Hangar vs Covered "Tie-Down" space

[JoeM]

I have been on a tie down near the OC Coast since buying my first Mooney in 1998. We don't have hail, frost or high temps, but we have salty dew most nights. I use corrosion X and a cabin cover. Hangars cost over $1K per month here if you can find one. Recently moved to Corona which, although it is a 40 minute drive, offers tie downs for $30/month and hangars for $450 so I am on a waitlist for a hangar. In the meantime I keep tools in my car and do maintenance outside. You gotta do what keeps you flying.  

[RobertGary1]

On 12/20/2021 at 7:56 AM, Huitt3106 said:

I am working through the throws of solo ownership in my Mooney again and am trying to find ways to make it more affordable (I know that's an oxymoron in aviation). I have found the most controllable cost point in my ownership is that of hangar rent. Currently, my monthly rent is hitting $400 per month for an old worn out T-hangar with manual sliding doors. What I am contemplating is moving my Mooney over to the covered tie-downs that give it good protection from rain and any hail (pretty uncommon here) but will not have a closed door. I am thinking about doing this in conjunction with purchasing a canopy/ cowl cover in addition to horizontal surface covers. This will be a yearly savings of right at $3,000 and would put me in a more comfortable position. I know this is a can of worms I'm throwing on the floor, but I am interested in viewpoints on covered storage ($160/ month) vs full hangar ($400/ month) storage. This is not an open tie-down spot. 

 

Been outside for about 25 years now with a cover. The horrors of being outside have yet to happen to me. I have a friend who's owned a flight school since the 60's and he's yet to have these mystery problems of being outside.

[skydvrboy]

It’s good to fly in aviation heaven. 

 

[Hank]

24 minutes ago, skydvrboy said:

It’s good to fly in aviation heaven. 

 

I'm guessing that Ellsworth Field with cheap hangars is in windy Kansas, and covered in snow and ice during winter? Those make it far from "heaven" for me. My part of Alabama rarely sees ice or snow, or even windshield frost that needs scraping. Usually not so windy, either, and once I climb above 6-7K, even in mid-summer, I generally have to mix in cabin heat. One of my neighbors lives in flip-flops and shorts, it's a real event to see him in long pants or shoes.

Much closer to heaven for me! Oh, avgas prices are quite similar, too. 

[Bob E]

Before I finally got off the waitlist and into a hangar this year, my '65 M20C had spent its entire life as a ramp airplane. I bought it in 1986 and a hangar was out of the question for economic reasons, so for 35 years it was tied down at OSU airport in Ohio. In 1994 I had it painted with Imron and 1998 I replaced the windows; both paint and windows look great to this day.  Photos below.  (The hangar photo was taken on its first day as a hangared aircraft, earlier this year.)

My tips for preserving a tied-down Mooney:

• Every spring and every fall, clean the exterior of the aircraft with a mild cleaner/degreaser such as "Awesome," power wash it, and "wax" it with a good non-wax polymer auto polish such as Nu-Finish.  (You don't need to polish the underside of the wings since they aren't exposed to the sun.) The new ceramic coatings might work too; not sure.  In between full cleanings, degrease the landing gear area and underside on occasion.
• Regularly touch up nicks and paint defects (rivets seem to be the first to shed paint).
• Get 3 sets of those automotive reflective sun-shades, cut them down to fit inside the aircraft, and put them in place whenever you're tied down. That protects the avionics and upholstery.  Less bulky than trying to use a cover, and there's no dust build-up.
• Get one of those half-inch thick camping sleep pads made of non-absorbing foam and make it into bird plugs. About 4-6 pieces in the right shapes will plug all the holes in the tail. Two more places on the underside of the wing where the flaps meet the fuselage.  I never needed to plug the engine opening (too wide for birds if you have a guppy-mouthed Mooney) or the landing gear openings.  You can also use a section of anti-bird spike strip and fashion a piece that sits on top of the tail. (See photo).
• When parked, the prop can be kept vertical and then cover the top spinner opening. Check for ice in the spinner if temperatures are freezing.
• Don't allow the slightest bit of rust. At every single annual, make sure the entire aircraft is well-coated inside with zinc chromate or one of the newer compounds.
• If hail is forecast, pay to store the aircraft in a hangar overnight.

BTW a hangar is a godsend but if you can't afford it, a tiedown won't destroy your aircraft if you take steps such as those outlined above.

[steingar]

On 12/20/2021 at 11:32 AM, Huitt3106 said:

That's mostly what I'm trying to rationalize at this point. How much worse is a covered spot vs a full hangar? The difference in tie-down vs hangar is obvious to me, but this is a bit different. 

Dunno, depends on where you live. Also depends on access to power at the covered spot.  Where I live the covered spot sans power would be a non starter, I'd have trouble getting the airplane going half the year without a Red Dragon or similar.  In a warmer climate it might not be so bad.