hoisting an RV

flyeyes · #1 04-26-2011, 01:26 PM

Hi All.

My home airport, M01 is going to flood in the next week or so.

My RV-8 is assembled, but not currently flyable (the panel is out, among other things ).

My current plan is to hoist the airplane in a tall hangar (we expect standing water but no current). I discussed this this morning, and Van's is OK with hoisting the airplane from the seatback weldment and the dynafocal ring.

I have available a hoist that is normally used for helicopter maintenance

The logistics of getting the airplane to high ground are otherwise pretty difficult.

If anyone has any experience or insight I'm all ears....

Mel · #2 04-26-2011, 01:30 PM

I use a hoist regularly to change tires and do normal wheel maintenance on several RVs. I lift by the dynafocal ring. Been doing it for over 18 years.

hydroguy2 · #3 04-26-2011, 01:35 PM

Might want to check your insurance company to make sure things are covered no matter what happens at the airport.

another option, get a flatbed tow truck and a wide load permit and move the whole thing to higher ground.

kentb · #4 04-26-2011, 01:37 PM

After the engine was mounted, I find the back end of the engine mount convenient and not to far off the center of balance. I wrap a couple of turns of rope around each side of the mount and then hook the shop crane to the mid point of the rope. I used a 1500 lb crane to lift my 9A to remove the landing gear this way. It leave about 150 lb that needs to be lifted on the tail. I have also used the hangar door to do the lifting, but make sure the door is up to the task.

Kent

flyeyes · #5 04-26-2011, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hydroguy2

Might want to check your insurance company to make sure things are covered no matter what happens at the airport.

another option, get a flatbed tow truck and a wide load permit and move the whole thing to higher ground.

The RV-8 is well insured, but I'd much rather just get it out of harm's way, and the hoist I have available will easily get the wheels about 10 feet off the hangar floor (it's used regularly to hoist helicopters)

We have two 18-wheelers and a few random vehicles coming for all the other "hangar stuff" scattered across three hangars. Seven aircraft are being ferried out, one Storch project is going out on a trailer.

I share hangars and space with my family, a couple of friends, and a helicopter service so we have tons (literally) of stuff to move. At least we have some warning.

Jerry Cochran · #6 04-26-2011, 02:32 PM

I have lifted my -6a by removing the wing fairings next to the fuse, attaching straps to the spars then lifting with a chain hoist. This puts the lift point very close to the CG and you can then ballast a bit if needed. You'll need a spreader so the straps go straight up. I used a piece of 4x4 steel box section I had but that was probably overkill. Worked fine, no issues but you need to pad the spars and fuse sides so no scratches occur. Pretty sure this could also be used with that gantry-like engine hoist most of us have...

hydroguy2 · #7 04-26-2011, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyeyes

The RV-8 is well insured, .....

Just make sure your insurance covers flood damage or hangar damage while hanging. I hate to hear "yes but..." when a weird something happens.

We had a friend recently who had snow melt saturate the ground around her house. they sandbagged the basement windows to keep the water from coming in, but the foundation had a few cracks. She ended up with $30K damage, which was not covered. the response was "we don't cover foundation cracks, if the water would have come in the windows you'd be fully insured." Just a heads up.

Back to the thread, I picked my RV up by the motor mount, before the wings were attached. It was really easy.

David Paule · #8 04-26-2011, 04:09 PM

Not knowing anything about the hoist, what happens if the plane is hanging and the hoist controls, electric supply or some other part of the system are flooded?

Will there be a way to get it down?

And if the hangar has a lot of mud or other debris in it, how long will you need to wait until the plane can be lowered?

Is there any hazard to the plane while debris is floating around and possibly bumping the hoist or its controls?

Will the hangar itself retain its structural integrity during and after a flood? Suppose there are high winds, will it all be okay?

If it were me, I'd get it the heck out of there....

Dave

Greg Arehart · #9 04-26-2011, 05:18 PM

Brian,

Not clear what you mean by the motor mount (presumably the dynafocal mount) but a warning to anyone reading this later on: Be careful NOT to hoist the airplane + engine by the engine hoisting ring. These are designed to hold the weight of the engine (~300 lbs) but not the entire engine + airframe. I am aware of a couple of these that have failed when someone tried to hoist both by the engine ring hoist. When I have done hoisting, I use several wraps of rope or nylon webbing around the dynafocal mount AND the flywheel.

cheers,
greg