Somehow, Winter Sneaks Up
As the weather gets colder, Jason McDowell discovers that he needs to come up with a plan for his airplane, and fast.
One would think that after living in Michigan for 27 years and in Wisconsin for 14, winter would no longer be able to sneak up on me. Any normal, functioning adult recognizes that as December approaches, so too does the snow, ice, and cold. Any normal, functioning adult foresees these things and makes the necessary preparations ahead of time.
After months upon months of orchestrating the complex symphony of logistics surrounding my first aircraft purchase, however, I was neither normal nor functioning. Spreadsheets, checklists, maintenance bills, and inspections crowded out the brainspace that was normally home to everyday tasks like haircuts, grocery shopping, and apparently also the turn of the seasons. The result was a sad sight; a shaggy new owner surviving on pizza and Chinese delivery, preoccupied with his airplane and wholly unprepared to face the imminent onslaught of winter.
Winter Problems Mount
To be fair, I’d never had to prepare an airplane for the winter. I had a nebulous notion that I would, at some point, have to consider things like engine preheating and snow shoveling. But the multitude of other new-to-me aspects of ownership kept me sufficiently distracted until just last week.
It was then that a hazy memory surfaced, and I recalled that the small private grass strip where I’d been hangaring my airplane isn’t maintained in the wintertime. When the snow falls, the airport owner and tenants simply stop flying.
On top of that, my hangar wasn’t particularly weatherproof. The leaky roof allowed rain to drip down onto my aft fuselage and horizontal stabilizer. Additionally, the hangar wasn’t fully enclosed and thus, my airplane wasn’t fully protected from the elements.
In a matter of weeks, my poor airplane would become trapped in the snow, and I would be grounded until the spring thaw. This would only last for about three months, but time seems to pass more slowly during Wisconsin winters and like the windchill factor, it would feel more like five or six.
Panicked, I brought up a sectional chart online and began calling every airport manager within an hour’s drive. The mission? Find a fully-enclosed hangar at an airport that maintains movement surfaces in the wintertime.
Mission: Safe Hangar Begins
In my area, there are about seven potential options within a 45-minute drive, and they couldn’t be more different. They range from the main class Charlie airport with scheduled airline service and a squadron of F-16s to a rather shabby option that, last I’d seen, had an actual creek running across one of the paved runways and at least three parked motorhomes that may or may not be involved in the manufacture of illicit substances.
Variety abounded, and I hoped one of them would pan out.
Beginning closest to home, I went through the list. The most expensive airport, where one spot in a shared hangar goes for around $600 a month, had no availability. Neither did the next few I checked. Calls to the sketchy airport with the runway creek went unanswered. I chalked that up as good fortune, considering it a figurative and possibly literal bullet dodged. Finally, I spoke with an FBO at an airport 35 minutes away and discovered that for $200 a month, I could keep my airplane in a community hangar there.
I’m not a fan of having line personnel constantly push my airplane into and out of a hangar amongst numerous other airplanes, but I’d gotten myself into this situation, and I’d just have to live with the repercussions. The FBO receptionist cheerfully pointed out that with a few hours’ advance notice, the line workers would be happy to preheat my airplane prior to any flights. Visions of piping hot, watery-thin engine oil and a toasty warm cabin sufficiently sweetened the deal, and I reserved a spot then and there.
Making the Move
Relocating an airplane typically involves some car shuffling, so I’d need a friend to help me out with the process. I hadn’t yet completed my checkout training, so I asked my friend Jim if he’d be willing to fly it to the new airport for me. His thousand or so hours of Cessna 170 time made him far better prepared to fly my new machine than I with my whopping four hours. Jim agreed, and we met at the airport on a chilly but otherwise beautiful December day.
Jim had the presence of mind to grab a friend’s portable preheater so we could warm the engine prior to start. This device was nothing more than a small camping stove with a section of ducting. In theory, the stove would light up and kick out the heat while the ducting would direct the hot air onto the engine oil sump.
In theory.
In reality, Jim and I spent about an hour trying to get the thing to work as advertised. We took turns flogging the tiny hand pump in an effort to pressurize the fuel canister, and we took turns cursing the company that, evidently, profits from selling worthless hunks of plastic that do not function as advertised.
We ultimately opted to simply start the engine cold, and fortunately, everything went well. Jim got the airplane to its new home safely and reported no problems. I gave him a ride back to his car afterward and tipped him with a case of good beer in the hopes that at some point in the future, he will take pity on me and will be willing to lend his help once again.
Be Prepared for Winter
After finally getting my airplane to a suitable home, I reflected on how I might have more effectively prepared my airplane for winter, had I thought ahead and been more organized. First and foremost, I’d plan ahead to secure a fully enclosed hangar at an airport that would enable me to continue flying during the snowy months. As I had learned, some detective work can be required to locate an acceptable balance of cost, location, and amenities. Had I started my search earlier, I would likely have found a hangar closer to home.
My experience with the inoperative camp-stove preheater also motivated me to investigate more refined engine preheating options. I discovered that for less than $1,000, one can purchase systems that heat the oil sump as well as each individual cylinder. Past experiences have taught me that pilots are wise to coddle their engines at every opportunity, so I splurged and ordered the best preheat system I could find. As it happened, it was manufactured in a nearby town, and Jim and I likely drove right past the factory without even realizing it. I had it delivered directly to the new airport, where I could enjoy the convenience of on-field maintenance services. In a matter of days, the system would be installed and with a single phone call, my airplane and engine would be toasty warm, ready for a crisp day of winter flying.
Winter may have snuck up on this new owner, but with some frantic scrambling and good friends who are happy to lend a hand, even the clueless can prevail.
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