What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Digging Out My RV-6

mbauer

Well Known Member
Was sick last week, wasn't able to dig out the RV after each snow storm until yesterday.

Nikiski received more snow than Kenai, it is 15.2-miles from my driveway to the tie downs at the Kenai Airport (PAEN).

When I arrived after work yesterday, the RV was isolated by about 10-inches of frozen snow. It rained at 40 degrees F and then cooled down to below freezing before it started to snow.

Only way I could move the snow was by using a metal square tip shovel to break it up and then a plastic snow shovel to move it out of the way. Took three hours to clear the tie-down. Worked up a sweat wearing a t-shirt in 12 deg F coolness.

Anyway here are a few photos:

Time to start shoveling:
Snow1.jpg



Tools used to clear the pad:
Snow2.jpg



Finally to the Leading Edge, camera battery quit after this photo, notice the frozen rubble? It was heavy stuff to move/lift:
Snow3.jpg


Here is what my home looked like today when I arrived after work:
Snow4.jpg


My back hurts.

Best regards,
Mike Bauer
 
Hangar?

Wow - if there is anywhere that I thought you guys would have lots of hangars it's way up north. Serious question - any reason why no hangar? Seems like getting a lot of snow would be a very common thing.
 
Dude! Its Cold Out!

My back hurts just thinking about digging it out of the snow. Take care of your baby, I know you love her!
 
Mike, that looks like Maine!

Yes, they are all correct, you do need a hangar, but I do know how scarce they are up there.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

:cool: CJ
 
I hear you Mike we have that kind of powder in New Jersey too. The amount of snow is not the killing part, the wind chill and ice are.

 
Snow and ice

After owning a FBO in Wyoming for 10 years, I decided I needed out of Mike's situation, so I moved to the hill country of Texas, 34 degrees today and I'm whining big time, wimp. We heated as many as 15 airplanes for departure in Wyoming for 8 months of the year. What we do for money.
 
Hangar

Wow - if there is anywhere that I thought you guys would have lots of hangars it's way up north. Serious question - any reason why no hangar? Seems like getting a lot of snow would be a very common thing.

Well, they just built 10-new hangars here in Kenai. Will be renting one for the month of March; condition inspection, paint graphic, install cockpit heater, upgrade panel, fit aux fuel tank, make a tip up canopy water barrier behind the instrument cluster to protect radios.

Plan to sew a heavy duty bag that will lie flat on the passenger floor to move some of the heavier cargo forward for my upcoming flight. Plan to attach it so it stays put.

Eventually will be doing a couple of threads on some of these projects.

The paint graphic will be added to the thread about designing the graphic itself.

Designed a small jack to fix flat tires. Only weighs 1lb 5.7oz. Problem is measured the axle height with the air in the tire. Once at the hangar, away from snow/ice, will be able to re-do for a flat tire lower height, so that the jack will fit under the axle with a flat tire. Then plan is to market the jack. Prototype took 20-minutes of welding to create.

Oh, the hangar will be $1000 for one month plus utilities....At my pay scale that will be 50+ hours of work.

Soldotna (PASX) has the hangars. They don't have a control tower to deal with....That would mean a 45-mile one way trip each day to and from Nikiski.

Best regards,
Mike Bauer
 
Last edited:
Mike, that looks like Maine!

Yes, they are all correct, you do need a hangar, but I do know how scarce they are up there.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

:cool: CJ

Hi Capt John,

Hopefully you're thawed out by the time I head down! If Maine looks like that when I get there, not stopping....

First look at the route shows approx. 86-hours to fly 10,668 SM, and 512 gal of fuel @ 125kts.

Skyvector-10668-Round-Trip-Miles-Zoom.jpg


Building an aluminum tank that will hold 20.5 gallons of fuel for the passenger seat. Sure is nice to be able to use my TIG welder and my new MIG machine at home! Once again, Thank You for the wiring job!

Best regards,
Mike Bauer
 
Last edited:
I hear you Mike we have that kind of powder in New Jersey too. The amount of snow is not the killing part, the wind chill and ice are.


Hi Vlad,

You know if you stop using the mosaic mode on your camera the wings will look smooth again.

That looks like heavy wet snow...Bet it melts before the stuff up here does!

I'm looking forward to the hangar! Even if only for a month.

See you soon.

Best regards,
Mike Bauer
 
After owning a FBO in Wyoming for 10 years, I decided I needed out of Mike's situation, so I moved to the hill country of Texas, 34 degrees today and I'm whining big time, wimp. We heated as many as 15 airplanes for departure in Wyoming for 8 months of the year. What we do for money.
Hi Texdog,

Where at in Wyoming?

Grew up in Idaho, Grand Targee and Jackson Hole were a couple of my favorite ski areas to visit. Road tripped for summer work to Worland in the 1970's, drywall stuff.

Hi Plumbmaster,

You're 100% right on all comments!

Best regards,
Mike Bauer
 
You're going to do all that in a month? :eek:
Well, this is my plan:

Strip everything down for condition inspection. Will install heat muff for cabin during final stages of inspection, just need to hook up scat hose after muff installed.

After Inspection complete:

Strip wax, degrease before paint application. First layer is white. Allow two days to dry before doing colors on top.

While white paint is drying, install aux fuel tank plumbing.

While color paint drying: Transponder change, install Tru-Track ADI 2. Plan ten days for painting completion.

Taking a week of vacation time to work full days for the inspection/initial painting.

After that will be messing around with the side projects:
1) RV Jack testing (takes 20-minutes to make one jack)
2) Water Barrier underneath tip up canopy: sewing on it this weekend, should be done by Tuesday night. Installing with snaps on the engine side of the panel, Velcro will work for top of panel over gauge faces, covering radios and instruments.
3) Kangaroo pouches for back of seats and one for the passenger side wall
4) Passenger floor bag that is secured-it will hold some of the heavier cargo items to move CG forward (with full survival gear in cargo area-only two trim lights left before aft CG issues).

These side projects will be done before the end of Feb. Have dimensions, waiting on some ordered waterproof pack-cloth to make the bags with. Just a simple matter of installing them once they are done. If outside weather improves, might do the install before getting the hangar.

Using Tony Bingelis guide for making the tank: https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/aircraft.../fuel-systems/how-about-an-aluminum-fuel-tank

Already ordered fittings for the aux fuel tank. Tomorrow during my lunch hour, will purchase all of the aluminum plate needed. The tank should be completed by next weekend.

I will do a thread on this build. Just finished the ACAD drawing for the tank giving me patterns to build a cardboard model to verify fit, that will be completed later to today = Print cut and glue.

MIG welding the tank together here at home, once done will need to install plumbing into the RV.

Most of the side projects will be done here at the house, just need to install once done.

Yes, I'm busy until the end of March.

Best regards,
Mike Bauer
 
Last edited:
Back
Top