Need pireps for summer wing/fuselage covers mainly for UV damage and elements. Will be taking our beautiful new to us Husky and 5th wheel camper to ID & northwest for 3-6 weeks to explore; so, will be parking outside- then a couple more weeks late summer to southern CO. Other than 2-3 week long trips and weekend jaunts we haven't parked any of our airplanes outside since 1986. Needs to probably withstand winds and also Husky has VGs. No winter issues: either hangared in CO or AZ. Prefer light weight; but, weight not an issue- will store in pickup.
Thanks
Jack

flyingjack wrote:Need pireps for summer wing/fuselage covers mainly for UV damage and elements. Will be taking our beautiful new to us Husky and 5th wheel camper to ID & northwest for 3-6 weeks to explore; so, will be parking outside- then a couple more weeks late summer to southern CO. Other than 2-3 week long trips and weekend jaunts we haven't parked any of our airplanes outside since 1986. Needs to probably withstand winds and also Husky has VGs. No winter issues: either hangared in CO or AZ. Prefer light weight; but, weight not an issue- will store in pickup.
Thanks
Jack

Frankly, wing and fuselage covers for summer use are far more nuisance than they are benefit. Modern aircraft paints aren't going to be damaged in that period of time by exposure to UV. For decades, I parked airplanes outdoors all year, and a little wax each year brought the shine back to most of that paint, that wasn't thirty years old.

MTV

I have a cover by Bruce that I use when my Maule is parked outside for any length of time. The cover is not light, but it fits well and is well made. It does reduce fading of the fabric on the glare shield, and keeps the temperatures inside the plane lower than the dark paint would when parked in the sun (the cover is off-white). I like it and was pleased with the customer service I received from the company during the ordering process.

https://www.aircraftcovers.com/

Jack,

I echo what MTV said.

However, if you do use covers I would use silver or white and not black covers.

Kurt

Thanks Flyhound, in my limited research Bruce's appears to be the top contender.

Flyhingjack: One caution is to avoid using a cover in dusty environments where it is windy. I've airplane camped on dry lakebeds in the Alvord desert in Oregon and on the dead cow lakebed in Nevada. If playa dust gets under a cover and the wind comes up, you'll wind up with a translucent windscreen. The dust acts like fine grit and the wind will turn your cover into sandpaper. That'll fog a windscreen in no time!

I have a set of covers that I purchased in the late 90's from Lynn Cunningham for my M5 which at the time spent the summers outside while on floats. I also carry them with me if I am going to be parked for a long time. The company which is in Arlington, WA is now called Aviation covers http://www.aviationcovers.com/ . I cannot speak highly enough about their quality and fit.

They have patterns for most common, and many uncommon, aircraft.

One of the things I really like on these covers are they are "slim fitted" so they do not slap around in the wind as well as wrapping around the wing roots and all openings to keep rain away from potential leak points.

In retrospect I probably should have chosen a lighter color.

Go Canadian and you will save 30-35% right off the top on a great set of covers from these guys, ask for John Higgins

www.aerocovers.com

Mapleflt wrote:Go Canadian and you will save 30-35% right off the top on a great set of covers from these guys, ask for John Higgins

http://www.aerocovers.com

Cabin covers start at $500 CDN,
wing covers at $799 CDN.
This outfit was clever enough to put a currency calculator on each page of their website.
$500 CDN = only $382 USD. Sweet!

So is a Yankee gonna get popped for duty when they ship? How about shipping cost? I got nailed for my Seaplanes West motor mount for my 185 years ago, they tracked down the info from the shipper and sent me a bill. Year was 2006 iirc.

I would agree with MTV. A loose cover can cause a lot of damage in a few hours if the wind starts blowing. DENNY

"So is a Yankee gonna get popped for duty when they ship? How about shipping cost? I got nailed for my Seaplanes West motor mount for my 185 years ago, they tracked down the info from the shipper and sent me a bill. Year was 2006 iirc."

I'm suspect a "creative" solution can be reach !!!!

Mapleflt wrote:"So is a Yankee gonna get popped for duty when they ship? How about shipping cost? I got nailed for my Seaplanes West motor mount for my 185 years ago, they tracked down the info from the shipper and sent me a bill...

Probably. I got a bill for the state sales tax on a sauna shipped from Canada. I didn't live in that state anymore and the sauna was never shipped there, but that was the contact address on the bill of lading. It took a fair amount of paperwork to convince CA that I didn't owe them $800, but I won in the end.

Thanks for all the responses. Many years ago I saw some crazing type damage from covers on a windscreen and I also keep my plane cleaned and waxed- when not getting muddy having fun. Husky will be au naturel.
Jack