Leave a new DA42 outside?

Any DA42 related topics.

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Hylobates
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Leave a new DA42 outside?

Post by Hylobates »

Hi everybody,

I currently own a DA40 NG, and I would like to upgrade to a higher performance airplane. I have the opportunity to buy a new DA42. However, I'm concerned because my local airport has no affordable hangar space for a plane that size. I currently have a T-hangar that fits my DA40.

Does anybody leave their DA42 outside long term? If so, what cover do you use, and how easy is it to take on and off for flights?

I am uncomfortable with the idea of leaving a $1M plane outside, but if others do it, then maybe?
An SR22 would fit, of course, but I really love my DA40 and the DA42 is so similar.
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Colin
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Re: Leave a new DA42 outside?

Post by Colin »

Hello Troy,

My DA42 was not new, but I don't think I would have done anything differently if it was. It was new to me, had a new interior and new finish on the exterior. I put a brand new Bruce's Cover on it and parked it at SMO. I had kept my DA40 on a tie down at the same field for eleven years and I understood what it was going to be experiencing. I am sure I will replace the stickers next year because of the wear, but that's about the price of a hangar for one month. And no hangars were available.

I would do the same thing with a DA62.

That being said, this winter I was at Norwood, MA (KOWD) and went from the $200 tie down to the $1,200 shared hangar for the three really rough months of winter.
Colin Summers, PP Multi-Engine IFR, ~3,000hrs
colin@mightycheese.com * send email rather than PM
http://www.flyingsummers.com
N972RD DA42 G1000 2.0 s/n 42.AC100 (sold!)
N971RD DA40 G1000 s/n 40.508 (traded)
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tjmoody
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Re: Leave a new DA42 outside?

Post by tjmoody »

I feel very fortunate I was able to have a hangar ready when I brought home my new to me DA42. This said, I think I would be ok with keeping it outside if I didn't have a hangar. I've had two previous planes that have spent a good chunk of their time outside and I can't think of an actual problem except for a shorter lifespan on the exterior. My local flight school has 2 DA42s that are permanently outside. I've flown them a lot and never seen any problems resulting from the storage outside.

As you say these are expensive planes so if I didn't have a hangar, I'd probably be spending some effort on trying to find one even if it took a year or two. In the meantime, just buy a nice set of Bruce's Custom Covers.
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Soareyes
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Re: Leave a new DA42 outside?

Post by Soareyes »

I ordered a DA42 in 2019 and started the process of building a new hangar at the same time. The plane was delivered mid 2020. I never expected that in the summer of 2021 the plane would still be tied down outside while the maddeningly frustrating process of trying to get a hangar built continues. County government bureaucracy took a good year and a half, followed by building supply chain delays, increased material costs and the current labor shortage. It is looking like 2022 may the year of the new hangar. But I digress.

Bruce's covers for the cabin and the engines. The paint looks new but it has only been a year outside. One thing I would do differently is get the cabin cover that also goes over the nose. The nose is so visible you want to keep it looking good and after a rain there is sometimes some dampness in the front compartment.
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