Marahute Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 Not that there's much I can do about it at this point, but with anywhere from 16-20" of snow coming, and with my J parked on the tie-down should I be concerned with that much weight on the wings?
takair Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 I would not be too worried… I would suggest getting to the airplane as soon as it is safe to and gently sweep it off. Much of it slides off the leading and trailing edges on its own. Here in CT they are calling for light (weight) snow. 1
Hank Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 The weight won't be a problem. But sweeping it off will make it much easier for the flight control hinges to thaw out or sublimate in the sun. (Sorry, it won't get warm enough up there to thaw . . . . ) 1
PT20J Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 The M20J has a wing area of about 175 sq ft. (actually a little less because this area includes the area under the fuselage, but this is close enough for this analysis). The weight of snow varies with water content, but lets consider wet snow which is about 20 lb per cubic foot. So, a foot of wet snow will put a downward force on the wings of 175*20 = 3250 lb. The negative load limit is -1.5g, but this is really a factor of 2.5 since there is normally +1g acting on the wings in flight. So the wings can withstand a downward force of 2.5*2900(gross weight) = 7250 lb. The horizontal stabilizer has an area of 21.5 square feet, so a foot of wet snow will create a downward force of 430 lb. So, what will probably happen is that the airplane will end up sitting on the tail tie down. When I used to fly to Truckee CA for a day of skiing I would often see all the tied down airplanes sitting on their tails. 4 2
LANCECASPER Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 4 minutes ago, PT20J said: When I used to fly to Truckee CA for a day of skiing I would often see all the tied down airplanes sitting on their tails. The airplanes are just mimicking the employees at the FBO. 3
Fritz1 Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 slides right off in heated hangar, if sitting outside use TKS fluid or alcohol to get rid of surface ice
N201MKTurbo Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 15 minutes ago, Fritz1 said: slides right off in heated hangar, if sitting outside use TKS fluid or alcohol to get rid of surface ice I would have swept the snow off before bringing it in, it will thaw out way faster and make a lot less mess in the hangar. And it only takes a few minutes. I found the brushes on a good car window ice scraper work great and will fit on the hat rack.
N201MKTurbo Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 For the FBO folks, I bet an electric leaf blower would clean most of the snow off in short order.
Flyler Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 The DeWalt 60v battery leaf blower has a max speed of 160mph, well below VNE of your J. 1
Hank Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 2 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said: For the FBO folks, I bet an electric leaf blower would clean most of the snow off in short order. I found an electric leaf blower worked well clearing my driveway of up to about an inch of dry, powdery snow. With wet snow, it didn't do much. Got to do this almost every day in a decade's worth of Januarys while living in West by Gawd. 1 1
Jetpilot86 Posted January 25 Report Posted January 25 2 hours ago, skykrawler said: Maybe put something over the fuel caps I was thinking saran wrap.
Pinecone Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 The typical snow we get in the mid Atlantic, leaf blower doesn't do much. But you want to sweep it off as soon as you can. I used to have a garden sprayer with TKX fluid for the CAP 182 we had on a tie down. But from some reports, TKS fluid turns slightly acidic as it ages. If I wear on a tiedown, I would probably mix up RV non-toxic antifreeze and denatured alcohol.
AndreiC Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 For 10 years I had a Piper Cherokee tied down outside in snowy Wisconsin. About 5 times each winter I'd have to go after a snow storm to get the snow off. Took about 15-30 minutes every time, not a big deal. I used a tool bought from an auto parts store consisting of a large (maybe 18" wide?) paddle/scraper made of semi-hard foam, attached to a stick. Allows you to pull off the snow to the ground, without scratching the paint or windows. Will take 99% of the snow off, and the sun will do the rest.
Yetti Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 airplane will probably be OK as long as your hangar has a snow rated roof. Apparently the paint shop in Mena Arkansas did not have a snow rated roof. 4
PT20J Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 If you have good o-rings on the fuel caps and do the pressure test at annual, there should be no need to cover them. 1
Justin Schmidt Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 50 minutes ago, PT20J said: If you have good o-rings on the fuel caps and do the pressure test at annual, there should be no need to cover them. Just the water that collect and freezes in the latch hole and around. 2
Fly Boomer Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 1 hour ago, PT20J said: If you have good o-rings on the fuel caps and do the pressure test at annual, there should be no need to cover them. SB 229a says 1/2 PSI. In 2009 Jose said just bow into the vent. What do you use to apply pressure?
Flyler Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 When the snow melts away and you are ready to fly, if it is below freezing that day, be extra careful. I arrived at my plane after some weather and it looked nice and clean- no snow, no ice, no frost. Took off and ASI/Altimeter were all sorts of funky. Ice had formed in the static ports, likely just a tiny amount. Fortunately I had my CFI onboard that day. One of those "incidents" I am glad to have had with CFI onboard as I took way too long hunting for my alternate static knob. I will never have to hunt for it again. Pushing the drain on your static line won't drain any ice out, that's for sure!
PT20J Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 1 hour ago, Fly Boomer said: SB 229a says 1/2 PSI. In 2009 Jose said just bow into the vent. What do you use to apply pressure? I have a length of tubing that fits over the air vent tube and I just blow into it while squirting soapy water on the caps. I got that idea from Clarence. 1
Justin Schmidt Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 1 hour ago, PT20J said: I have a length of tubing that fits over the air vent tube and I just blow into it while squirting soapy water on the caps. I got that idea from Clarence. I think je got the clearance from victor, over.
PT20J Posted January 26 Report Posted January 26 For those that are relatively new here, Clarence Beintema of Tri-City Aero Maintenance, a MSC in Ontario Canada, used to post a lot of really helpful information here. 2
EricJ Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 2 hours ago, PT20J said: For those that are relatively new here, Clarence Beintema of Tri-City Aero Maintenance, a MSC in Ontario Canada, used to post a lot of really helpful information here. Doc's wisdom is missed here. 4
Flyler Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 Clarence did a pre-buy for me on a plane North of the border. A very knowledgeable, straight forward guy, and friendly to boot. I would like him more if I weren't so jealous of his Comanche 400, aka the fat man's Mooney.
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