Hazards of keeping an aircraft at tie down?

Probably your largest hazard is the sun in the form of ultraviolet light. UV slowly affects almost every material including plastics, paints, fabrics, tires, and fiberglass. All you need to do is take a tour down the line of aircraft stored outside and you can see the ravages of the elements.

Ozone, a common pollutant will also react with the aforementioned materials.

Don't forget the local fauna either. Critters have the nasty habits of making their homes inside aircraft and chewing on the fabrics and wiring.

Some suggestions... Try and critter proof your airplane by making some sheet metal rings you can place around the tires when the airplane is stored outside. Also make some sheetmetal cones to place on the ropes or chains to prevend them from using them as an entryway into the aircraft. If you can, don't park under trees. Bird poop will also react with paint and fabric. On the subject of birds, keep your prop in a vertical or almost vertical position after you shut down. REMEMBER TO MOVE IT CAREFULLY! A horizontal propeller is also known as a bird perch. You might want to get one of those fake owls to keep some of the other undesireables away from your plane.

Be very careful about using any kind of cover over the windscreen. I know that this seems counter-intuative but what happens is that sand and dust accumulate underneath and with the wind blowing even slightly the cover will grind away at your plexiglass.

Make it a point to remove accumulated snow or ice during the winter time. Use a soft bristled brush and let the sun melt the rest.

Congratulations on buying an airplane. The Tri-Pacer is a joy to fly and will provide many years of pleasure.

Good luck.

Planeflyr

 

planeflyr was pretty thorough.

Another suggestion is to check the plane for openings (engine cowl and tail in particular) that are bird-size or larger. Left alone, there is a good chance that some birds will make a nest in those and the packed twigs can cause lots of problems. There are manufacturers that make cowl-plugs for the first. I found that car-washing sponges worked to plug the odd-shaped holes that I had around the second, the tail. Be sure to tie "Remove before Flight) ribbons on them if you do that so they're notable in your pre-flight.

 

You live in Dyersburg?!

DYR has hangars available. Call 731-287-8181 and rent yours prior to buying so that your fabric-covered aircraft won't be shredded by the elements, vandals, and varmits.


(I have no affiliation with them, but I do build hangars at airports with more planes than hangars)