So what is the right choice of cover for me and my aircraft?
Fit for purpose...
The first place to start is by defining the covers purpose. Broadly speaking there are 3 main classifications of use: Hangar Use, Touring use and full on outdoor use.
Hangar use: You would think that an airframe would stay clean in a hangar, however in practice there are birds, spiders, flies, dust, fumes, moisture drips and even condensation that collect on an airframe. So hangar covers generally need to keep all this muck off. Upon quick removal you can be outside and waiting for oil temps in no time at all.
Touring use: So you fancy flying off and doing a spot of touring on the continent or just around your locality. We need to keep the sun (ultraviolet rays) out of that cockpit so it doesn't fade or super heat and cook everything inside. It needs to be small enough to stowe easily and light enough to not effect payload. Keeping a few showers off is ideal - especially if you have an open cockpit or leaky door seals.
Outdoor use: This is possibly the most demanding arena for any cover. Fed up with hangar rash or being parked at the back of the hangar, or simply priced out - then this is for you! No.1 enemy for the paintwork, cockpit interior and seals is UV; next keeping the rain out of the intakes, wing roots, door seals and prop hubs (prop hubs really suffer in time and are often overlooked). Other bonuses for outdoor covers are keeping ice and muck off lift surfaces (especially if you have a laminar flow section) and walkways,
So there we have our basic types defined, we can explore what makes a good cover for each of these choices in another blog...
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