Wood glider outdoor storage

[Sky Surfer]

Random question (kinda): Can an all-wood homebuilt glider be tied down outside year-round in a dry climate (e.g., Colorado) and be weather-protected by padded covers? The glider's plywood skin is covered by a layer of thin fiberglass, then painted. I guess I'm asking for actual experience or knowledge from anyone who has sucessfully done so. The glider's owner would be willing to periodically remove/dry-out/put back the covers after rain/snow/hail, etc. Being assembled and tied down is the only practical way this particular glider would be flown.

[Scott Williams[_2_]]

On Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 1:39:24 PM UTC-5, Sky Surfer wrote:
> Random question (kinda): Can an all-wood homebuilt glider be tied down outside year-round in a dry climate (e.g., Colorado) and be weather-protected by padded covers? The glider's plywood skin is covered by a layer of thin fiberglass, then painted. I guess I'm asking for actual experience or knowledge from anyone who has sucessfully done so. The glider's owner would be willing to periodically remove/dry-out/put back the covers after rain/snow/hail, etc. Being assembled and tied down is the only practical way this particular glider would be flown.

I've owned a wooded glider, a dry trailer would be a vast improvement over your proposal.
even an open sided tin roofed "T" hangar would be better.
Scott

[[email protected]]

Fly it as much as you can because it won’t last long

[Nick Kennedy[_3_]]

On Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 12:39:24 PM UTC-6, Sky Surfer wrote:
> Random question (kinda): Can an all-wood homebuilt glider be tied down outside year-round in a dry climate (e.g., Colorado) and be weather-protected by padded covers? The glider's plywood skin is covered by a layer of thin fiberglass, then painted. I guess I'm asking for actual experience or knowledge from anyone who has sucessfully done so. The glider's owner would be willing to periodically remove/dry-out/put back the covers after rain/snow/hail, etc. Being assembled and tied down is the only practical way this particular glider would be flown.

No
It will turn to junk very quickly
Nick
T

[Martin Gregorie[_6_]]

On Wed, 08 Jul 2020 14:36:14 -0700, Scott Williams wrote:

> On Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 1:39:24 PM UTC-5, Sky Surfer wrote:
>> Random question (kinda): Can an all-wood homebuilt glider be tied down
>> outside year-round in a dry climate (e.g., Colorado) and be
>> weather-protected by padded covers? The glider's plywood skin is
>> covered by a layer of thin fiberglass, then painted. I guess I'm
>> asking for actual experience or knowledge from anyone who has
>> sucessfully done so. The glider's owner would be willing to
>> periodically remove/dry-out/put back the covers after rain/snow/hail,
>> etc. Being assembled and tied down is the only practical way this
>> particular glider would be flown.
>
> I've owned a wooded glider, a dry trailer would be a vast improvement
> over your proposal.
> even an open sided tin roofed "T" hangar would be better.
> Scott

Good suggestion. Eden Soaring, in Eden Valley on the foothills of the
western side of the Pennines, so not the driest part of the UK, keep a
pair of ASK-13's rigged under open-sided tin roofed T-hangars during the
soaring season. That setup looked pretty good last time I was there. Here
are the co-ordinates if you're interested: 41.590833, -93.620833

The most recent image, dated 19 July 2016, shows both T-hangars, anmd no
I don't know why its black&white when all the other images of the field
are in colour. Its a winch-only site with a guaranteed crosswind if the
hill is working.


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

[Eric Munk]

Long time ago saw the result of leaving a wooden glider outside in
the weather for considerable time, in covers. Water got into the
airbrakes box damaging spar longerons. Wing folded on take off.
Don’t leave a wooden glider outside in the weather please.

At 18:39 08 July 2020, Sky Surfer wrote:
>Random question (kinda): Can an all-wood homebuilt glider be
tied down
>out=
>side year-round in a dry climate (e.g., Colorado) and be
weather-protected
>=
>by padded covers? The glider's plywood skin is covered by a
layer of thin
>=
>fiberglass, then painted. I guess I'm asking for actual
experience or
>know=
>ledge from anyone who has sucessfully done so. The glider's
owner would
>be=
> willing to periodically remove/dry-out/put back the covers after
>rain/snow=
>/hail, etc. Being assembled and tied down is the only practical
way this
>p=
>articular glider would be flown.=20
>

[AS]

On Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 4:30:05 AM UTC-4, Eric Munk wrote:
> Long time ago saw the result of leaving a wooden glider outside in
> the weather for considerable time, in covers. Water got into the
> airbrakes box damaging spar longerons. Wing folded on take off.
> Don’t leave a wooden glider outside in the weather please.
>
> At 18:39 08 July 2020, Sky Surfer wrote:
> >Random question (kinda): Can an all-wood homebuilt glider be
> tied down
> >out=
> >side year-round in a dry climate (e.g., Colorado) and be
> weather-protected
> >=
> >by padded covers? The glider's plywood skin is covered by a
> layer of thin
> >=
> >fiberglass, then painted. I guess I'm asking for actual
> experience or
> >know=
> >ledge from anyone who has sucessfully done so. The glider's
> owner would
> >be=
> > willing to periodically remove/dry-out/put back the covers after
> >rain/snow=
> >/hail, etc. Being assembled and tied down is the only practical
> way this
> >p=
> >articular glider would be flown.=20
> >

I saw a Duster stored derigged inside a reasonably rain-tight hangar in PA for many years. Even under these seemingly benign conditions, the annual changes in temperature and humidity did a number on the plywood! It started to delaminate all over the place. I would have not stood under the wing had it been rigged let alone flown it no matter how desperate I needed a glider-fix!
Wooden gliders need to be taken care of by storing them in a dry and somewhat humidity controlled place.

Uli
'AS'

[Sky Surfer]

The opinions are unanimous about keeping a wood airframe dry. Admittedly it's tough to do that outside. Moisture can come from unobvious places, like the ground below the glider. I was hoping that someone had already demonstrated a solution, like installing a shallow platform on the ground (with a vapor barrier) and a removable rain/hail glider cover that leaves generous air gaps and cross ventilation around the glider. That, along with frequent inspections and being in a drier environment, may work. Does one want to be that pioneeringly "experimental", though. Thanks for everyone's inputs.

[AS]

On Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 2:14:50 PM UTC-4, Sky Surfer wrote:
> The opinions are unanimous about keeping a wood airframe dry. Admittedly it's tough to do that outside. Moisture can come from unobvious places, like the ground below the glider. I was hoping that someone had already demonstrated a solution, like installing a shallow platform on the ground (with a vapor barrier) and a removable rain/hail glider cover that leaves generous air gaps and cross ventilation around the glider. That, along with frequent inspections and being in a drier environment, may work. Does one want to be that pioneeringly "experimental", though. Thanks for everyone's inputs.

Have you looked into the 'Ensign Sailplane Hangars'?
http://ensignhangars.com/15meter.html

Uli
'AS'

[Sky Surfer]

I didn't know its brand name but am aware of that hangar type. So far as I know, permanent structures aren't allowed at the intended location, judging by their complete absence.

[[email protected]]

Mice are nearly as much of a hazard as moisture. Even if completely protected from moisture if you don’t exclude mice completely they will ruin aircraft

[[email protected]]

> Mice are nearly as much of a hazard as moisture. Even if completely protected from moisture if you don’t exclude mice completely they will ruin aircraft

Shouldn't make aircraft out of edibles. Or gnawables. No beavers in Moriarty, but we do have mice. And snakes.

I hang my glider from the ceiling. So far, it's worked fine

[[email protected]]

Even inedible metal can be ruined by mice. I have an Ercoupe wing in my shop with career ending corrosion on the main spar due to urine saturation from long term mouse nesting.

[howard banks]

But Mark your glider is made of genuinely inedible plastic. I thought the roof hanging bit was to give double use to a large slab of hangar floor?




On Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 9:13:09 PM UTC-4, wrote:
>


Mice are nearly as much of a hazard as moisture. Even if completely protected from moisture if you don’t exclude mice completely they will ruin aircraft
>
> Shouldn't make aircraft out of edibles. Or gnawables. No beavers in Moriarty, but we do have mice. And snakes.
>
> I hang my glider from the ceiling. So far, it's worked fine

[[email protected]]

> But Mark your glider is made of genuinely inedible plastic. I thought the roof hanging bit was to give double use to a large slab of hangar floor?

Yes, that's one purpose. But hanging it also discourages the snakes. And the mice have to work harder.

[Eric Munk]

At 15:11 11 July 2020, wrote:
>Mice are nearly as much of a hazard as moisture. Even if completely
>protect=
>ed from moisture if you don=E2=80=99t exclude mice completely they will
>rui=
>n aircraft
>

True. I have two aircraft in the workshop right now with rodent damage. One
is a wooden aircraft with serious wing spar damage from urine/nest.