Hangar vs Tiedown,,,,,,,,,,,justification

[gregwatts]

I have a 201 going in for a pre-buy tomorrow and if all goes well, I will be bringing it to S. Fla.

My previous aircraft have always been tied down. Only 4 times has it ever been necesarry for me to relocate for hurricanes.

Tiedown is $85 month......hangar is $600 per month. I am trying to rationalize between tiedown or whether it is worth $7200 a year to protect this plane from the elements. This will be an 81 model....so not the $6digit version.

You Mooney guys are known for your opinions,.......so give em to me!

[panther1400]

It's not my money but I farm and see how the sun in Minnesota affects paint and plastic and also the rain on some people's machinery and I would say get the hanger

[triple8s]

WOW 600$ a month? I would buy a hangar before I paid that. Must be at a big airport. I wouldnt wanna leave my Mooney outside, paint fades, fuel cap O-rings can leak, glass (windows) craze, the heat and cool cycles, lots of things try to turn your Mooney back into the elements it was in nature. I was outside for a short time and bought a good cover and kept a RV dehumidifier on inside the cockpit, was lucky my tiedown was within extension cord distance. I was put on a waiting list which they said would take a few years just to get a shade port, and then I met a fellow who had a large hangar with only two Helos in it, and now I sublet from him. If you make friends with people that have aircraft/hangars maybe they would share cost with you if they have room. I have climate control and a restroom for about 2700 a year. I do have to wash two helos a couple of times a year and do a few custodial chores but it is well worth it in my opinion. Get to know people you may luck into something.

[DrBill]

Find another aiport. Hangars at my airport rent for $150/mo (shadeports actually) so I put up my own "portable" hangar for $5k, 7 years ago and pay the tiedown fee, now $55/mo (was $45 when I put it up).

I would not want to leave my airplane out for sun, rain and especially hail.

Dr Bill  65 M20E  N5612Q

[sreid]

There were half a dozen or more airplanes totaled from hail at my airport this summer (in the midwest).  Windows broken out, fiberglass wingtips destroyed, etc...  

It seems like there has to be a way to get a hangar cheaper than $600/month.  Also, it's not $7200/year...it's $6200, since you'd have to pay $1000 just to park it outside, ha!

[aviatoreb]

Quote: gregwatts

I have a 201 going in for a pre-buy tomorrow and if all goes well, I will be bringing it to S. Fla.

My previous aircraft have always been tied down. Only 4 times has it ever been necesarry for me to relocate for hurricanes.

Tiedown is $85 month......hangar is $600 per month. I am trying to rationalize between tiedown or whether it is worth $7200 a year to protect this plane from the elements. This will be an 81 model....so not the $6digit version.

You Mooney guys are known for your opinions,.......so give em to me!

[M20F]

I have flown airplanes outside for 25 years primarily.  Other than some paint fade, a little window glazing, and some light hail damage, no issues.  Obviously location drives some of this and I am in the Chicagoland area.

Over 5 years you will spend $31K which buys a lot of paint, windows, and interiors if even needed.  While I wouldn't pass a hanger up and they are nice for storing tools/beer, financially I have never been able to justify one in my area.

[Parker_Woodruff]

I will be going through this decision myself here in Lakeland in a few months when I completely move out here full time (trying to buy a house!).  I really don't care enough about my factory original paint, and the $250/month difference between a hangar and a tiedown buys a lot of gas and CorrosionX every year.  I live on a budget so I can fly my nice Mooney - I'd rather spend my time flying it than letting it sit in a hangar.

I have the Bruce's custom cover which I'll consider mandatory for FL.  My M20J sat in the Texas sun for 2 years and I never had any problems with it.

[aerobat95]

Are there any other airports around that you can try?  what is your location? 

[Parker_Woodruff]

Quote: aerobat95

Are there any other airports around that you can try?  what is your location? 

[bnicolette]

Holy cow!!  $600 is a lot of money for rent............double what I pay.  However, Greg there is no way i would leave a "nice" Mooney outside in the elements no matter where it was located, but especially in Florida.  I would just consider it part of the flying budget and grin and bear it.

I spend so much time at my hangar just playing around with and cleaning my airplane.  I'm sure if it were left outside, it would not get near the care that it does now. 

I think a hangar is a MUST.

B~

[johnggreen]

I couldn't let my airplane sit out on a ramp anymore than I'd let my wife sleep in the garage.  Sorry, but proper protection for something as fragile as an airplane is just a necessary cost of ownership.  And like a previous post, half the experience is the time you spend, in your hangar, caressing and loving on it.  Ahhh, makes me want to go wax on Baby right now.

jgreen

[Parker_Woodruff]

My Mooney will travel and be out of the hangar 10-15 days of the month on average...another reason it becomes of smaller and smaller marginal benefit. Obviously I can't afford to pay off every FBO I visit to hangar it.

[M20F]

Quote: johnggreen

Sorry, but proper protection for something as fragile as an airplane is just a necessary cost of ownership.  

[John Pleisse]

You live in a major metropolitan center...hangars  will cost you. That So FL sun will eat through your paint, glass and interior faster than you can write your monthly hangar check. We pay $400+,  40 miles NW of Washington DC. I say you get what you pay for...definately...hangar.

[johnggreen]

M20F,

Let's see.  Static ports, pitot tubes, TKS ports, corrosion from every conceivable source, UV damage, bird nests, dirt dobbers, mice, tow trucks, nosey lookers, an aluminum skin I can dent with my index knuckle without removing hide, water seeping around windows into insulated panels along the cabin sides, water seeping through fuel caps into the tanks,  I dunno, maybe I'm just real ticky about something that is going to hold my butt up three miles above mother earth.  When I put my airplane into my hangar, I can pull it out with an almost certain knowledge that nothing unforeseen has occurred in my absence.

As for my experience with tie downs versus hangar; don't have any.  My first airplane, an AT6 was hangared in 1975 and every airplane I've owned since so, I'm just not one to ask about ramp rash.  You may rest assurred though that when I'm away from home and my airplane sits on a ramp, my pre-flights are rather detailed.

The man asked my opinion.  My opinion is that I wouldn't own an airplane that I couldn't hangar.  Personally, I don't care if an individual parks his airplane on the entrance road to the airport.  I'm not trying to be rude or talk down to you, I'm just real particular about my airplane and I'm not going to change.

 

 

[M20F]

 

Quote: johnggreen

When I put my airplane into my hangar, I can pull it out with an almost certain knowledge that nothing unforeseen has occurred in my absence.

[fantom]

$550 to $600 per month is the going hanger rate on the east coast of SoFL, and good luck finding one. A community hanger may cost you less. Building them is problematic at our public airports. The price for living and flying down here.

IMO, if you can afford it, put the plane inside.

[OR75]

I used drive 50 miles each way before getting a hangar at a closer airport.

benefits of hangaring:

- protection from the elements (rain , dust, sun, wind, etc ...)

- how you left the aircraft is how you will find it next time (for the most).  You will know if someone tempered with it.

- space in the hangar can be used for storage of A/C related stuff  and non-aviation stuff (some hangars look like second homes !!!)

[carusoam]

Get a decent cover.  Save $6,000 per year.  In 10 years, buy another mooney with the down payment saved from not using a hangar.....

Or move to a more hangar friendly state.

Best regards,

-a-

[rbridges]

I'm still stunned from the $600/month fee.  I didn't realize they could be so expensive.  I pay $175 at my small airport.  I was in an open T hanger until my closed hangar became available.  Besides the other advantages, I enjoy leaving my tools/misc in the hangar instead of having to take them home.

[Jeff_S]

As others have noted, your decision will depend on your unique circumstances. I had a Warrior that lived outside in Atlanta with a good Bruce's cover and it did fine. My 201 had the same treatment for a year, until I lucked into a hangar through some connections. For me the price difference was from $95 to $350/month, so not quite as substantial an increase, and I do like the peace of mind the hangar provides. I think you can still maintain your investment, even in south Florida, with an appropriate cover and anti corrosion treatments. Fuel cap o-rings are a lot less than $600 month!

[aviatoreb]

Quote: rbridges

I'm still stunned from the $600/month fee.  I didn't realize they could be so expensive.  I pay $175 at my small airport.  I was in an open T hanger until my closed hangar became available.  Besides the other advantages, I enjoy leaving my tools/misc in the hangar instead of having to take them home.

[rbridges]

Quote: aviatoreb

I bet your fee is the low-record?  I am at a good sized strip but rural area field and pay $200 for a 45' wide t-hangar.  On the other end of the scale I have heard from a renter that he pays $1200/month in Toronto.

[PTK]

There are different ways or angles of perspective to look at this.  I think though that the exposure to the elements on an airplane sitting outside reaches farther than the paint an exterior.  Don't forget that constant environmental changes, hot, cold rain, snow, dust, wind, birds, rodents, etc. etc. also affects the interior and most importantly the instruments and avionics.  If one has an average airplane with average avionics then yes a cover may be an answer to get some protection. But if you have some expensive state of the art equipment in your panel and some nice leather you may not want to leave it outside.   

I have mine in a small community hangar with 4 other airplanes in it. The airport is a 10 minute drive.  I have requested, and the FBO folks have been kind enough to let me have, a permanent spot on one side and out of the way.  This enables them to move other airplanes in and out without having to disturb mine.  It allows me the lattitude and convenience, really, to be able to work on the airplane without worrying that it will need to get moved.  For example when I do an oil change I leave it drain overnight or until I get to the airport again with no worries. Also it allows me, if I need, to pull my airplane out or put it back on that occasional early departure or late arrival when they are closed. Or as a rule, on my way to the airport I'll call them and they will pull my airplane out for me. Another benefit is that there is no need to go through the hassle of having to put on and take off a cover all the time. 

I pay $300 per month for this and the private T hangars on my field are $400 per month. Maybe not a steal but considering my investment in the airplane and upgrades, a very good compromise. I view it as a necessity to protect the airplane. Could it be cheaper, yes it could. But there is no hangar space available for less anywher close, and it wouldn't be as convenient.