Peter,
May I add my pennyworth.
To preface, I am based in Southern England, ground fees at Fairoaks are 180 plus
per month (outside), hangar space is unavailable and exorbitant.
I agree with the comments that rigging and de-rigging does take some joy away
from
an element of spontaneity in Europa flying even though with a second pair
of hands it is an easy and quick thing to do (10 to 20 minutes is about my
average).
This is about the same time that it used to take me to remove the covers,
put them somewhere to dry, clean the parts that need cleaning, check that
nothing
has been pinched or damaged, and generally checking over the aircraft ready
for flight (which you are doing when you rig the plane anyway).
My own experience was that I enjoyed having the plane at home over winter - it
meant not worrying about storms or vandals, or paying for a waterlogged
airfield
when I could not fly anyway. Also it gave me the opportunity to fettle, alter,
service etc. in the comfort of my own garage, a double UK garage with a roll
up door which was designed with a Land Rover Discovery in mind, so high enough
for the tri-gear tail.
I was based at Popham for some years and though I loved it and it gave me some
great flight opportunities, I found that leaving it rigged for the summer months
was sufficient for me and worked out cost effective for me.
After 15 years I still have a beautiful looking aircraft, plus a fully equipped
covered trailer, with winch, mains electrics, and all that my Europa needs. I
am fortunate that I have space alongside the house for the trailer, and a big
enough garage to get the fuselage in for servicing.
At the end of the day you need to weigh up all of the facts that relate to you
- can you (do you want to) fly all year, can you store the trailer/aircraft, are
ground fees added to your flying costs affordable.
Hope this helps.
Steve Pitt
G-SMDH
> On 27 Sep 2021, at 16:12, budyerly@msn.com wrote:
>
>
> Peter,
> I only store my aircraft at my shop. I find the trigear to be quite tall at
the tail and not unlike the mono, the trailer has to have special rigging to be
convenient.
>
> With a very experienced rigger I can arrive at the airport, rig my plane
> within
30 minutes, or pay for hangar storage in a bulk hangar. I chose the latter.
Hauling the plane, on a flatbed trailer is possible, and I do pull the wings
and stabs to take it to my shop for annuals and upgrades/repairs. Otherwise
I find, the trip to the shop, the hookup and transport, then unload and
configure,
preflight and log the reassembly (yes you should use the checklist and log
the plane was disassembled as it is considered major work and somebody should
acknowledge the aircraft was returned to service IAW the POH and all controls
verified) to be time consuming to the point of why fly.
>
> The garage at home must have a door and ceiling high enough to clear the tail,
then there are wing racks, the trailer must be quite wide to fit the gear, and
an electric winch and wing racks are needed on the trailer. I hope you live
on a farm with a large barn and door as most residential garages do not have
that much clearance.
>
> Not worth the effort personally to do for once a weekend flying. In a group
that is normally flying together, (Like Gliders) where all hands are available
(as they have to wait for a tow anyway) and are there to assist, I could see
that a possibility. However, alone or only with one friend to assist, he may
feel like required labor and soon become disenchanted.
>
> Outside storage should only be done in a sheltered area with appropriate tie
downs and excellent covers for the aircraft to prevent birds, water and filth
---From covering or damaging/nesting in/on the plane. Wash and polish often to
protect
the finish. Covers help limit sun exposure to protect your glass that
may not have a thick, UV protection paint.
>
> Just my thoughts,
> Bud Yerly
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> Read this topic online here:
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> http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=503291#503291
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