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Storing an RV8 Outside

Leopold

Member
Very excited to join the RV8 family soon...closing on a lovely one later this week I hope.

I will need to store the plane outside, at least for a time. I am told this is the list of things I will need:

1. Low profile chocks
2. Tie-down ropes
3. Cowl plugs
4. Pitot cover and fuel vent line covers
5. Canopy cover

I am in Seattle. I have two questions for the hive mind here:

1. Anything else needed for safe and happy storage outside?
2. I need to buy cowl plugs and low-profile chocks. Any suggestions for the "right" ones for an RV8?

Thanks so much!

Seth
 
Very excited to join the RV8 family soon...closing on a lovely one later this week I hope.

I will need to store the plane outside, at least for a time. I am told this is the list of things I will need:

1. Low profile chocks
2. Tie-down ropes
3. Cowl plugs
4. Pitot cover and fuel vent line covers
5. Canopy cover

I am in Seattle. I have two questions for the hive mind here:

1. Anything else needed for safe and happy storage outside?
2. I need to buy cowl plugs and low-profile chocks. Any suggestions for the "right" ones for an RV8?

Thanks so much!

Seth

control locks
 
I will probably be storing my future RV outside for a time as well until I get find a hangar.

Does it help to get a full plane cover or is that overkill?
 
Control locks

When parking outside I secure the control stick with my lap belt. Since your tail wheel will hold your rudder in place a separate control lock may not be needed.
 
aileron and elevator can be locked with a seatbelt, however, you will need to buy or build a rudder lock ASAP. Plane cannot be left alone without one. I made mine with PVC tubing.

You can make chocks very easily from 1" PVC components. You can build them in 30 minutes for only a few dollars. 1" alluminum angle from the hardware store can also be used.

Larry
 
1. Low profile chocks
2. Tie-down ropes
3. Cowl plugs
4. Pitot cover and fuel vent line covers
5. Canopy cover

I am in Seattle.

Hmm. Maybe not.
1. If you have tie downs, you don't need chocks as along as the tie downs keep the plane from rolling too far. If you need low profile chocks, get some hardware store aluminum angle and cut to length, then file for smoothness;
2. Often supplied by the airport;
3. Only to keep out nesting birds. Check and see how many other planes have them. You probably don't need them;
4. Only to keep out insects. I've never even seen fuel vent line covers. Pitot cover? Nice to have but, again, check how many other planes have them;
5. Hmm. The expensive canopy cover I had on my RV-8 was prone to blow off to the side at the least provocation, so it's main function was to keep the dust off inside the hangar. In Seattle, you don't need solar protection. You definitely want rain water protection for the cockpit at the canopy joint. (My RV-9A leaks there when left outside in the rain);

Control lock -- those you want. Holding the stick back with the seat belt is a sometimes thing, depending on how flexible the seat belt is in the vicinity of the stick. My seat belts were wide over the abdomen and didn't work all that well as a control lock for the ailerons. Don't necessarily count on the tailwheel to lock the rudder. If you have chains for steering, there will be some slop that will let the rudder bounce back and forth. There is a simple rudder lock design that is a bent wire that goes through holes in the rudder stop and where the rudder cables attach to the rudder. If you have a bar to the tailwheel for steering, you might be okay.

And the more stuff you hang on your airplane, the more stuff you have to remember to take off for a safe flight.

And for the other poster -- a full plane cover is overkill unless the airplane needs that much protection. Ice and snow comes to mind, for example, as you don't want the horizontal flying surfaces full of ice unless you can clear them completely. You don't want to thaw them out but still have water that can re-freeze. Then again, I've never had an RV outside in snow country.
 
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Make your own cowling plugs with pool noodles foam and duct tape. It cost me a whole $10 to do my 4 plugs (two cylinder areas, carb intake, fresh air on the left fuselage).

With a stiff metal clothes hanger ($1) you can also make the rudder gust lock. I wish I could post pictures. If you're interested send me a PM and I'll figure out how to do that again here or I'll email you pictures.
 
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Others have already said control gust locks (including rudder).

I find with the tail wheel straight, the full swivel breakaway lined up and tailwheeel straight, that the rudder tail springs will hold the rudder locked in almost any wind.

With the airplane stored outside and me being away from it for a week at a time, some sort of additional rudder lock may be nice.
 
You can plan on 20 to 30% and less value depending on how long you leave it out

Exactly!! No RV deserves to be on the ramp. Do what you can to get it in a hangar as soon as possible.

It is troubling that hangar space is so hard to come by. I?m spoiled living at an airpark - but find myself looking for hangar space to support a possible move. FBOs just laugh at me when I call looking for a hangar.

But - never discount the value of the RV community. Find the local EAA chapter and ask people to find someone to share a hangar with a high wing Cessna (both fit in most T hangars). I did that for three years before moving to VA42.

Carl
 
Exactly!! No RV deserves to be on the ramp. Do what you can to get it in a hangar as soon as possible.
Carl

+1. Exactly. Certainly if the aircraft doesn’t have a good primer I wouldn’t be leaving it outside for any length of time. My personal observation is that RVs left outside tend to look very sad after a few years.

PS. Why is this thread in the Classified section ????

[Moved to General Discussion; S.Buchanan]
 
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Exactly!! No RV deserves to be on the ramp. Do what you can to get it in a hangar as soon as possible.

It is troubling that hangar space is so hard to come by. I?m spoiled living at an airpark - but find myself looking for hangar space to support a possible move. FBOs just laugh at me when I call looking for a hangar.

But - never discount the value of the RV community. Find the local EAA chapter and ask people to find someone to share a hangar with a high wing Cessna (both fit in most T hangars). I did that for three years before moving to VA42.

Carl
Where I'm moving a t hangar is over 800 a month. I'm following this thread because I simply cannot afford one
 
Make your own cowling plugs with pool noodles foam and duct tape. It cost me a whole $10 to do my 4 plugs (two cylinder areas, carb intake, fresh air on the left fuselage).

If you make them, make sure you make them from material that can be installed when the cylinders are hot and put flags on them so you can see them when sitting in the front seat if you forget to pull them before flight.

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/199984

I purchased mine from Bruce?s covers and they can be installed hot and have nice flags. They run specials from time to time and you can get the plugs with a cover. They are very nice.
 
Mine are covered in ORANGE duct tape and all of them are interconnected with RED bailing twine and have a red REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT streamer attached also. If you miss that then you didn't do a pre-flight.
 
Thanks to all who weighed in. Much appreciated!

Looking forward to continuing to learn from all of you.

Warmest regards,

Seth Leopold
 
When parking outside I secure the control stick with my lap belt. Since your tail wheel will hold your rudder in place a separate control lock may not be needed.

I would be careful of this. While true 99% of the time, I have seen high winds force an RV-8 rudder out of the tailwheel lock and slam into an elevator. I would highly recommend a rudder lock given the cost of a lock compared to replacing the rudder.....

My $0.02
 
Covers for storing outside

I stored my RV7A outside for about a year and a half and covers are a must in my opinion along with good gust locks.

I am in a hangar now and don?t need the covers. If you?re interested, I could sell you the winter wing covers and horizontal stab covers for half of what I paid plus shipping. Say $350...
 
Homemade gust locks like these are what we used on Navy flying club aircraft for years. Cheap, easy to make and spreads stress loads from sudden big gusts over larger areas:

http://pages.suddenlink.net/lloyd_stearns/gustlock.htm

This RV-4 had apparently been parked in that tiedown all (2013-2014) winter in Talkeetna, AK. Other than some rust on the tailwheel hardware, it didn't look any worse for wear.

49455531676_4e67b21444.jpg
 
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Learning...

I would be careful of this. While true 99% of the time, I have seen high winds force an RV-8 rudder out of the tailwheel lock and slam into an elevator. I would highly recommend a rudder lock given the cost of a lock compared to replacing the rudder.....

My $0.02

Great point. If I decided to keep my plane outside full time I'd likely do several things:

1. Consider my environment - windy? freezing temperatures? rain?
2. See what others are doing who FLY REGULARLY.
3. Even if I didn't fly, check on my plane regularly and consider storing it outside a temporary situation. Driving 30 mintutes farther to my plane in a hangar, or at least under a shelter would be worth it to me.
4. Contact my local EAA Chapter and introduce myself as a "student of all things experimental" and make some new friends! Stocking the club house with drinks and buying pizza for the next EAA meeting goes a long way to show I'm in it to have fun and participate. Often a mystery hangar space will magically come available for the "right person."

That all being said, from what I'm reading here:

1. Gust locks for all control surfaces - a must have. A normal walk around pre-flight will systematically remove them and stow them in a "go bag" that stays in the car or in the aircraft if weight and balance allows.

2. Cowl plugs, pitot cover, and vent covers are nice if there are proper flags on them, they all fit properly/securely, and don't cause additional moisture/rain to be trapped anywhere. Walk around the airport and take a good look at the way the "locals" do it, observing which plugs and covers are in place.

3. Canopy seals. It might be worth the time invested to seal the canopy if it isn't already fairly water tight. McMaster Carr has a great selection of sealing material in a variety of shapes. Maybe there's a good thin material that can be put in to seal the front of the canopy when the plane is parked to make double sure the instrument panel and associated area is protected.

4. Canopy cover. From what I'm reading a canopy cover really isn't meant for long term storage (more than a few days). What canopy covers do well is protect from intense sun or heavy rain when out away from home base and tying down for a night. They also keep wandering eyes from looking at things inside the canopy they shouldn't be tempted by... The last thing I'd want to do is cloud my nice clear canopy with a rubbing cover, that's at least half the reason I fly an RV, the visibility!

5. Consider interior reflective material to protect the canopy. I use Plexis on the outside of the canopy plastic to make it hydrophobic.

6. Protect the paint. I wax the paint on my plane, which protects it from the elements and makes bugs come off easily. Mine is hangared, but when I'm flying it's exposed, and I hope to be flying a lot this year!

Let us know what works for you guys who are doing this and having it work for you. I bet there's more RVs being parked on the ramp than we know about. It's been something people don't like to talk about since a hangar is the preferred parking place.
 
My RV-7A is currently tied down outside until hangars become available. I have a Bruces cover and the Anti-splat gust lock. After heavy rain storms I was getting some water in the cockpit, pushed through the cover. I think some was getting in the sliding canopy steel tubing through the pop rivets, so i covered them with good 3M electrical tape (plane not painted yet). You may find that you need to drill more drain holes in the fuselage.
 
5. Consider interior reflective material to protect the canopy. I use Plexis on the outside of the canopy plastic to make it hydrophobic.

My reseach indicates that interior reflective material will quickly break down the acrylic. No personal experience, jsut anecdotal data.

Larry
 
My reseach indicates that interior reflective material will quickly break down the acrylic. No personal experience, jsut anecdotal data.

Larry

That would be unacceptable...I've only witnessed other planes on the ramp using those interior reflective shades but they were certified aircraft (Mooney, Bonanza) and might have different window material than our experimental bubbles.

Definitely need more info on this...maybe Van's could help with more actual data.
 
Air Gizmo locks

I found these Air Gizmo locks work great for ailerons and elevator. The key is to hold the strap on the closing lever while you close it.

But I couldn't get them to hold the rudder reliably. So I made a gadget out of PVC pipe that goes over the top of the tail and holds the whole thing straight. Simple, lightweight, and effective. I noticed several similar rigs at OSH (albeit with better workmanship......)

I found these control locks work great. You need three - aileron, elevator, rudder.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/cata...MItKLk3bSk5wIVLh-tBh1WAgtKEAQYAiABEgKrLfD_BwE
 
I'll add as no one did yet, I think some masking tape the fiberglass fairing to vertical stab seam so less water intrudes. Also, on tip ups, the tip up seam.
 
Very excited to join the RV8 family soon...closing on a lovely one later this week I hope.

I will need to store the plane outside, at least for a time. I am told this is the list of things I will need:

1. Low profile chocks
2. Tie-down ropes
3. Cowl plugs
4. Pitot cover and fuel vent line covers
5. Canopy cover

I am in Seattle. I have two questions for the hive mind here:

1. Anything else needed for safe and happy storage outside?
2. I need to buy cowl plugs and low-profile chocks. Any suggestions for the "right" ones for an RV8?

Thanks so much!

Seth

That’s how mine was stored outside and it’s in very good condition for its age other than some bleaching of the paint color over time. It never had any checking or issues with paint other than that.
I kept it outside myself for a year and moved it into the hangar,( insulated and covered with alluminum panels) sometimes I feel
Like it was better off outside as the hangar can get a lot of moisture in the air I now leave my ceiling fans on to keep the air moving to help keep it dryer in the hangar. Wouldn’t hesitate to store an airplane outside again and this is in the northeast.

Oh yeah used my lap belt for holding the stick from
Moving and rudder lock from :3/16 (approx) wire from rudder to
Rudder stop. Works great and could overpower it if I forgot it which luckily I never did.
 
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I recently moved from a hangar in WI to the ramp in TN, waiting on a hangar. I have been using the Antisplat gust lock with success ( https://antisplataero.com/products/ultimate-gust-lock ). I have a Bruces cover and cowl plugs from Van's (with flags). Even with the cover, in heavy rains I'm getting water into the steel tubes on my slider, probably from pop rivet holes or the extra handle I have on top. I put electrical tape over the pop rivets but still get seepage, with rusty water running out of the lower pull rivet holes. I've also had to add additional drain holes in the bottom of the fuselage, at the wing root fairings.
 
I'm late to reading this thread

Make your own cowling plugs with pool noodles foam and duct tape. It cost me a whole $10 to do my 4 plugs (two cylinder areas, carb intake, fresh air on the left fuselage). snipped

You forgot to make one for the cowl exit air. Otherwise birds will fly in there and make a nest. For the carb/FI snorkle you can use a Nerf football cut in half. This also works for the cowl air inlets, if you have a cowl with round inlets.
 
These "bone sponges" fit the standard cowl openings quite well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RMMHHE/

View attachment 23213

I've used these. They work, but if you climb in the airplane without removing them you can't see them. On the other hand, I know of a guy that forgot them a couple of times and they blow into the top motor space. They did not cause any kind of overheating problem. That's what he told me anyway......
 
Very excited to join the RV8 family soon...closing on a lovely one later this week I hope.

I will need to store the plane outside, at least for a time. I am told this is the list of things I will need:

1. Low profile chocks
2. Tie-down ropes
3. Cowl plugs
4. Pitot cover and fuel vent line covers
5. Canopy cover

I am in Seattle. I have two questions for the hive mind here:

1. Anything else needed for safe and happy storage outside?
2. I need to buy cowl plugs and low-profile chocks. Any suggestions for the "right" ones for an RV8?

Thanks so much!

Seth
I bought these 8 years ago (they were around $20 then :) and they're still flexible and work great. Plus you can size them perfectly (use a band saw). The material is large enough for 2 sets.
 
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I bought these 8 years ago (they were around $20 then :) and they're still flexible and work great. Plus you can size them perfectly (use a band saw). The material is large enough for 2 sets.
You will need to drill drain holes in the belly to get rid of the rain water. After a good rain look in the tail to see where the water is collecting and drill a hole to drain it.
 
Air Gizmo locks

I found these Air Gizmo locks work great for ailerons and elevator. The key is to hold the strap on the closing lever while you close it.

But I couldn't get them to hold the rudder reliably. So I made a gadget out of PVC pipe that goes over the top of the tail and holds the whole thing straight. Simple, lightweight, and effective. I noticed several similar rigs at OSH (albeit with better workmanship......)
I, too, use these on the ailerons and they work well. The -12 has a tow bar that shortens and turns that can be installed to hold the rudder pedals even. Tailwheels don't need this type tow bar but they are light weight and could still be used for just a rudder lock.
 
You will need to drill drain holes in the belly to get rid of the rain water. After a good rain look in the tail to see where the water is collecting and drill a hole to drain it.
Plenty of suggestions so far, came to say this.

I would bet this affects A models more but here goes. The condensation or rain runs down the top of the wing, and drips on the lower skin. Drain holes at the lowest point on the belly fixes this. Had some issues with the aileron push pull tubes. I have boots on those where they enter the fuse. Salty condensation would drip, run down the aileron tube, and wet the boot. That was like having a wet, salty rag wrapped around the aileron tube. Found some significant corrosion on those a few years ago, and made some new ones. Used much better paint this time and changed the way the boots mount. The plane has always beed hangared at our home airport, mostly in a heated hangar. Only sat on the ramp for a few days at a time on work trips. Probably from parking by the coast at KSBA for work.

Better paint initially, or lack of aileron boots and I doubt I would have had the problem.
 
There are multiple threads about securing control surfaces. ESP - Read the threads about wind rudder damage at Oshkosh. It’s an eye opener as to why good gust locks are important.
 
I, too, use these on the ailerons and they work well. The -12 has a tow bar that shortens and turns that can be installed to hold the rudder pedals even. Tailwheels don't need this type tow bar but they are light weight and could still be used for just a rudder lock.
I should update this to say that my PVC rudder lock later failed rather spectacularly. I frequently have to leave my RV outside when I travel, and after many years and much head-scratching I have concluded that the Ultimate Gust Lock from Antisplat Aero is THE way to go. Not the cheapest option but easy to use and rock solid.
 
I'm curious that no one mentioned the Antisplat control lock. I haven't used them and they seem expensive but they look nice.

 
I'm curious that no one mentioned the Antisplat control lock. I haven't used them and they seem expensive but they look nice.

They are not just nice they are perfect. I would never use anything else. Very convenient easy to use and secure.
 
I remember when I got my RV7A I had the same idea to store it outside. However, after a couple of weeks of watching my wire fab'd rudder lock repeatedly fail and receiving messages that my rudder was dancing in the wind, I was looking for any type of enclosed shelter I could find. Also, these aren't typically the most water/weather proof'd airplanes and I just don't think these planes are meant to live on the ramp.

That being said, I do have the cowl plugs, intake plug, pitot tube cover, and a Bruce's cover for trips. Essential item is the anti splat aero control lock, it works wonderfully, although sometimes I wonder if it puts a bit too much strain on my rudder pedals. Anyone chime in on that?

Long story short, bite the bullet, and find your bird some shelter. You'll have a place to work on it which is half of the RV experience in my opinion.
 
Control locks

When parking outside I secure the control stick with my lap belt. Since your tail wheel will hold your rudder in place a separate control lock may not be needed.
Please make sure if you use your seat belts as a stick lock, make sure you ONLY USE THE FRONT SEAT BELTS as there have bin accidents of pilots that got in their airplanes and didn’t realize they had the belts on rear seat stick, not good!
 
Please make sure if you use your seat belts as a stick lock, make sure you ONLY USE THE FRONT SEAT BELTS as there have bin accidents of pilots that got in their airplanes and didn’t realize they had the belts on rear seat stick, not good!
Definitely best to use actual control locks either on the control surfaces or one that attatches to the rudder pedals and stick in the front seat. Also important to do a thorough exterior preflight and checklist that includes, "controls free and correct." I'm not sure what can be done for pilots that aren't completing some form of checklist, whether it be CIGARS, written, EFB or MFD. Storing an airplane outside means a whole lot of extra steps to get a plane ready to fly and secure it properly when finished.

Lots of damaged rudders at Airventure over the years due to harsh winds leads me to belive that a robust rudder lock is necessary. I may look into something like the Antisplat Ultimate Gust Lock. Way cheaper and less time consuming than replacing my rudder and it goes in the front seat on the rudder pedals and stick, so there's no way for it to fall off or be missed in a preflight.

Safe flying as the weather improves this Spring!
 
Made these gust locks, similar to the Airgizmo versions.

Seems to work well but not tested. The cam on the strap seems to hold rather firm. Cost next to nothing from scrap lying around.
 

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For years I was ready to buy an RV. I would not leave such an investment outside, so I bought a shitbox Cherokee till I found a hangar then bought an RV, an 8 at first now a 4, the latter the best Vans design of all, no girly pussy front wheel😂😉
 
Where I'm moving a t hangar is over 800 a month. I'm following this thread because I simply cannot afford one
That inexpensive, eh? Near me, a typical 40' t-hangar (assuming you could get one) is over $2,000 a month.
 
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