Aircraft Storm Preparation

[drunkenbeagle]

Just flew the airplane away from a storm today (Saint Petersburg to Orlando), but it got me thinking. I don't really know what the best choices are for moving airplanes in anticipation of storms. I also don't know what most owners / operators do. Sometimes it isn't an option, so we double up the tiedowns and things like that. Lots of the decision making is just talking to other airplane owners at the field. So I figured I would ask what everyone else does.

 

[Roger Roger]

Move.

 

[knot4u]

Just flew the airplane away from a storm today (Saint Petersburg to Orlando), but it got me thinking. I don't really know what the best choices are for moving airplanes in anticipation of storms. I also don't know what most owners / operators do. Sometimes it isn't an option, so we double up the tiedowns and things like that. Lots of the decision making is just talking to other airplane owners at the field. So I figured I would ask what everyone else does.

Covers are not a bad idea (pitot/static and at least intake covers for the engines), the airplanes I work on are pretty heavy so although there are provisions for tying them down I’ve never heard of or seen them used. We always get ahead of the storm and reposition just like you did.

 

[form810]

Just flew the airplane away from a storm today (Saint Petersburg to Orlando), but it got me thinking. I don't really know what the best choices are for moving airplanes in anticipation of storms. I also don't know what most owners / operators do. Sometimes it isn't an option, so we double up the tiedowns and things like that. Lots of the decision making is just talking to other airplane owners at the field. So I figured I would ask what everyone else does.

Hurricanes can take down buildings. Given that reality, if one's new jet is sitting in a Florida finishing facility, then what? I guess the only good news in that case is, until the final paperwork is signed and the title transferred, it's someone else's problem.

 

[form810]

Move.

Don't take a passel of hurricanes to convince any reasonable person that moving from Florida is a good idea. Question is really, what reasonable person would have moved there in the first place?

 

[drunkenbeagle]

Move.

Yeah, the question of where is not always straightforward with slow moving aircraft (like mine). Or when. It's VFR only, and it was IMC for a good chunk of the window I could move it in. I went with inland, out of the forecast track of the storm (which could/will change). Inland, at least there's a good chance the storm will lose some energy by the time it gets there. And I called and they had space. At least, that was my decision process. Miami or the keys were probably better choices, but harder to get home from.

 

[Roger Roger]

Yeah, the question of where is not always straightforward with slow moving aircraft (like mine). Or when. It's VFR only, and it was IMC for a good chunk of the window I could move it in. I went with inland, out of the forecast track of the storm (which could/will change). Inland, at least there's a good chance the storm will lose some energy by the time it gets there. And I called and they had space. At least, that was my decision process. Miami or the keys were probably better choices, but harder to get home from.

I kinda meant in general not just the airplane

 

[form810]

Yeah, the question of where is not always straightforward with slow moving aircraft (like mine). Or when. It's VFR only, and it was IMC for a good chunk of the window I could move it in. I went with inland, out of the forecast track of the storm (which could/will change). Inland, at least there's a good chance the storm will lose some energy by the time it gets there. And I called and they had space. At least, that was my decision process. Miami or the keys were probably better choices, but harder to get home from.

Stay. Have a mini vacation. I'll only be a couple of days.

 

[invadertim]

A story from my Puppy mill days: the school I was at had a FL campus, Ft Walton maybe, any how big storm comes thru. The school decides to give the CFI's some good XC time, flys all the archers to PHX, but decides to stuff the hangar with all the Seminoles. Storm comes, flattens the campus, including the hangar, 6 or so Seminoles are totaled. That campus never reopens...

Moral: evac the expensive stuff too.

 

[///AMG]

If it is an airplane, and a hurricane, you need to move it (if you can). A hangar won't do. A set of tie downs especially won't. Don't wait, by the time the warning is issued, it might be almost too late logistically.

 

[drunkenbeagle]

Stay. Have a mini vacation. I'll only be a couple of days.

In addition to the plane, also boats and house and such to secure. And friends that need help boarding windows and the like. But yeah, if I could have, I would have.

 

[zmiller4]

A story from my Puppy mill days: the school I was at had a FL campus, Ft Walton maybe, any how big storm comes thru. The school decides to give the CFI's some good XC time, flys all the archers to PHX, but decides to stuff the hangar with all the Seminoles. Storm comes, flattens the campus, including the hangar, 6 or so Seminoles are totaled. That campus never reopens...

Moral: evac the expensive stuff too.

They probably thought giving the instructors 30hrs of multi time would lead to a lot of instructor turnover…

 

[ahw01]

Damn ERAU and their Ops crew New Video Conveys How Embry-Riddle Safely Relocated 62 Aircraft as Hurricane Irma Loomed

 

[Baronman]

A story from my Puppy mill days: the school I was at had a FL campus, Ft Walton maybe, any how big storm comes thru. The school decides to give the CFI's some good XC time, flys all the archers to PHX, but decides to stuff the hangar with all the Seminoles. Storm comes, flattens the campus, including the hangar, 6 or so Seminoles are totaled. That campus never reopens...

Moral: evac the expensive stuff too.

Wow that's some serious XC time. In my CFI day we evacuated twice (think it was '04).....But we were only flying from FL to AL. Still was cool but nothing like FL-PHX.

On a side note I'm surprised that the school couldn't find some ramp space nearby at much lower cost than flying all the way out to AZ.

 

[CFI A&P]

As of now, the predicted path of this storm, PIE to ORL is good and better than leaving it place. The further you can get out of the cone, the better. Orlando is still going to get a stiff breeze and given this storm has an eastern slice to it, going to Pensacola or Mobile would keep you well clear of any wobble in the path.

Once you’re there, tie downs and control surface locks are a must but I’d be reluctant to use covers other than the pitot tube. The wind is going to pick up and while those covers are good against sun damage - they beat the snot out of the paint when sitting in 50mph winds. Especially the buckle type clips on Bruce’s covers.

Also check your insurance, as many policies will reimburse for disaster relocation.

POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE TAMMY

www.nhc.noaa.gov

 

[KLB]

Insurance companies typically won't cover damage from a plane that could have been moved.

Also don't consider wind. A lot of damage comes from flooding as well. So just because it's a CAT 2 or lower doesn't mean that the plane shouldn't be moved.

 

[invadertim]

Wow that's some serious XC time. In my CFI day we evacuated twice (think it was '04).....But we were only flying from FL to AL. Still was cool but nothing like FL-PHX.

On a side note I'm surprised that the school couldn't find some ramp space nearby at much lower cost than flying all the way out to AZ.

As I recall they decided that putting all the planes at their PHX Deer Valley campus would be cheaper, they had a bulk rate deal on tie down I think. This would have been 2003-4 time frame, the CFI‘s would have been fighting for any scraps the could get, most CFI’s at the school only had 1-2 total students, nothing like today. It did seem a bit karmic that by being cheap it ended up costing far more…

 

[tomokc]

I'm in Oklahoma, so we get our share of damaging weather, but it usually passes quickly. The singles & light twins are kept on tiedowns, but when storms were forecast we'd plan to either keep on tiedown, storm stack or evac, depending on how the conditions looked. The most damage we ever sustained was light hail on a couple of 172s. Again, we could move a plane 50 miles, wait an hour and bring it home, so the logistics were pretty easy.

 

[drunkenbeagle]

Insurance companies typically won't cover damage from a plane that could have been moved.

Also don't consider wind. A lot of damage comes from flooding as well. So just because it's a CAT 2 or lower doesn't mean that the plane shouldn't be moved.

Flooding was my primary concern here, and the airport did in fact flood.

 

[drunkenbeagle]

As of now, the predicted path of this storm, PIE to ORL is good and better than leaving it place. The further you can get out of the cone, the better. Orlando is still going to get a stiff breeze and given this storm has an eastern slice to it, going to Pensacola or Mobile would keep you well clear of any wobble in the path.

Once you’re there, tie downs and control surface locks are a must but I’d be reluctant to use covers other than the pitot tube. The wind is going to pick up and while those covers are good against sun damage - they beat the snot out of the paint when sitting in 50mph winds. Especially the buckle type clips on Bruce’s covers.

Also check your insurance, as many policies will reimburse for disaster relocation.

POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE TAMMY

www.nhc.noaa.gov

My policy did cover up to $1,000 for relocation last year, new carrier this year, will have to check. ORL ended up being a good call, didn't see much wind there and obviously no salt water flooding.

The Mouse has spring linked ailerons & rudders, so we generally don't use a control lock. But should probably get one anyway when high winds are anticipated.