Sport Pilot Talk

When you guys travel cross-country do you attempt to rent hangars on nightly basis when available or rely on tie-downs etc ...

Is it generally safe to leave a plane on a tie-down , assuming weather cooperates ? Don't have much experience in this regard and trying not to learn the hard way

Thanks

When I flew home to Minnesota From Apopka, Fl in April ‘17, we planned to stay the night at Sikeston, Mo. I called ahead and arranged to have my Tecnam hangared there and they offered it for free for the night. We ended up staying 3 nights because of 35 mph winds and storms. They ended up charging me $25 each for 2 of the nights. I think that was very reasonable. I could have tied down for free.
If you look at the comments sections in Foreflight for each airport, my experience seems very common. Most smaller airports will make room in their hangars if there is threatening weather approaching.
We stopped at 6 different smaller airports on our way up and all of the people were amazing. Aviation is a friendly bunch.
I always call ahead to the airports we are going to stop at to get a feel for what’s available and what to expect.

Tie it down (and put the cover on) when traveling and don't worry about it -- excepting extreme weather where you'll want to find a hangar.

dstclair wrote:Tie it down (and put the cover on) when traveling and don't worry about it -- excepting extreme weather where you'll want to find a hangar.

x2

I've been traveling with various owned aircraft for nearly 40 years. It depends on the aircraft materials. I have always left metal aircraft securely tied down outside, all over the US, Canada, and Mexico, with no ill effects. Wood or fabric aircraft are another matter; I'd pay any reasonable price to hangar them overnight. I have no experience with composite aircraft, so can't speak to their durability.

I guess before anyone has a fainting spell at the thought of leaving their planes exposed to the elements overnight, consider the poor little things are exposed to the elements each and every time we fly them. THE HORROR!!!

Of course, a hangar would be nice when flying cross country, but I’ve never given a second thought to leaving planes tied down outside when traveling. Unless really abominable weather is in the cards - think hurricanes or tornadoes. Then I would definitely scramble for hangar space, though even that is no guarantee against damage.

Not for anything but since I bought my plane 3 years ago it's been tied down outside(hey, hangers are a bit expensive around here). Other than making sure all the openings are plugged up so I don't have bird infestation and some fading of the red paint, it's held up well.

If the airport AOA is secure (high perimeter fence and combination lock or card key gate access) and there's no hint of hail in the weather forecast, I'm comfortable tying down outside. Outside, I always use the canopy cover and control lock, and lock my fuel tank caps.