I fly traffic watch in the mornings before I go to my "grown up" job. Its a great way to stay current (for free!!) and a great way to start the day . The flight school that owns the airplanes we use keep them tied down outside, so of course now that it is turning colder they pick up some frost (or frozen dew on some strange mornings). I was wondering what removal techniques folks have used. We have found that a garden sprayer with Isopropyl Alcohol works well, but we've been debating the best mixture of Alcohol to Water (70/30 seems to be pretty good). Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas, or experiences are appreciated.
Unfortunately, alcohol is corrosive and washes flight control bearings lubrication away. You might want to consider wing/tail covers made of lightweight fabric. Long, sewn envelopes. Slip 'em on/slip 'em off.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
I did some cuttin and sewin on some old bed sheets and put them on the wings for those frosty weekend mornings when I dont want to wait for the sun to do the job.
Larry
I agree with those suggesting wing covers. I also flew traffic watch - sometime in BC - the best solution was to cover the wings. I wound up using old blankets, etc., becasue the boss just would not do anything about the problem. His solution was to "polish the frost". Try it once or twice and you will look for a better solution.
I just received a set of wing and tail covers from http://www.alaskawingcovers.com They are located in Anchorage. I had a set of mesh covers that were too small for my Sportsman wing and besides they kept freezing down and didn't slide on well. I like the scallops and the fastening system on the Alaska covers. I ordered mine with a strip of mesh on top to spill the air so the wind wouldn't billow them out. I haven't seen how well that works yet.
The gal will want to know if you have a stock wing and the type of wing tips you have.
. The flight school that owns the airplanes we use keep them tied down outside, so of course now that it is turning colder they pick up some frost (or frozen dew on some strange mornings). I was wondering what removal techniques folks have used. We have found that a garden sprayer with Isopropyl Alcohol works well, but we've been debating the best mixture of Alcohol to Water (70/30 seems to be pretty good). Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas, or experiences are appreciated.
