Heat shields of full cover?

[Mooney Dog]

Looking for some opinions from other Mooneys. 

 

As it stand, my aircraft will be in a hanger or covered parking spot when at home, so no worry there, however i do like to travel from place to place and dont really want to leave my plane open to the sun anymore than i have too. It not so much the outside im worried about, but the inside. 

 

Sporty's sells custom heat shields for ~$260 and a canopy cover for ~$580. Obviously i know the canopy cover is going to provide better protection from the sun, as well as some leak protection if i have a weak seal and it starts to rain, but this will primarily be for when im away from home. Now im familiar with aircraft covers and how difficult they can be to put on solo, which is one of my thoughts for getting the heat shields instead, but id like to know others experiences and opinions. 

[carusoam]

Thoughts of a PP, not a Mooney… 

Get a cabin cover.

They are perfectly fit for your Mooney…

Keeps water out…

Keeps sun out…

Keeps prying eyes out…

Lasts for years…

Fits in the baggage area on the shelf…

Best regards,

-a-

[David Lloyd]

For years I kept my planes in a shade port/covered parking spot and travelled every week several nights.  I used a canopy cover all the time, my spot or away.  No dust ever settled on the windshield to be scratched by the cover.  Use the cover every time.  Cover on and off a couple times a week, it wouldn't take two minutes to put on except when the wind was blowing.  Usually not a problem.  Learn to snag the rear strap on the far side with your towbar before stowing it.  There were only maybe 5 times over 40 years when I was unable to get the cover on by myself due to wind.  The cover is just as effective as the reflective window heat shields but your windows stay clean on the outside.

After I enclosed my hangar, I continued to put the cover in place to keep the dust off, just never buckled it.

[Lance Link]

Google Bruce aircraft covers get a travel cover

[Mooney Dog]

1 hour ago, carusoam said:

cabin cover

1 hour ago, David Lloyd said:

I used a canopy cover all the time

33 minutes ago, Lance Link said:

Google Bruce aircraft covers get a travel cover

Well I can see where this is trending. I think I should get a cover! 

[carusoam]

Next steps just got easier…

Bruce vs. Jim….

Both made equally great devices….

Jim retired…. 

 

Go find Bruce…

Best regards,

-a-

[exM20K]

Kennon sun shades. If your main concern is keeping the heat out, they are the best. If you’re worried about water intrusion from occasional outdoor parking, fix the door seal.

Have you tried to install a cover in the wind? Not fun.

Have you ever dealt with a dew-soaked or rain-soaked cover when you’re on the road? Not fun.

Sun shades address the 80% concern with 5% of the aggravation.

-Dan

[Hank]

Jim is retired, but I have his cover on my C. Beside me is a bigger Mooney with Bruce's cover.

[Mooney Dog]

24 minutes ago, exM20K said:

Kennon sun shades. If your main concern is keeping the heat out, they are the best. If you’re worried about water intrusion from occasional outdoor parking, fix the door seal.

Have you tried to install a cover in the wind? Not fun.

Have you ever dealt with a dew-soaked or rain-soaked cover when you’re on the road? Not fun.

Sun shades address the 80% concern with 5% of the aggravation.

-Dan

See these are all my issues with covers on the other airplanes ive flown. And the door seal is brand new. I just need to remember to not leave the storm window open... doh. 

[MooneyNoob]

How do you handle a rain-soaked cover when on the road?   Seems like if ou arrive at the airport, remove the wet cover and put it in the back of the plane a) you just added a bunch of weight to the plane and b) that stuff will make the inside of the plane humid and moldy during a long cross country trip, no?

[carusoam]

Good covers come with a bag…

Good cover materials have the water bead up…

Shake the cover, most of the water gets left behind…

 

Good environments don’t turn moldy in one flight…

Good windows don’t leak…

Good window shades are easy to deploy…

Good window tints are fun to install…

Good weather avoids the whole rain issue…

What other good tips are you looking for?

My M20C lived outside for a decade under a good cover…  snow and ice is more of a good challenge…

Best regards,

-a-

[Hank]

4 minutes ago, MooneyNoob said:

How do you handle a rain-soaked cover when on the road?   Seems like if ou arrive at the airport, remove the wet cover and put it in the back of the plane a) you just added a bunch of weight to the plane and b) that stuff will make the inside of the plane humid and moldy during a long cross country trip, no?

Shake as much water off as possible. Hang to drip dry on tail during Preflight and loading, then zip it inside its travel bag right before boarding. Fold it up inside out. Soon as you land, get it out of its bag and hang it to dry. This is much easier when returning to your hangar.

[Mooney Dog]

7 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Good weather avoids the whole rain issue…

Welp, all next week is rain in the forecast. Im one of the crazy who will take off into rain. 

[amillet]

4 minutes ago, Hank said:

Shake as much water off as possible. Hang to drip dry on tail during Preflight and loading, then zip it inside its travel bag right before boarding. Fold it up inside out. Soon as you land, get it out of its bag and hang it to dry. This is much easier when returning to your hangar.

One year coming from Oshkosh I departed early in the morning with a dew covered plane cover. When I stopped in Great Falls MT for fuel it was 105 degrees.  Only took about 10 minutes spread out on the ramp to dry it completely 

[Tommooney]

I have had Bruce's cover since plane was new in 2004. No problem putting on solo. I felt mark " front ", "port", " starboard", " rear " on the four edges. It centers on roof antennae tube sewn on. I own a hanger but sometimes leave plane away for a couple weeks at a time over twenty years.

I add the cheap car furry seatbelt shoulder add on covers with Velcro at the 4 snaps to keep from having these wind scratch paint ( it did after two weeks outside at Grand Junction, dang, but they did buff out ) 4 for $20 Amazon .

I bought custom inside window covers a couple years ago thinking they would be faster easier for short time park but they take just as long and not as cool inside. Its not efficient to carry both with the outside cover. The inside covers sit in hanger.

I also have Bruces red intake covers and a pitot cover. Tom at Freeway MSC stuck two old sponges in the tail spaces years ago and I still use them when parking outside more than a day.

Good luck

Tom

[N201MKTurbo]

Our planes are very tough. They are made for traveling. They can take anything you can dish out on the road. Don’t worry about such things unless you are leaving it somewhere for months.

[carusoam]

Things to fear….

1) VFR into IMC….

2) Running out of fuel…

3) Flight into thunderstorms…

4) Icing…

5) Bad PPIs…

6) First annual blues…

7) Fuel tank leak

8) Extra Cam lobe showing up in the oil filter…

9) ATC giving you a phone number to call… or the FAA leaves a note on your plane…

10) Oil pressure declining at cruise altitude…

 

Damp plane cover didn’t make the Top 10 list….  
 

Best regards,

-a-

[Greg Ellis]

I use the Kennon sun shades.  They are easy to put up and take down in just a minute or two.  You can even make your own with stuff bought at your local hardware store.  I believe some guys on this forum have done just that.  I went with the Kennon because I was concerned that the cover would scratch my windows.  One came with my airplane but it felt so rough I did not want to try it.  Apparently it does not if taken care of or not so many would use one but I think I will stick with the sun shades.  Even easy to use on a windy day.