Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

I just did a search in the archives for a Winter Storage post in the beginners section and didn't find one in over 7 pages of searching. As this season is sadly winding down and clubs are having their official closing days, it's time to start getting things ready for the off season - at least some of the stuff not being regularly used. So what are some of the measures you take to 'winterize' your gear? How do you store:

-batteries
-engines
-planes (do things get removed?)
-field equipment
-anything else that needs something to preserve it during shelf life.

Thanks for all your help, it's (been) a great season!

ChuckW

I guess I'm fortunate to live here at least during the winters. There are a lot of fogged in or rainy days but we can still do some flying throughout the winter even if it does get a little icy and cool.

If I lived in your area, I'd be stubborn and bolt skis on my plane and try to keep flying. Either that or move south for a few months.

I'd be sure to oil your engines good and charge your batteries from time to time. I imagine some of the flyers up in the northern latitudes have some better advice.

ErikElvis

My Feedback: (2)

If possible remove the batteries and do maintenance charges while not in use. Depending on what kind it may be just every month. Make sure the tanks are dry and put some after run oil in the glow plug hole and put it back in. Then make sure the carbs closed. Store the planes where it doesnt get to cold/hot or humid and that should be about it. There are more secure ways but I dont think its necessary. But if you have loose engines seal em in a ziplock. when you pull em back out in flying season check all of the fuel lines and fire her up. Oh and make sure your tx isnt dead all winter.

opjose

What you guys do not fly in the snow? Amazing.... that's what RC skies were created for!

But BRRRRR. Even with the RC gloves my hands get cold gripping the TX....



Engines... & Planes.

Run out ALL fuel from the tanks, turn the engines over a few times after putting a few drops of After Run oil in the crankcase...
Hang plane nose down, to keep the bearings lubed and weight on the supports minimal.
Remove wings where applicable.
If I keep a plane in a shed, etc. where it may get fairly cold, I'll cover it in a plastic back and seal all of the openings ( no bugs or critters wanted! ).


Batteries

LiPo's - 1/2 charge
NiCD's - 3/4 charge

Glow fuel

Stopper insert in.
Cap closed tightly, fuel stored in cool dry place.

Field Equipment

Indoors on a shelf


Pumps and tubing

Drained


-

In spring before start of flying season...

Remove cowls, inspect, tighten & adjust. Replace tubing over 1 year old. Remove fuel tank check state of clunk and fittings.

Campgems

What's winter??[8D]

OH yes, I remember, that's the season when you put snow tires on, stock up on popcorn and get the snow blower ready. OHHH how I miss that. Not really.

Run up each engine and then run it dry and put in a dose of After Run, your choice. Clean all the dirt off and put it in a plastic bag for safe keeping.

This one may be a susprise, Fill all of your tanks and the plug the lines with a plastic dot. This keeps the tank crud from building up over the Long winter.

The planes just need to be cleaned up and inspected for necessary repairs during your down time.

The field equipemnt only needs the starter battery charged. Maybe a float charger on it. Just clean and organize things for spring.

On the batteries, if you charge them all now, check them in three months. You will be susprised at the charge still left. I'm heading to Savannah tomorw morning to my son's. I shipped off a foamy with everythign, including a TX. I aquired it two years back and I don't know how long it has been setting. I turned it on and had a marginal signal acourding to the meter. I set up a receiver with the LiPo that has been setting around for over a year and every thing worked OK. I wouldn't fly any of it in it's current state, but the servos matched the TX sticks when I wiggled them.

I kind of look back at putting my sail boat away for the winter. Pump out the bilge-you don't have one, Pump out the head and holding tank-again you don't have one. Charge the batteries and bring them inside-Do this. Fill the tank and put in the over winter additive to it- No additve for your tanks, but fill them. Double check anything that could have water in it that will freeze and add antifreeze or fresh grease/oil-doesn't apply. Cover everything so it doesn't get wet or dirty over the winter-may apply. And my last lesson on my last east coast winter, protect things from gettin mice aboard. What a hell of a mess that one was. Last, set your alarm clock for St Paddy's day. That was the last snow in Michigan and in New York. Over the next month or so, stock up on kits and get building for next spring. That down time is the only thing I miss about winters. It's dificult to take building days when it 70 degrees, the sun is out, and there is no wind.

Don

TexasAirBoss

My Feedback: (22)

Even with after-run oil in your engines, its a good idea to flip them over a few times every couple of weeks to coat all the bearings. The dissimilar metals of the engine can cause the steel bearings to rust.

I store my Nicad batteries on trickle charge when not in use. I have had remarkable longevity with my packs, some lasting 7 years without any problems.

Because the wooden stucture of your models will contract and expand differently than the covering materials, (such as film covering), you can expect some wrinkling to occur. If possible , store your models in a heated environment. Either way, expect some touch-up ironing in the spring.

The Gel-cell 12 volt batteries typically used in flight boxes are very good and durable batteries. These batteries will not suffer any concequences from sitting discharged. However, if you give them a charge before storage, and then another in the spring, that would be optimum care for them.

Fuel residue can cause carbs to become sticky. But sitting for a few months generally isn't that bad. You can simply operate the radio and move the throttle servo back and forth periodically. But even if you do nothing, the carbs should free up the first time the engine is run in the sring.

Storing the planes is fairly simple. More likely , you will be the component that suffers the most degradation. Flight simulators can help keep you sharp, and even help you develope new manuevers over the winter months.

Winter time is a great time to complete all the repairs you have been putting off . Its also a good time for upgrades and modifications . Or maybe there is a kit or ARF you have been planning to assemble. There really is no such thing as down time with our hobby. Its just shop season.

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

WINTER STORAGE.. YIKES!!!! Hey, Joe.. fly that darned thing!!!

da Rock

When I lived in Minnesnowta, I looked around for "the perfect winter storage". I found it. I moved back to North Carolina.

goirish

I'm with you. Get the skiis, floats, coats and hand warmers and go at it. See how much better your plane flys in the cold air. Get a big thermos of whatever pleases you (coffee, hot chocolate) and have a ball. This way you don't have to do all the stuff for storage. Nothing like trying to find your plane in 3' of snow.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Now THERE'S an idea! Hey rock, need a roommate???

Actually, my son moved to NC last year. His wife recently had their first child and now she wants to move back to MN to be close to her family. He is NOT thrilled about that, but says he'll probably have to give in.

Rufcut

I like to think of Winter as the time when the whole world (or at least what I can see from my house) is my runway.

Minnreefer

Wimp

Fly the planes, I may only fly once a month, but with my schedual that is about what I am getting during the summer.

Remeber colder air has more lift

brett65

My Feedback: (18)

Man! I wish I could even have a reason for skis. We get spit on usually with snow here. Northern part of the state gets nice snow, but ours is usually just ice.[&o] Hopefully the harsh winter that people say is coming will bring us some snow. Should a lower nitro content fuel be used in the cold part of the year?

Warnberg

My Feedback: (1)

Winter? I don't think we have winter here in Florida.....

goirish

Hey in Michigan we only have 2 seasons: fall and winter.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

In Oklahoma we have 4 seasons. Hot, Hotter, Still Hot, and Christmas!!!!!!

Ken

goirish

I'm coming to your place for Christmas. Don't spend to many $$$$$ on me though, I am a simple person. (hey Bruce, not simple minded)

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Winter??? What is this winter???? Is this winter thing when the wind blows real hard??? OK, my other home is right outside of Yosemite up in the hills and we really do have all four seasons, just nothing like A lot of you get. I have even been know to have to break ice when duck hunting down in the central valley so don't let Chuck tell you it doesn't get cold there.
Where I was at it snowed quite A bit and I did hang most of my planes until spring, not all but my bigger planes. I did pull the batteries and keep them on the trickle then cycle A couple of times over the winter. The engines I ran dry then ran alcohol through them then some after run oil. That was about it.
After I built the new house I got the old house for A shop and it was heated so that put an end to any of this silly winter stuff. My shop here is heated too but it never gets turned on unless I'm out there working, same with the air conditioning. Dang this is nice, I really am A spoiled kid!!!

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

Here in NJ we have one season.. Summer. We try to ignore the rest of the year.

CGr

Minnreefer

I lived in Tenn. for little over a year, I really really dislike hot weather, I don't like to go outside if it is above 85 degrees. Up here now is the best time to fly, no humidity and temps in the 50's and sixty's, I have flown in the teens but the engine gets hard to start

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

-20* days are not uncommon here. Even if my thumbs could handle it, the nylon motor mounts and other plastic parts would surely break. It's just starting to get chilly here, but with school my flying days are definitely limited, and the days are really flying by, so I figured it would be a good time to get the thread going.

Thanks for all the input. Much less painful than I anticipated. And yes, the winter will be a great time for a new ARF assembly...I wonder what it will be?

Deathbunny_SG

My Feedback: (6)

ARF? Bah you have all winter. Pick up a nice kit like an omp fusion, that is gonna be my winter project for sure It doesn't get all that cold here but I REALLY dont like the cold and I think I would be shivering way to much to try and control a plane let alone actualy enjoy myself [:@]

warningshot

And our flying season is very short. It only runs for 12 months of the year.

Warbird Joe

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT !!!!!!!! LOL Winterize? That is for motorcycles, not flying. Snow loves for planes to land on it as much as the grass/asphalt runways do. Go get you some Carhart Coveralls and Winter Boots and have a great Winter. Just FYI... Batteries don't last as long when it is cold out.

manks7477

I use the winter up here north of the border to overhall all my flyers and to go over each plane I have to get ready for next year.

When I say overhaul, I mean I take everything out of the plane and do a detailed inspection and cleaning, I will replace whatever looks like it needs it. I will inspect all of the viable joints in the plane and repair as necessary. I check all throw rods, connections and control surfaces to make sure they are firm, I also do a close inspection of the covering, there are always a few small holes that have been repaired at the field with tape, I remove the tape and do a proper repair job. I take the engines off make sure they are fully drained of fuel, clean and oil them. I don't do much with the batteries, but should.

It is actually kind of fun to do this type of inspection, I generally find a couple of minor things to fix, but it is relaxing and something I can do with my 8 year old son.

I have decided this winter, rather than building a new plane, I would invest in what I already have built, but not flown. I built a spreadsheet that shows the various elements of each plane (I have 11, 2 are fully flight ready now, 7 have never flown, 4 can be finished with fairly minor effort, 3 have been crashed and need repairs to get back into the air, 1 is a display model not set up to fly at this time) I have estimated what needs to be done, how long it wil ltake and how much it will cost to get the plane ready for flight.

my winter project is to get the 4 planes flight ready, I estimate 20 hours and about $1,000 in total cost (mostly radio gear - one of the planes is a 1/4 scale that needs a bunch of high torque servos - that adds up!) After I get that done I will look at the repairs and the one plane I have about 70% built.

I am thinking I may get another day or two to fly, but not much, so I am already getting ready to start my winter work. I actually really like the building aspect of the hobby, so I am looking forward to winter. Have fun, the Winter is a great time to play with planes - I am also interested in getting some skis for my trainer.