aircraft covers recommendation?

[pojawis]

Been using Kennon full nylon wing & tail covers for quite some time. One did sustain one small tear from the inboard corner of the left flap. I sewed it up and it's been fine since. The reason it tore and the only drawback to these, is that they aren't designed for 30 kt+ winds. Have to remove them when high winds threaten.

I have added a pair of Kennon's full mesh with spoilers. These do not cover the wing fully and are designed to be used alone in high winds or, as Kennon told me, to be installed over the full covers. Kind of like a bra. The added bungees and mesh hold the full nylon cover from billowing and the spoilers destroy any lift that might be generated from the winds. I also bungee the port and starboard covers together over the cabin top, making them very taut, end to end.

I don't like putting on 2 sets of covers quite so much, but the mesh ones are easily managed due to their smaller size. This was an add-on because I got the mesh covers for next to nothing. Until then, I was considering the nylon covers with the mesh vent and spoilers as we don't normally get sustained freezing here in the Mid-Atlantic. We'll see how the cheap route turns out.

Parenthetically, we had a rain/freeze event some years ago and I didn't have the covers on. During preflight, I found a fair amount of ice on the wings. It was a bright sunny day with no wind; about 23 degrees so the ice wasn't going to melt in the hour I had before I planned on flying. I installed the black covers and positioned the plane to maximize the angle of the sun's rays. It wasn't long (minutes) before water was running off the wings & tail. Was ready to go in about 20 minutes.

Do any of y'all whose aircraft live outside leave the covers on year-round?

[GAHorn]

Here's somthing you may not think about if you leave it parked outside n the snow/ice/rain:

Ice/snow will melt off the wings, run down and re-freeze inside the ailerons and along the aileron's lower-skin's leading edge. (You know where the aileron counterweights are?) Be certain to check ailerons and elevators for re-frozen water/ice before flight or those controls could be wildly out-of-balance!

[hilltop170]

Yes, that does happen. I know a guy who lost the right aileron off a 206 due to flutter caused by ice. He said it shook so hard until it came off he couldn't hold the control wheel steady. After it came off, he flew back and landed with no problem. He was very lucky the elevator didn't do the same thing.

That's one good thing about the nylon and polyester covers, they cover the control surfaces and keep any melt water out, mesh will not.

[futr_alaskaflyer]

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

BTW I ended up buying the Kennon covers. I am very happy with everything about them except for "packability." For that feature I believe Alaska Wing Covers win the prize.

[alaskan99669]

... I ended up buying the Kennon covers. I am very happy with everything about them except for "packability." For that feature I believe Alaska Wing Covers win the prize.

Which ones? The mesh, polyester, or sunbrella. And did you use them during freeze thaw cycles like we've been having in Soldotna?

[BobK]

Alaska Wing Covers - Vented Nylon with the Spoilers. Just got a set this winter, and couldn't be happier with them. They don't balloon or flutter in the wind, they don't freeze down to the wings, and they fit into a Sea-to-Summit XL Compression sack for storage.

The sun-blocker stuff they have weighs LOTS more than the nylon. Just call Linda and ask her about it, she'll set you straight. She told me mesh was ok for people in Wasilla/Palmer, where the high winds are the major issue, but that the mesh does tend to freeze down more so than the vented covers. She recommended vented nylon for best all-around.

Good luck !

Bob K.
Anchorage, AK

[futr_alaskaflyer]

... I ended up buying the Kennon covers. I am very happy with everything about them except for "packability." For that feature I believe Alaska Wing Covers win the prize.

Which ones? The mesh, polyester, or sunbrella. And did you use them during freeze thaw cycles like we've been having in Soldotna?

I ordered the solid polyster covers with spoilers, but they have a strip of mesh sewn in them designed to allow air to escape. It is quite a bit colder and drier up here than down there and I have yet to have a problem with covers freezing to the plane.

Mesh = easier to pack into a smaller space and less chance of covers ripping in high wind. Polyester = less chance of freezing to the wing. Mine = best of both?

[pdb]

The debate, mesh versus costed polyester, or coated polyester continues.

We had a bad windstorm last night and today at Merrill Field. Several planes destroyed and lots of damage. Much of the damaged accrued to planes with costed (waterproof) polyester covers. They catch the wind and get shredded and then damage leading and trailing edges if the owners can’t get them off or are out of town.

Both costed and mesh have their advantages and trade offs. The mesh handle the winds much better if left on but they can be a mess after wet snow and/or a few freeze and thaw cycles.

The coated covers provide generally better snow and ice protection but they can’t be left on in the wind.

Today, the mesh covers won.

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