

Consider yourself lucky. The Tampa Bay area Hangars are rented at a Premium. I'm next to 48X which has a grass strip. I would love to get a hangar there but none are available at the moment. 

[rbridges]

have you tried partnering with someone who already has a hangared plane?  Might be more economical and faster if you can find the right situation.

[FlyWalt]

I have a friend who keeps his 231 outside, much to my chagrin. Over the 4 years he has spent UNGODLY AMOUNTS OF MONEY on maintenance because of it. And on top of it, his paint is ruined. 

Cars, boats, airplanes ALL DETERIORATE in the weather. If you think you are saving by not hangaring, think again. Please hangar it.

[FlyWalt]

One additional note: There is no way I would ever buy an aircraft that has been kept outside. Why? Because I am thinking of all the comprimised electrical connections, corrosion in places that are not easily seen and other gotchas that moisture has created for me and my checkbook to deal with. Been there with boats and know the pain well.

[ArtVandelay]

Disagree, moisture in the sea air will penetrate your hangar unless you have air locks, and positive inside air pressure.  

True, but humidity is one thing, driving rainstorms with winds gusting to 50 mph is another, plus no dew indoors. The winds will force the water into areas, remember that unlike when you are flying where rain hits you from the front, on the ground it can come from sides or the back, where there is openings in the tail.
Actual sea spray falls out if the air pretty quickly, so that's generally over exaggerated. But once water gets in, it's not going to evaporate too quickly because of the humidity, probably the best thing you can do is to fly the plane, the drier air at 175 mph can help.

[fantom]

All those cars living outside are in BIG trouble

[FloridaMan]

Every night your airplane that is parked outside will get covered with a layer of moisture that descends from the air. That moisture, especially along the coast, will pick up the salt in the air and deposit that into every exposed crack and crevice that moisture can start to penetrate. Granted, I've left my plane for days on the ramp in Key West, West Palm, et cetera, but even a few weeks out of the year is a tiny fraction of time compared to every day. I also like the peace of mind I get from having secure access to my airplane. Last trip to Key West, I drained a quart of water from my left wing due to the line guys not installing the fuel cap properly. After the initial draining, I started on my "good" tank, taxied hard with lots of S-turns, sumped the "bad" tank some more and got more water. Took off by myself on the "good" tank, flew to 3000ft above the field; flew the shit out of the airplane on the "bad" tank, switched and landed on the "good" one, sumped some more -- no water -- and then took my passengers home. 

[Zwaustin]

My 4 year old diesel truck lives outside, my 35 year old plane stays inside. 

[salty]

On 12/18/2016 at 3:12 PM, FloridaPilot said:

Consider yourself lucky. The Tampa Bay area Hangars are rented at a Premium. I'm next to 48X which has a grass strip. I would love to get a hangar there but none are available at the moment. 

Last time I talked to the guys at Tampa exec, they had some pretty good deals on hangar space. Less than half the rent you are describing. 

Edited February 27, 2017 by salty

[Hank]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 10:01 PM, Zwaustin said:

My 4 year old diesel truck lives outside, my 35 year old plane stays inside. 

Your Mooney is worth more, and the truck will have been reduced to worthless garbage in much less than 35 years [even if parked inside] . . .

[salty]

2 hours ago, Hank said:

Your Mooney is worth more, and the truck will have been reduced to worthless garbage in much less than 35 years [even if parked inside] . . .

I don't agree. If you did annuals on the truck and overhauled the engine, and fixed everything wrong with it, it would last just as long as a mooney.