Best way to store airplane for 3 month period?

[52Yankee]

Hello all; long time listener, first time caller. I recently purchased a ‘64 M20E last October. I’ve been flying about 10-15 hours per month on it since. I have to go do some Army stuff for 3 months and am looking for recommendations on the best way to store the engine to make sure she’s good to go when I come back home. Relative to climate, I am based in central Texas (88R) and keep it in an insulated but non-climate controlled hangar. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[T. Peterson]

17 minutes ago, 52Yankee said:

Hello all; long time listener, first time caller. I recently purchased a ‘64 M20E last October. I’ve been flying about 10-15 hours per month on it since. I have to go do some Army stuff for 3 months and am looking for recommendations on the best way to store the engine to make sure she’s good to go when I come back home. Relative to climate, I am based in central Texas (88R) and keep it in an insulated but non-climate controlled hangar. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Do you have a buddy you could trust to fly it a couple of times a month while you are away?

[mike_elliott]

Best way is have it flown weekly for an hr. 

Next best pickle the engine with anti corrosion oil from Phillips, put wing jacks under it and get it off the donuts. Throw a couple of fabric dryer sheets in the plane to keep the mice away, or get a hangar cat

 

[Utah20Gflyer]

I believe Mike Busch (Savvy Aviation) has a webinar on YouTube about an hour long addressing this exact issue.  If you haven’t listened to that yet it would be a good intro to the topic. 

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, 52Yankee said:

Hello all; long time listener, first time caller. I recently purchased a ‘64 M20E last October. I’ve been flying about 10-15 hours per month on it since. I have to go do some Army stuff for 3 months and am looking for recommendations on the best way to store the engine to make sure she’s good to go when I come back home. Relative to climate, I am based in central Texas (88R) and keep it in an insulated but non-climate controlled hangar. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Phillips antitrust oil, spray the cylinders with LPS#3, install dehydration plugs, insert desiccant bag in the tail pipe, tape the intake filter and tailpipe closed.

[52Yankee]

I think I’d have nightmares handing the keys to someone else. I’m still in the babying the airplane phase, I’m sure in a year or two I’ll be less caring. I’ve heard of the pickling kits but haven’t looked into it heavily yet, but I have less than a month before I head out so I need to get serious about it. I’ll have to watch that YouTube video, because it’ll probably answer all my other questions! Thanks for the quick responses!!

[LANCECASPER]

For three months my biggest concern would be rodents. Good suggestions so far on here, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over 3 months.

20 years ago I bought a Cessna 182 at your home base, 88R (Spicewood Springs), with a partner to supplement my Mooney : )

At least a buddy brought us up there in a Mooney 231 so we could fly the Cessna back. If I can help in any way let me know. I'm at TS36, 55 nm away.

[exM20K]

…..batteries on a tender.  I believe mothballs are better for rodents than dryer sheets.  We had a mouse that wanted nothing more than to build a nest in our gas grill.  Evicted her.  She came back.  Put dryer sheets all around, and she chewed them up for nesting material.  Had a litter. Wife wouldn’t permit the permanent solution…. Eventually they moved on.

I know it’s hard to imagine someone else flying your new-to-you plane, but plenty of people have been in that left seat over the years.  It shouldn’t be too hard to find a young CFI or time-building commercial pilot who can meet the OPW of your insurance.  Your plane will be happy, and you’re helping someone who needs the hours to put them in their logbook.  Win/win.

-dan

[Pinecone]

Where in Central TX?  The dry part or the damp part?

If the dry part, add some Cam Gaurd if you haven't already, I would fly it to get it hot, open the oil filler to let the moist air out. Maybe do an oil change if over half way.

If the damp part, consider an engine dryer system.

3 months is not that long in the scheme of things.  Longer than optimum, but many planes sit for 3 months several times a year.

I agree that rodents may be the bigger issue.

[ArtVandelay]

Anyone who has done any major upgrades has had their airplane idle for periods of time. I just change the oil, run the engine enough to circulate the fresh oil throughout the engine and that’s it.

[LANCECASPER]

2 hours ago, Pinecone said:

Where in Central TX?  The dry part or the damp part?

88R 

https://www.airnav.com/airport/88R

[GeeBee]

With regard to rodents if your airport has them, look into a local feral cart program. They will bring you a cat, all you need to do is provide a place for it to sleep out of the wx and some water and dry food. These cats are too nasty to be home cats, they are born hunters and they work great in hangars, warehouses, barns etc. Just make sure you cover your windows so they don't get scratched. They will often bring you a "loaner cat" so you can wipe out a population and give the cat back after the job is done.

[Steve0715]

I’d do this as 1st line of rodent defense..

[LANCECASPER]

With regard to rodents if your airport has them, look into a local feral cart program. They will bring you a cat, all you need to do is provide a place for it to sleep out of the wx and some water and dry food. These cats are too nasty to be home cats, they are born hunters and they work great in hangars, warehouses, barns etc. Just make sure you cover your windows so they don't get scratched. They will often bring you a "loaner cat" so you can wipe out a population and give the cat back after the job is done.

[Pinecone]

21 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

88R 

https://www.airnav.com/airport/88R

Where does that fall on the drier/wetter line?   I know that one side of SA is much drier than the other side.

[LANCECASPER]

1 hour ago, Pinecone said:

Where does that fall on the drier/wetter line?   I know that one side of SA is much drier than the other side.

It's an hour N of SA in the Hill Country - we wish it was wetter - way behind on rainfall. It's in a dry area generally.

[M20F]

On 4/3/2023 at 7:26 AM, ArtVandelay said:

Anyone who has done any major upgrades has had their airplane idle for periods of time. I just change the oil, run the engine enough to circulate the fresh oil throughout the engine and that’s it.

This my plane is at Maxwells for 3 months waiting on parts.  Pretty sure he didn’t pickle the engine. 

Pickling certainly can’t hurt but I think folks over think things a bit at times. 

[Echo]

Three months?  Not a darn thing

[carusoam]

1) Engine anti rust steps, covered…

2) Animal entry, covered…

3) exercise often, covered…

Now that we covered everything…

Let me add…

Thank you for your service!

Best regards,

-a-

[Jsno]

Preoil when you start it up in 3 months.

[A64Pilot]

On 4/2/2023 at 9:32 PM, M20Doc said:

Phillips antitrust oil, spray the cylinders with LPS#3, install dehydration plugs, insert desiccant bag in the tail pipe, tape the intake filter and tailpipe closed.

This is your best answer maybe a little conservative, but conservative can’t hurt, I use “fogging” oil for the cylinders. I “pickled” my C-85 like this for four years with zero cylinder rust.

Keep the oil when you drain it, it can be used again, as can the desiccant bags and plugs, desiccant can be dried out in a regular home oven, once dry store them in a mayonnaise or similar jar for next time. That oil isn’t cheap.

Mice can’t climb a 5 gl home depot / lowes bucket, cut out the bottom and slit one side it can then be put around the gear, if the metal flashing is too difficult to fab.

Not sure how well that would work around gear doors though?

Top off the tanks of course and I like to put the battery on a tender, over inflate the tires, helps keeping them from flat spotting, over time they will lose pressure.

[Guest]

A few other tie bits from Lycoming regarding storage 

https://www.lycoming.com/sites/default/files/attachments/Engine%20Preservation%20for%20Active%20and%20Stored%20Aircraft.pdf

https://www.lycoming.com/sites/default/files/attachments/Factory%20Engine%20Preservation.pdf