Anyone tie-down RV outside?

I am considering buying an RV-7A or -9A and would like owners experiences with keeping your RV outside. Hangers here in Orange County, CA are in the 500-700 dollars per month range and I'd like to spend around 140/month to tie-down outside. Of course, we'd all like to keep our planes in a hanger, but the extra $5,000/year just might be the deal breaker for me. I kept my Zenair CH701 covered outside in Thailand for 3 years and it managed OK, and kept a C177rg there as well, again, partially covered. Any RV experience tie-ed down open with a canopy cover would be appreciated.

ya gotta do what ya gotta do to fly. The plane will be ok. Just be aware that that they are not leakproof and keep a close eye on both the plane and the weather. You dont get a lot of rain in So Cal, so it is manageable. Tip ups commonly leak around the front of the windscreen. Some have constructed a fabric barrier under the skin to divert water away from the avionics. All models will tend to collect water under the seat pans. The interesting part is that the water gets in there from the junction between the leading edge of flaps and the trailing edge of the wing in the area near the fuselage. From there, it runs forward, and then gets inside the fuselage somewhre near the seats. A few well-placed strips of blue painters tape spanning the gap between the flaps and wing in the area near the fuselage will do the trick. Also cover the gap between the flap and the fuselage. You will need to experiment with a hose or water from a bucket to prove to yourself you have it sealed. Also helps to have a few well-placed drain holes in the floor, just in case. Meanwhile, try to find a way to get in a hangar through sharing or striking up a friendship with someone with a nice one. I like to keep my plane clean, and its nearly impossible when your plane is outside.
regards
erich

erich

only about 3,500 of us?

I'm sure a search would show this number...it's been discussed a few times.
you're worried about room temperature southern california? ( sorry, everyone having a good chuckle here!)
I'm going to guess that dirt/dust, sun, and varmints are your main issues, as well as possible heat degradation of avionics, upholstery & such.
a good set of covers will help with most of these issues, but be sure to let air curculate somehow, or during the wet season ( what is that,about 3 days?!?!) you don't want condensation and mold, corrosion etc.
adding drain holes in the belly is always a good bet....I've noticed water sitting on the bottom of my wing/fuselage fairing, as it was a nice tight fit, so added a few tiny holes, and tweaked them aft, like a mini seaplane grommet.
I find a much bigger p.i.t.a. is hauling your stuff from you vehicle to the plane everytime you want to go flying....and maintenance ain't so slick either.
As mentioned, join the local clubs, and put out feelers to at least share a hangar part of the year, or to do your annual and oil changes etc.

Outdoors

There are a couple RVs here that have spent most of their time outside, summer and snowy winters. They certainly fly less in the winter, and they do keep a good set of covers (wings, canopy and one a whole fues cover) on. The other thing you might consider if the airport allows it is the coverall shelters. They are really nice hangars and while they would likely take a couple days to install, can be taken down and moved and are not considered perm structures most places for permits or taxes. Just an idea. Some airports i have seen pics of have rows and rows of them. They arent cheap, but if you get 20 years out of it...seems fair.

The 6/7/9 models with tip-up canopy seem to be a royal bear to weatherseal well enough to keep rain from leaking into the behind-the-panel area and getting instruments and avionics wet. I'm sure someone out there has come up with a better way to seal one up good enough, but it seems like the norm is that the majority of tip-ups tend to have some leak issues there, even with a soft canopy/fuselage cover. Of course, I'm pretty heavily biased towards slider canopies, so take my opinion with the usual grain of salt.


PS: Welcome to the VAF forums!

Hope it's well-primed, that close to the water.

Dave

different covers address different issues. as an example, the cover for my RV-8 will breath, shed rain and extends forward to cover over the forward baggage compartment (a common leak area).

There are a number of options for rv-7a / rv-9a covers. knowing you will be outside full time makes it a bit easier to narrow the choices.

Another option

There are much cheaper hangars in So Cal, if you are willing to drive (or have a buddy who's willing to provide transport) and you want the plane mostly for big trips. We have a hangar at L35 (Big Bear) for $180/mo. At least one VAFer lives in Manhattan Beach and keeps his plane at Cable. He flies most weekends. If flying is important enough, there are ways to make it work.

I do keep my plane on a ramp a couple nights a week most weeks but avoid bringing it up when significant weather is predicted during my stay. Despite its exposure outside, I haven't actually detected any deterioration in the plane since doing so. I do have a heavy Bruce's cover on it and vinyl tape over a few critical places when anticipating rain.

Outside!

I recently moved my -7 to a tie down spot. I can't offer any long term advice. I bought a set of wing covers, and a specially custom made fuse cover, goes from in front of the cowl/fuse junction to the tail from Bruce's for $1K. So far, so good. It's a pain, but the only hanger option at my airport was in a maintenance hanger at $350 a month, plus my plane was moved around constantly and spent time sitting outside during weekend days anyway. I'm looking to cut my expenses, and moving outside saves me $4K a year.

tie-down RV outside

I kept mine out on the ramp in the NW for seven years - 2miles away and 600' up from salt water. The steel barrels on my 0-320 would get a little rust in winter - clean 'em & spray lyc gray on during summer. Keep the prop, cowling, and canopy covered. Brake discs will rust - fly every week to scrap 'em off. The plane got wet EVERY DAY - either rain, or condensation, so have good paint on (my cheap camo-paint faded in the sun - see the pic - repainted recently). Tailwheel springs will rust - change 'em every couple years. Had a prop-lock and wheel lock - musta worked, cause I flew it two days ago. The nearby salt-water environment seemed to have no effect (maybe the altitude helped?). I did everything out there on the ramp: oil changes, annuals, prop changes, new exhaust stacks, new carb, dissasembled for painting, reassembled after painting, etc. It was fun - you get to know the WX intimately (get a big sun umbrella - the hot summer sun will wipe you out as bad as the winter cold). It's in a hanger now, but I don't know how long I can afford it. Might see you out there on the ramp again soon - changing oil under the sun, and getting the covers on before it rains ...

- Steven
700+ RV3 hours
(two more last Saturday!)

Thanks for your responses. I guess I'm a little more comfortable with an outside tie-down for my RV. Or, maybe I'll get lucky and meet someone at Fullerton, SNA or Corona with a hanger to share!

i see insurance, covers, and a credit card for gas and flying fun. keep it close and fly a lot. keep us posted with pics and stories.
ps; corrosion X a must. once you get going all will fall into place. there is one in hartford ct with full covers.