I was thinking of getting the Easy Stop Aircraft Mat listed in Sportys to help in positioning my aircraft in the hangar. The specs show it being three inches high. Has anyone been using them? Are they too high for the wheel pants?
Hi Bob,
They are definitely too high for the Cirrus wheelpants. We got a set of the same Easy Stop mats from Sporty’s and had to return them after they didn’t fit.
What we ended up doing instead was getting a door mat from Wal Mart (the kind with an astro-turf like top and non-skid rubber bottom), cutting it in half, and nailing a portion of a 2x4 to the end, thus making our own stops. (It was Robin’s idea, not mine!)
Like this (excuse the bad art, I just drew this real quick):
Steve
My set up looks like Steve’s but I used thin Luan plywood for the bases and taped them to the hangar floor with duct tape. If you do this, leave about an inch of ply behind the 2x4 and at each side to help hold the tape. The pads have been in place for nine months and have not moved. I also leave the powertow attached and in gear like Marty to keep the plane from moving forward. The tow alone would work, but I made the pads before deciding that it made sense to leave the tow attached and the pads do prevent going too far into the hangar.
The real key to accurately positioning the plane where you want it is to paint or tape a line on the floor to help guide the main wheels (not the nose wheel) and to put a mark on the back wall to help you line up the tail.
Don’t mean to be the doom-and-gloom guy, but…
Imagine parking your plane with the wheel pant over the 2x4. now imagine a faster-than-normal leak of air out of your tire (or a flat tire). The weight of the plane comes down via the pant onto the 2x4 - crunch. Without the 2x4 the plane’s weight might come to rest on the wheel rim without the pant hitting the floor.
Cheers,
I have used a short length of 11/2 inch rope to serve as a wheel chock. Light weight and long enough to wrap front and back of each tire. No danger of wheelpant damage by tire deflation either.
Marty,
True, but I think the same would potentially occur with any chocks in place.
In fact, I might argue that having traditional (triangle shaped) chocks might be worse, since the wheel pant will be resting on a pointed surface – using 2x4s gives the wheel pant 8 inches (4 inches behind the wheel, 4 inches in front) of surface area on which to spread it’s weight.
In any case, if you don’t use any kind of chock (either 2x4 or normal triangle chock) to block your wheels, how do you keep your plane in place in your hangar? Parking brake?
Thanks,
Steve
Strange that you mention that! I had just that problem with a small aluminum wheel chock. The loss of air pressure resulted in the chock being trapped between the tire and wheel pant. To make matters worse, I could not move the plane to align the tire inflation valve with the access cap to add air, so there was not way to add air to the tire.
Solution you ask? Kneel under the wing with your back against the bottom of the wing. Push up and as the wing lifts, and have someone else remove the chock. Overall, it was quite the embarrassing situation! [:$]
Bob, I can confirm that the Sporty’s mats don’t work! Anyone want to buy one cheap?
Marty
Steve,
In reply to:
same would potentially occur with any chocks in place
Agreed
In reply to:
triangle shaped chocks might be worse
Agreed
In reply to:
if you don’t use any kind of chock to block your wheels, how do you keep your plane in place in your hangar?
I use an AeroTow E-200 to push the plan into the hangar and simply leave it attached to the nose wheel. Since it does not have a neutral gear, its drive wheels are locked and the plane can’t move.
Cheers,
Thought of this awhile back…either take your 2X4 to Lowe’s and have them ‘split’ it…or just replace the 2X4 with a 1X4. Still plenty of ‘stopping’ ability and no problem coming to the hangar and seeing a flat…other than the flat!
In reply to:
I use an AeroTow E-200 to push the plan into the hangar and simply leave it attached to the nose wheel. Since it does not have a neutral gear, its drive wheels are locked and the plane can’t move.
Ah, good solution!
In the hangar I’m in now (not the one you saw in Frederick), I don’t have enough clearance in front of the plane to leave the tow attached with the hangar door closed.
But if I did, I would follow your example!
Thanks,
Steve
Thanks for the info guys.
I actually have quite a lot of room front to back in my hangar. I have a tape on the floor that extends out into the taxiway to assist in lining up the plane in the hangar that is under the track of the left main. I haven’t been leaving the Aero-Tow attached simply because I have recharged the Aero-Tow after using it near the wall outlet. It is probably better to leave the Aero-Tow connected to the nosewheel inside the hangar, since I have room although there is a fair amount of resistance to the plane rolling forward or back just from the tire resistance. I have more tape if I need to store the plane further back in the hangar to allow room for the Aero-Tow. I presently just push the plane back to just past the end of the tape.
There have been some complaints that the Aero-Tow is always in gear but the advantage certainly is that is makes a pretty effective brake on movement of the plane front to back.
It would take an earthquake to really move it even without the Aero-Tow attached. On second thought, maybe that’s not too rare out here on the Left Coast!
Marty,
Thay may be high-priced, but Sporty’s has a very liberal refund/exchange policy. Besides, don’t you really need another illuminated yokemount combo kneeboard/whizwheel/compass/flaregun/fueltester? [;)]
Marty
In reply to:
Kneel under the wing with your back against the bottom of the wing. Push up
Heck of a way to do pushups!
Have changed my signature file to make us more distinct.[:)]
In reply to:
Besides, don’t you really need another illuminated yokemount combo kneeboard/whizwheel/compass/flaregun/fueltester?
Ah, I heard they are fresh out of stock on that item. They told me a guy named Sir Michael Radomsky bought the last 10 of them. Hmmm?
In reply to:
Heck of a way to do pushups!
Great for my back as well!
In reply to:
Have changed my signature file to make us more distinct.
Darn! I liked being mistaken for someone intelligent.
Marty