The Pilot's Logbook
A podcast companion for private pilots in the UK and Europe! Each episode is filled with inspiring chats with fellow pilots and members of our community, gear reviews, the latest aviation news, and exciting destinations you can fly to directly.
The Pilot's Logbook
Aircraft Covers: Everything You Need to Know
Welcome back to The Pilot’s Logbook - a podcast companion for private pilots in the UK and Europe.
Ready to become an aircraft cover expert? In this episode of The Pilot's Logbook, we dive deep into the world of aircraft covers with insights from Andy Blundell, founder of Vertigo Covers. Andy shares his expert advice on choosing the right cover, proper care and maintenance, and common mistakes to avoid, helping you save money and keep your aircraft protected.
But that's not all! We also cover:
- Property Developers vs My Mum: The inspiring story of a mother battling to save her local airfield from closure.
- Ditching Dilemmas: Fernando shares his firsthand experience with underwater escape training and what it's really like to escape a submerged aircraft.
- Le Touquet: We take a sneak peek into our comprehensive Travel Plans guide to Le Touquet Paris Plage, the charming French seaside resort.
Links and Resources:
- Subscribe to The Pilot's Logbook for Extra Content
- Support the Show
- Vertigo Covers
- Save Nottingham Airfield Campaign: Facebook Page, comment on planning applications here and here and Campaign Donations Page
- Le Touquet Travel Guide
- Andark Aviation Underwater Escape Training
Get our newsletter for free here.
Welcome back to the Pilots Logbook, a podcast companion for private pilots in the UK and Europe. Each episode is packed with practical tips, inspiring chats with pilots and members of our community, gear reviews and the latest aviation news that are relevant to us, and we'll reveal exciting destinations you can fly directly to, whether you're a seasoned aviator or just starting your journey. We hope you find our show as informative as inspirational. I'm Joy, your co-pilot for the Pilot's Logbook.
Speaker 2:And I'm Fernando, your host and fellow pilot. In today's show, we are going to take a deep dive into what it's like to ditch in the sea and how to prepare yourself, and I'm Andy Blundell, the founder of Vertigo Covers, and later in the show I'll be sharing you all you need to know about your aircraft covers.
Speaker 1:We'll share with you the inspiring story of a mum fighting to save an airport and introduce you to the ultimate guide to the most British of the French resorts Le Touquet, Paris-Plage.
Speaker 2:Hi there and welcome to the show. Thank you for listening and for the support we received after our first episode. Your feedback was fantastic and we had hundreds of you listening in. Today's show is packed with useful information and tips for us pilots. I truly hope you'll keep finding our show a great companion for your passion for aviation here in the UK. I am Fernando Pinho and, just like you, I love aviation. In my dreams, I've been a pilot since the age of six, but in real life it took a bit longer, but I got there eventually. I've been flying for over a decade now. I'm also a producer and a volunteer helping families of children with cancer. You can find out more about me on my website, fernandotoday, and if you want to contact us, you can now send us a text. The link is on the show notes. Okay, let's dive into some aviation news.
Speaker 1:Aviation News and Views.
Speaker 2:Two things are essential to be able to fly Airplanes and airfields, but sadly, many airfields are under threat from local councils and developers, and this is happening despite successive governments highlighting the importance of protecting general aviation airfields. In the UK, a prime example of this is evolving at Nottingham Airport. Now, please take a seat and bear with me on this one. It's a story that is both inspiring and mind-boggling, but before we start, here's a crash course on who owns what. Years ago, the owner of Nottingham Airfield, truman Aviation, sold most of the land to a property developer called Vistri Homes and managed to convince a planning inspector in 2012 to allocate the land to future housing developments. Truman Aviation agreed to retain control of the airfield until such time as the housing development was ready to break ground. Twelve years passed, and then.
Speaker 4:In March of 2024, Vistri Homes, who own the grass bit with the runways in, put in their application. So initially they want to start off in a phased development with 400 homes and then ultimately they will build it out to about 2,500 homes.
Speaker 2:This is Sarah Deacon, a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. She has started a campaign to save the airfield, so I asked her to tell me why she got involved. Does she have a business in the airfield or is she a local pilot? Her answer took me by surprise.
Speaker 4:The reason I got involved is because I've been taking my kids there since they were tiny, when they were about 18 months old. We used to live in Leicestershire and I used to bring them up and visit the airfield. And I recently moved to Nottinghamshire and my daughter I was just flicking through Facebook Trocks Away is the cafe at the airfield and they put out the notice in March that said that this planning application had gone in in and I was reading it out and my daughter bless her burst into tears and then she just took herself off and came back with a poster that she'd made saying save our airfield and said mummy, can we take this to the cafe? And that's where it's all sprung from. Basically, you know she's got this absolute faith in, you know, democracy and social justice, and now I've got to live it.
Speaker 2:I confess I wasn't expecting that. So, basically, a member of the general public, not a pilot, not an aviation business owner. Created and has been running a campaign to save the airfield. Created and has been running a campaign to save the airfield.
Speaker 4:Sarah's first step was to create a petition to the government and collect over 10,000 signatures in just a few days and we got a reply from the government, a written response, which was absolutely brilliant, Really really set out the support that exists within the national planning policy framework for aviation.
Speaker 2:But Sarah didn't stop there. She gathers 3,000 more signatures for a petition to the planning authority and asks Rushcliffe Council to withdraw the airfield from the allocation for housing.
Speaker 4:Essentially, there was no consultation with the aviation sector at all. There was none before they included the airfield in the local plan. And we want them to look at that and to actually just assess how well used the airfield in the local plan. And we want them to look at that and and to actually just assess how well used the airfield is and make, um, and make the judgment as to whether it should be on the plan, on what the facts are that we can present them with today but because there are planning applications open for the site, sarah wasn't allowed to speak to the council.
Speaker 2:That hiccup aside, sarah and the Save Nottingham Airfield campaign got the support of the General Aviation Awareness Council, aviation consultancy companies and altogether lodged an objection to the Nottingham Strategic Plan. That's basically a plan that defines where houses can be built. Fast forward nearly a year. Sarah left no stone unturned. She filed Freedom of Information requests, went to historical archives, spoke with researchers and authors and found out how potentially toxic the site is and, as a result, inadequate for building houses.
Speaker 4:We found records of. In 1942, 500 Hamden bombers were scrapped at Tollerton and because they'd become obsolete the RAF needed these longer range bombers. A thousand Lancaster bombers were built on site or assembled on site and after the war at least 700 Lancasters were scrapped on site. And now we're talking in an era where there were no rules really around the disposal of industrial waste and that waste wouldn't have been taken off site. So the Merlin engine, I believe, was one of the most asbestos heavy engines that was used, and so at least 2,800 Merlin engines were scrapped somewhere on that site. And who knows where the waste has gone. When you think about the radiant painted dials and instruments, the heavy metals that were used in those instruments, there is a legacy somewhere on that airfield that has not been considered.
Speaker 2:As I was talking to Sarah, I couldn't put aside the thought that I was talking to a member of the general public, not a pilot or someone associated with aviation. She's a mother trying to protect her local airfield. At that point, a lot of questions popped into my head. Why aren't businesses based at the airfield fighting to keep the airfield open? This is where things take an unexpected turn. Here's Sarah explaining what happened in December 2024.
Speaker 4:A letter came round on the 13th of December Friday the 13th that said that businesses on the airfield must support Vistri's planning application because if they didn't, then Vistri would be forced to give them three months notice and the site would be closed. So if they didn't support the application, the air ambulance access to the site, which is the air ambulance accessed for the east region east midlands region trauma network, which serves four million people, would be closed. The air ambulance would be forced to stop using it. The police would be forced to stop using it. They said that pilots would be unable to get have enough time to find alternative hangarage and they would be denied access to get to their aircraft because after the three-month period the site would be closed and nobody would be allowed access.
Speaker 2:We understand that someone sent a letter and social media posts on behalf of Truman Aviation. Remember, this is the company that sold the land to the developer and therefore is an interested party in the housing development. Now I don't know about you, but a letter giving you an ultimatum to support a project or be almost immediately evicted sounds quite threatening, and that would explain why people would be scared of speaking out. But there's more. Sarah also discovered that in the original paperwork the applicants claim that the airport is in brownfields land and only has 26 airplanes that fly once every three weeks. None of those figures are correct.
Speaker 4:And then you look at the picture. Today it's hard to get the figures because they're obviously kept under wraps, but using various apps and things like that, we reckon between 8 000 and 12 000 movements per annum. You know you're looking at 26 aircraft flown three times a week doesn't generate that kind of movement. They didn't mention anything about the air ambulance in their submission. They didn't mention anything about the really busy helicopter school. That was just fixed-wing aircraft they were referring to. And then the seven businesses that are on site specialist engineering, the apprenticeships there's people on site doing CAA apprenticeships to be engineers the Air and Space Institute at Newark.
Speaker 2:So it's clear that both the owner and the operator of the airfield want to see it shut down, and it seems like they are both starting to feel they won't get permission to build. Now some will say that house building is a national priority. I put that question to Sarah.
Speaker 4:Rushcook Borough Council have allocated enough housing to more than meet their targets. We know, looking at the plan, that they are in excess of how many houses they actually have to build. And they've done this because just in case a site stalls or fails to progress. And the airfield site is projected to have built out 2,700 homes up to 2041 and the excess that the council have written into the plan is more than that number. So the airfield site isn't needed at all in order to build the homes that people need. Our campaign is not about it's not an anti-building campaign. It's about saving the airfield. Nobody is saying at all that people don't need homes, but what we're saying is homes can be built in many places, but airfields can't.
Speaker 2:A lot more water will pass under this bridge, and I will keep you updated. Meanwhile, if you want to support the campaign to save Nottingham Airfield, here's what you can do.
Speaker 4:So people can join our Facebook page and get involved. That way, making sure that they have commented on the planning applications would be absolutely brilliant. We do have a JustGiving page as well for people if they want to donate to support us so that we can produce our publicity material or professional advice that we might need.
Speaker 2:If you are a subscriber to our podcast, you can listen to a longer version of my conversation with Sarah Deacon on this episode's website. The link is in the show notes, together with links to the planning application, Facebook group and donation page Sarah mentioned. That's all for the news and if you have a story you think we should cover, send us a message. You'll find the link in the show notes.
Speaker 1:Still to come. We fly to Le Touquet Paris-Plage and prepare the ultimate guide for your next flight, plus a masterclass on how to choose your aircraft cover, take good care of it and save hundreds of pounds in expensive mistakes. But for now, hold on to your seats, because Fernando is about to take us on a deep dive, literally into what it's like to escape from a submerged aircraft.
Speaker 2:As someone who lives in the UK, flying to the continent means hopping over a lot of water, and that got me thinking what if something happened? What if I had to ditch in the sea? Suddenly? I'm not just a pilot, I'm basically a submarine captain, and a very unprepared submarine captain. So, invited by our friends at Echelon Air, I signed up for an underwater escape training and a few days ago I went down to Southampton with a group of other pilots and spent the day in a swimming pool specially prepared for our training. Now, I'm not going to lie, the thought of being trapped underwater in a simulated plane wreck was a bit daunting. But Undark Diving and these guys are the pros they run this course for anyone who might find themselves in a submerged aircraft, including the pilots and people who work on offshore rigs.
Speaker 5:Welcome to Andark. My name's Andy Goddard. I started Andark, so you've got the B team today, in 1976, when I was working offshore as a diver. I've traveled many hours on helicopters. I'm also a pilot and it's what I love to do. You know fun to fly. Quite a few years ago, in fact in the early 90s, we were asked would we maybe like to get involved with teaching people aviation skills which involve the water life raft, life jacket and that sort of morphed into the underwater escape trainer, which is a fiberglass box, yellow right, with several seats inside. We can get six people in there easier and we can squeeze quite a few more in, right. What? What we're going to do is strap you in and it's a hydraulic machine and force you into the water and turn you upside down. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Actually, today's is about fun, right. We want to enjoy the experience, right, but go away having learned something.
Speaker 2:They basically teach you how to stay calm, orient yourself in the water and, most importantly, find your way out. You learn things like the brace positions, checking your life jacket, how to never lose your orientation and how to escape through an aircraft window even if you are upside down.
Speaker 5:Before we do that, I'm just going to go through a six-point safety check, which you need to do every time. So if everybody gathers around and remembers this, the first one is the harness.
Speaker 2:So they teach you all these techniques right how to escape through a window, how to stay calm. But then comes the real test, the part that separates the trainees from the survivors. It was time to escape from a submerged aircraft. To simulate this, andark has this capsule that is basically a replica of a small aircraft cabin. A replica of a small aircraft cabin. It has seven seats and a powerful hydraulic system that lifts the capsule up, drops it down into the water and even flips it upside down. It's the closest you can get to experiencing a real ditching without actually crashing into the sea. So I got in. The instructors went through the safety briefing a few times, we strapped ourselves in and then they gave us the instruction 180 without windows, go Brace, brace brace for impact.
Speaker 2:Suddenly, whoosh, the whole cabin starts to flood with water and tilts and you know you are going down. They flip the capsule over and you are completely upside down and fully submerged. At that point, only the seat belt holds you to your seat and it's your job to get out. But which way is up? Where's the window? Let me tell you. When the thing flipped and I was plunged into the water, wow, my heart was pounding in my chest. It was terrifying, but also a moment where your body and your head will keep you very focused, and somehow I managed to remember my training, find the window and pull myself free. In total, we were plunged into the water four times. We also learned how to swim as a group to the life raft and climb into it. Honestly, it was way more intense than I expected, but also incredibly empowering, knowing what to do in that kind of situation. It's invaluable, and I wasn't the only one who felt that way. I asked David, one of the other participants, how the course worked for him Very good, excellent, I think.
Speaker 7:Learned a lot, got us thinking about lots of things. Should we come down in water? I think you realize, particularly when you're submerged and at an angle or upside down, you realize how disorientated you are, which you probably you wouldn't know unless you've actually experienced it if a friend of yours that is a pilot as well comes to you and say should I do it?
Speaker 2:what would be your answer?
Speaker 7:absolutely no doubt. I mean I think personally, being we live on an island, should be mandatory, but definitely highly recommend it to any private pilot, and then andy goddard, the founder of andark, helped me to better understand why this training is so important.
Speaker 5:All I can say is that if you are going to enjoy flying over water, one thing you need is the knowledge to know what to do if it goes wrong, and make sure that you have some of the basic kit.
Speaker 2:Then, if it were an issue and your engine did fail, then you have got the tools to be a survivor, and that's why it's so important look, I know it sounds dramatic, but if you are someone who spends a lot of time flying over water, I highly recommend looking to the underwater escape training. It can literally save your life. Now, I'm not going to lie. There were a few moments inside that capsule where I thought I might not make it to the end of the training. If you are interested in learning more about underwater escape training, you can visit ANDAAC's website and I have a link on the show notes for you. And again, thank you to Ashlyn O'Hare and Philippe Pullman for the invitation.
Speaker 1:Okay, Wow, I'm feeling a little bit stressed after hearing about underwater escapes. It's time to listen to something a bit more relaxing. Besides the Pilots Logbook podcast, we also produce Travel Plans a monthly deep dive into great destinations, curated especially for pilots. Think of it as a toolkit and a love letter to travel all rolled into one. Today, I'm excited to share the first part of our most popular episode Le Touquet Paris-Plage Fernando spent a week there and put together the ultimate guide to the most British of the seaside resorts.
Speaker 6:And now your in-flight entertainment. In the late 19th century, a Parisian lawyer envisioned a luxurious retreat to rival Deauville, attracting the Parisian elite to this very spot. That's why he called it Paris Plage, paris' beach. Then, in 1902, an English businessman, sir John Whitley, bought the entire town. His ambition was to transform Le Touquet into a playground for the English elite. He spared no expense, constructing luxury hotels, a race course, a golf course, a nautical centre, an airport and even casinos, which were illegal in England at the time. And his gamble paid off. The resort, nicknamed London by the sea, became a regular destination for the British upper class, including members of the royal family, winston Churchill and artists and writers like Noel Coward and Ian Fleming. There was even an hour-long flight between Croydon Airport in South London and Le Touquet.
Speaker 6:But then the Second World War cast a devastating shadow over the town. In a strategic maneuver in 1944, the British, aiming to mislead German forces about the D-Day landing site, targeted Le Touquet. Over four days they dropped 2,000 bombs, obliterating the town they had helped build and that had once been a playground for the wealthy. But Le Touquet is resilient. The town was rebuilt and today it maintains strong ties with Britain. That's why, although we will be landing in France. The airport was recently renamed International Airport Le Touquet Elizabeth II. And now back to your pilot, Fernando.
Speaker 2:We are now preparing for landing. From here, I can see Lutuki's vast beach. It's beautiful down there. I'm very excited to share with you all about this charming town with a remarkable history 500.
Speaker 7:500 NBD runway 13 cleared to land. Wind 100°, 6 knots. Cleared to land runway 13,.
Speaker 2:Runway 2, over NBD. Good day, sir.
Speaker 7:Taxi to Eplom, you can follow the aircraft on the apron to park next to him.
Speaker 2:And here we are. As far as general aviation goes, lutoke Airport is some of the best you can find Customs, a great gift shop, rent a car, plenty of bicycles to hire, public transport, hotels nearby and only 2 miles away from the beach. The team here is fantastic and always ready to help with information and bookings. Oh and, if you see a dog wandering in the terminal, he's the official mascot and very friendly. Today I brought my folding bike with me, so I'm ready to go.
Speaker 2:As soon as you leave the airport, you'll find yourself surrounded by pine trees. In fact, two thirds of Le Touquet is a pine tree forest. It all started when, in 1837, alphonse Doulos, the lawyer that I mentioned earlier, bought 1600 hectares of dunes, so to stabilise them he decided to plant a forest, and today the forest is dotted with picturesque villas and bordered by cycle lanes. Little Cay clearly loves its cyclists. They've packed a whopping 28 kilometers of bike lanes, and after just a few minutes you'll find one of the 2K's architectural gems the Westminster Hotel. Now, while I'm not lucky enough to stay here this time, this grand hotel isn't just one of the most beautiful buildings in town, it's a survivor, standing tall since 1924, even through the Second World War. It is said that the timeless elegance inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, and years later the actor Sean Connery himself signed his iconic 007 contract right here.
Speaker 1:There's so much in Lusukia that you don't know about. You can listen to the full episode on your favourite podcast app by searching for travel plans. Now let's dive into a masterclass in aircraft covers. This conversation can save you hundreds of pounds in costly mistakes like using the wrong type of cover, storing it improperly or even just not knowing how to clean it correctly.
Speaker 1:Our guest today is Andy Blundell, founder of Vertigo Covers, the go-to company for protecting our precious flying machines from the elements. What started with sewing glider covers on his parents' living room floor has now become Vertigo Covers, a company protecting everything from single-engine airplanes to the iconic Red Arrow Hawks. Whether it's a glider or a jet, andrew's got you covered, literally. Andrew's journey is a testament to the power of saying yes to challenges, researching materials, embracing innovation and always striving for the best. And today he's here to share his expertise on everything from choosing the right cover to proper maintenance of these covers. Think of it as your personal guide to airplane covers, straight from the expert himself. So grab your headphones and get ready for a masterclass in plane protection.
Speaker 2:Andy, welcome to the show. Thank you very much. Thank you. You know, when I got my plane, I was surprised how little I knew about aircraft covers, different materials, which one is the best for our British weather, washing and storing them. And I think I'm not alone. From talking to other pilots, it sounds like there's a lot of people that find this whole cover thing a bit of a mystery. Yeah, but you, andy, you are here to the rescue. Thank you, I'll try. Two decades of experience means that you know all the ins and outs and we are going to pick your brain on everything covered related. Perfect. And, andy, just to let you know, we are not going to let you go away until we know absolutely everything. So thank you for being there, no problem.
Speaker 2:So, as you know, we have a tradition here. We always start with a quickfire round of questions, yeah, and we also have some very strict rules. So the first is that you can only answer with a yes or a no or, if you absolutely have to, a one sentence answer. Are you ready? Yeah, go for it. All right, let's go. Yes or no? Is an aircraft cover a good substitute for a hanger?
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:Do most pilots choose the wrong cover material for their airplane? Yes. Can an aircraft cover actually damage a plane? No. Is there a specific cover material that is best for the UK weather? Yes. Can we effectively clean our aircraft covers ourselves? No. Is it safe to dry clean an aircraft cover? No. Fantastic. There's a lot to talk about and we are going back to these questions in a moment. Andy, before we dive into the nitty-gritty of aircraft covers, I'd love our listeners to get to know you a bit better. Could you tell us a bit about your journey? Did you become the UK aircraft cover guru, at least in my opinion.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's been quite the journey. So I spent my entire youth sailing. So I was on the British team competing all over the world, and when I got to a point where I'd come to the end of my college and I was deciding what to do, I did the traditional thing. I thought I'll go to uni later, I'll take the gap year, and just up the road from where my parents live is a sailmakers. I thought brilliant, I can work at the sailmakers and I can continue my racing and sailing and the two will fund each other. What I didn't realize was I completely underestimated the sailmaker and actually he was a phenomenal entrepreneur doing all sorts of incredible things outside of sailing in the commercial world, opening ceremonies, all sorts of things. So I had a fantastic year learning off the back of him. But as part of that gap year I actually learned to glide.
Speaker 3:My dad's always been gliding and I hadn't done it because of the sailing. So my dad was struggling with aircraft covers for his own kit and sort of said look, come on, could you do something with what I've been learning through my gap year? So, yeah, just started. Just, we built the first one there on the lounge floor and then, as we were sort of putting that on and looking at it, other people from the gliding club were sort of coming over having a look oh, could I have one, could I have one? And then that just started the ball rolling. From there we sort of went from the lounge floor, which gets quite difficult, especially with gliders, when you get up to sort of 20, 22 meter wingspan.
Speaker 2:I can imagine.
Speaker 3:It's sort of through the dining room into the lounge and all with basic sewing machines at that point. But it was quite evident that it was always going to be an investment in machinery and continual sort of improvement in techniques and materials. You know, the aviation world is fantastic. Everybody talks to everybody, there's glider pilots that are engineers or power pilots and you just naturally sort of migrate through the different sort of industries and now we just have hundreds and thousands of templates and patterns and all the intricacies and all the differences between what you would think as a standard aircraft. It never is. Cowlings change propeller blades, change aerials fittings.
Speaker 2:It's just sort of grown from there really, and today at least my perception is that you are seen as the go-to company in the UK for covers, so congratulations for the last two decades. Thank you, In our quick fire round of questions we touched a few of the questions I would like to explore in more detail.
Speaker 2:Let's go down to business Hangar space. It's like gold dust these days, right? Yeah, I remember when I got my plane I couldn't find a hanger that I could afford in my area. So my first thought was okay, I'll just wrap it up in a very cozy cover and it will be fine, almost like tucking it into bed. But seriously, most of us have to keep our planes outside. So, assuming we can't get a hanger, can a good quality cover offer a decent level of protection from?
Speaker 3:the elements? Yeah, absolutely, especially in the uk we have a real issue with hangers. If you can get a space, traditionally it's in quite an old hanger, so you're gonna have, uh, metal debris coming off, the sort of corrugated steel, levels of condensation that you've never seen before. Um, I've walked into some hangars and the owner said the day before there was actually a full cumulus sat in the middle of his hangar. It's, it's just so. Those levels of dampness are just yeah, it's unreal. You just get surface corrosion, you get the leathers inside the instrumentation. Just really hate all that sort of climate.
Speaker 2:Some died back to the war.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely yeah and we know numerous people that, without warning, the hangar, a corner of it, has sort of fallen in and that's it. You get kicked out and you're out in the middle of the airfield with no warning. There's some lovely hangars out there and people are reinvesting in the airfields, but yeah, as you say, they come at a price covers absolutely, you can control the moisture because you were using the correct materials. You can control the levels of uv that are contacting the aircraft. You're also in control of your own space. So if you're in a tightly packed hangar and somebody's having to move it to get theirs out, there's just always going to be that hangar issue could be a static wick that gets knocked.
Speaker 3:We know a number of helicopters that have just been pushed a little bit too far back and blades have hit walls. So, yeah, to be able to control your sort of environment, I think now is probably a more important thing. So if you can be parked outside, you're in control of how it's tied down. So just making sure you know through wing covers you've got access to the tie down points and then, yeah, with proper breathable covers that have high UV resistance, and that's more about the UV that's prevented from touching the aircraft as well as what fabric can resist, but it's that preventative barrier Then. Yeah, absolutely you can.
Speaker 2:I'm going to ask you in a moment about the materials. As a pilot, so many people come to me and say, oh, it should be in a hangar, it should protect your airplane, it's a much better environment. And then I think but some of these angles, as you were mentioning, are so cold they have no form of eating whatsoever. So basically, the temperature outside is the temperature inside. As someone that doesn't understand much about protection and covers, I always had that bit of a doubt are Are actually these covers doing a good job, or can they actually protect the plane at least as much as a roof? And you are kind of confirming that yes, you can do that.
Speaker 3:When we first started, gliding was very much a world where you put the glider away every night and it doesn't matter, you de-rig it, you put it in the trailer. That's where it's safest. And actually we kind of turned that round. We found out that that theory had come about because the covers that were available weren't breathable. So they were actually doing more damage than, yes, if it was in the trailer.
Speaker 3:But the biggest thing, especially for glider pilots, is when you put it away you do risk damaging it, much like pushing something into a hangar trying to thread past other little aircraft. Prop strikes on tips of wings, things like this. Then what would happen is you'd actually invariably not use the aircraft as much so you'd think oh really, an hour's flight, can I be bothered to rig it just for that, like, if you're in the back of the hangar, can I be bothered to really pull it out? I don't, I'll just no, I'll do it when I want a full day's worth of flying. But actually proper covers are allowing moisture air, everything to pass through. It's keeping the aircraft nicely aerated, the uvs off the aircraft and, to be honest, a lot of the british hangars. You're not going to prevent wildlife from being off your aircraft? There's more birds sometimes in the hangar than there are out. I have a question about the nemesis.
Speaker 2:So we know that a good cover is essential. Yeah, um, but the question now is where do we begin? There are so many different materials out there. Can you break it down for us, like what are the key differences between those materials and what should we be looking?
Speaker 3:yeah. So the key points, especially when so before you even yeah, before you even get into how the thing fits, it's using the right material from the beginning. So, as we've just said, british hangers can be super damp and that sort of moist air just sort of sticks in the hanger. It doesn't leave. So even a hanger cover you you know, traditionally you'd think a hangar cover was less expensive and it was mainly there for dust and sort of debris and bird mess. And the problem with that is the hangar is so damp that if you use a very sort of basic fabric, it just it just becomes this damp ball of fabric that's just sat on your aircraft and it stinks after a while and then you'll not put it on because it hasn't dried out. And so, unfortunately, with British hangers being so damp, the sort of hanger level you're kind of not really needing anymore.
Speaker 3:You kind of what you're after is two types of cover and all weather for outside and a touring which actually most people now use in the hangar, and the key points behind both of those are it's got to be breathable. So with the breathability you naturally have a level of water resistance before the water gets forced through the fabric. We call that a water head, before the water gets forced through the fabric. We call that a water head and it's literally measured as a column of water and they force it through the fabric and, depending on your level of water resistance, rather than waterproof, the moisture will push through. That fabric will breathe, which means that any moisture that gets trapped between the aircraft and the cover is allowed to dissipate. And that will happen through temperature change, air movement passing over the top of the fabric. It could be the air slightly shimmering the cover if it's not quite sort of buttoned down and tight. But breathability is the key and the base fabrics that you use to keep the breathability traditionally have been polyesters and acrylics.
Speaker 3:If you go for things like nylons, which would be like a fabric that's used in your sports bags, your very, very cheap covers that you might see coming in from the Far East or something like that, and the issue with nylon is you get the little tease because it's very cheap fabric. But the sad bit is it doesn't cost any more to make a good cover as it does a bad cover. The labor is still the same, the cutting time is still the same, the sewing time, so the investment really is in the fabric. And the problem with the nylon is it will shrink incredibly quickly.
Speaker 3:And a lot of nylons used to be used with the glider covers when we first started, and you could always tell, because when someone put the glider covers on and then they looked down at themselves, they were completely covered in dust and if you were wearing something dark, blue or black, it just looked like you dropped flour on yourself and that's the uv just breaking down the coating and of course the coating is also preventing that sort of breathability to it. So it's a double whammy. So can I?
Speaker 2:just can I just recap? We have the anger covers. Yep, the all weather and the touring, yeah, uh. Are the anger covers made of nylon? Is that?
Speaker 3:correct. Traditionally they would have been. But actually now what we're doing is because we're noticing how sort of damp hangers are now there's just you haven't got that sort of warm, lovely house sort of effect um that actually people are choosing to buy touring covers, use them for hanger and and then when they go away they just depending on where they are they might go skiing, so they'll take the wing covers with them so they can just pull it off and the ice and snow goes with it. And what's the difference?
Speaker 2:between the all-weather and the touring cover in terms of material.
Speaker 3:So for us it's about 10 to 15 percent of the weight is taken out. So what they do is they reduce the amount of yarns, the warp and the weft, which is the threads that make up the fabric. They're reducing the amount of those per square inch. It's still old fashions, but per square inch. So what you end up with is sort of a hanger, a touring cover sorry performs about 90% of an all-weather cover. So it's a little bit lighter and it's a little bit thinner, which means it packs away smaller.
Speaker 3:So on critical aircraft where your baggage load is quite low sometimes it's sort of 10 kilos or something that's going to really compromise how much spare clothing you can take with you. So by just reducing it that little bit, you've still got fantastic breathability, you've still got the uv being prevented from touching the aircraft and it just packs away that bit smaller. The reason to have that just that extra bit of thickness for the all weather is it reduces the ability for the birds to be able to destroy it. They can't get to it. It's too thick, they can't pull it apart. To make nesting Allows a bit more sort of deadening effect. So if your aircraft's caught out in hail or it gets snowed on, or if some of the big birds do sit on it with their claws. It just gives you that extra thickness to sort of shield. Whatever it is that's hurting the aircraft from the aircraft I.
Speaker 2:I'm quite shocked that I nobody ever told me that before.
Speaker 3:That's so important that that piece of information you just shared with us yeah, it's, um, it's that balance, and and so traditionally what you had was a touring cover, would be a complete compromise. It would be a very lightweight, very cheap fabric and it would fundamentally try and keep some of the showers off the aircraft and just especially if your aircraft the door sills aren't great. It was just trying to help water penetrating inside the cockpit. But the problem then was you were committing to buying an all-weather cover and a touring cover and it was just. You know, life gets expensive.
Speaker 3:So now, with modern polyesters, um, that work very much like your sort of skiing jackets. They're breathable, they're water resistant, um, you get the performance but you get the reduction in weight. So a touring cover will quite happily live outside all year round. It's just, if you know you're going to live outside all year round, it is best just having that little extra bit of protection. But say, you are an avid traveler and you take your touring cover, you don't need to think, oh, it's sat out there in 30 degrees, it's baking, or it's in, you know, pouring down british weather, it's um, you've still got that protection so what's the material that you are using on all weather covers?
Speaker 3:so we're. We're very lucky now that now that we've grown to the size that we are, we design and manufacture our own materials. And um, so we we always use a polyester base. It's uncoated because coatings they affect the water resistance. Well, they increase the water resistance, which decreases the breathability, and that's the balance you're always trying to offset.
Speaker 3:You don't want to cover to get completely soaked in seconds, but equally you don't want it to be 100% waterproof, because any moisture trapped inside a glass aircraft like yours, you could easily give the gel, coats and paints osmosis, especially on the gliders. That used to be a real problem that they suffered with as we entered the market. Long-term covers were causing osmosis. So we use a polyester so you get the advantages of a reduction of weight, because another route to go would be an acrylic.
Speaker 3:The issue with an acrylic when it's brand new is it's like a piece of cardboard. It's so stiff to fold up and put in the bag, so your bag size ends up quite big, it's much heavier. And then the reverse is, when the cover gets older and it starts to wet out, it just doubles in weight. So in the morning you there's no chance of being able to take it with you because it will weigh 15 kilos instead of seven. So, yeah, polyester base. Then we tailor the yarns to give us the water resistance that we, we quite like the sweet spot that we found, like with the covers that you have, and then we get the weight where we need it to be. So your uh canopy cover or a standard sort of four seater ga aircraft is going to be sort of five, six kilograms. Uh, if it's a high wing it can be half a kilo more than that, just because there's more cutouts and more bindings and velcros and things. But quite light for what?
Speaker 2:it is yeah it's a lot of protection for that weight yeah, but let's say that I'm facing the classic british weather yeah, rain, wind, maybe even a bit of snow, yep, and my poor plane is stuck outside. Living in duxford, yeah, I should get, just to confirm with you an all-weather cover made of polyester.
Speaker 3:Yeah, is that correct? If you know you're committing to leaving it outside rather than it just being a couple of weeks a year, and it's going to be outside for the majority of its life. Yeah, go for the all-weather definitely.
Speaker 2:Otherwise, a touring cover will do the job.
Speaker 3:Yeah, predominantly if you bounce between Hangaridge. But you spend a lot of time away at the weekends and then you do a two-week trip during the summer, a touring cover will be absolutely fine. But yeah, if you know that you're going to be outside a lot, then just go that extra mile.
Speaker 2:Okay, so now I'm thinking that thick padded cover I wrestled with all winter, yes, maybe it's not the best choice for the summer, is that right?
Speaker 3:yeah, it depends. The main thing with covers is um is actually is is becoming a bit ocd about how you fit it and, um, if and quite often when somebody asks to give you a hand, sort of put it away, you just think, actually, no, I'm all right, I've got a system here. If I'm uh, you've got an aerial, quite well aft, so you might want to roll it from the front to the back, so you end up with a sausage. And if you just always get into a pattern of unrolling it and re-rolling it the same way, then actually in any wing condition it should be quite swift and quite quick.
Speaker 3:Um, I know we all want to go flying and we just want to undo the buckles and just pull it off the aerials and then sort of shove it in the bag. But actually you can make life easier by being more methodic. But if you did want a lighter weight cover then yeah, you could go touring. If weight was a real issue, depending on the aircraft, um, you could just not have the cowling so the cover could just finish. Um, literally come down the front windshield as it hits the cowling, you can stop it there. So you end up with a strap in front of the wing and a strap behind the wing. Um, those, the americans, quite like that.
Speaker 2:That tends to happen in america quite a bit having a winter cover, or a wall weather cover as we are calling it. It's not like wearing a woolly jumper in a wheat wave.
Speaker 3:Right, it's actually okay to have it during the summer yeah, absolutely, and I, I would, um, I would use an all weather, basically throughout the year, because in the summer, especially if you've gone for a lighter colour, so like a light grey, you're going to have the heat reflection element. So the cockpit's not going to get warm and it just won't be horrible at that first time you go in it. It's not going to be boiling, it's not going to be boiling, um, and so, yeah, you're going to keep all the uv off, you're going to bounce the heat away. And then you know the, you know, we'd like to say we don't see any rain in the summer, but we definitely do. It would keep all of that away.
Speaker 3:And then, yeah, in the winter again, you've got that sort of insulating factor, um, because you're just trying to reduce the spikes in the temperature. If you can sort of level it out a bit more, you don't get the condensation building inside the airframe which obviously, especially with glass cockpits, instrumentation and moisture don't mix. So, yeah, if you can just keep the aircraft as static as possible with the heat changes, that definitely helps. So, yeah, if I was outside, I would just use an all-weather cover, summer and winter, um, and I wouldn't think about it too much, so so far I've made all the right decisions, absolutely yes, definitely yes.
Speaker 2:Now for a question that might sound a bit strange. I actually asked you this question at the beginning, but I want to revisit your your answer. You said that a cover cannot damage a plane, and obviously it's meant to protect it. Right, but but I've heard stories about scratches, chafing, even mold. Is there any truth to these concerns?
Speaker 3:yeah.
Speaker 3:So the caveat behind that, of course, is how you make the cover. So scratches to sort of perspex and windows. That will all come from the choice of seam. So, depending on how you've cut the cover, you could you could just have a raw edge there. That's sort of wearing away on the perspex. You can tuck that away or you can have external seams which aren't quite as elegant when you walk up to the aircraft, but actually do provide the best because any thread or any turnings are all away from the perspex. So yeah, and sort of.
Speaker 3:As for chafing, that all comes down to how the cover fits. So making sure that effectively, it follows the profile of the airframe, as opposed to sort of fitting where it touches. You want it to follow the profile of the airframe and then don't be afraid to put pressure on those straps, make sure it's. You know those buckles are nicely tensioned. A little sort of truck driver's trick is, uh, with a webbing strap is to rotate it once, then it won't chatter against the belly. Um, but yeah, it's important uh, to ensure that those belly straps are tight and that as you're tightening them, you're just giving the cover, especially the cockpit cover, just a pull backwards, because a lot of aircraft, especially cirrus, taper away. So if you can pull the cover back as you're tensioning that strap, it pulls from where it's located by the spinner to where you're pulling and then you can do the belly straps and then you it won't sort of rotate around the airframe or go fore and aft. And then I suppose how you go over aerials and handles and things like this, you know, if you're over the top of a handle then you could sort of, if it's painted, wear it away, if it's metal you could polish it with the fabric.
Speaker 3:What about mold? Mold, yeah, so mold is a tricky one. So you can see mold occurring in different situations. So in the gliding world quite often, because it's a grass strip and it's quite a small grass strip, uh, traditionally the gliders are all tucked around the perimeter of the airfield and quite often they're under trees and of course all the leaves and rubbish just sort of fall off the tree onto the cover.
Speaker 3:So if you're a regular, you know to the gliding club and you're flying, your covers are coming off sort of every couple of days, every day. That's flyable. So it's not got that opportunity for the leaves to just mulch and sit on the top of the aircraft. So whereas if you're in a GA aircraft and you find yourself middle of the airfield, you've got lots of air running around the airframe and it doesn't tend to build up as much. And then, yeah, I think the main key with it is mold doesn't like UV. So if you've taken the cover off for a day to go flying, quite often what we see is people draping it over like garden chests. Yes, well, if they were to turn it inside out so that the uv could sort of dry and compound the material on the inside, it would. It would make sure that any mold is sort of killed away. So sunbathing is good for humans, sunbathing is good for covers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, yes. So covers come in all shapes and sizes, and, speaking of which, I have to say, I absolutely love those wing covers that you sold me.
Speaker 2:I love the zip concept and I think it's actually genius. It makes it so easy to put them on and then take them off in just a couple of minutes. Really on and then taking them off in just a couple of minutes, really. But that actually brings up a bigger question Should we really be trying to wrap the whole aircraft like a birthday present, or are there certain areas of the plane that we should focus on protecting more than others?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean in an ideal world and not not trying to sound like a salesman a full set is ultimately the best. We see it quite often with darker colored aircraft. So if you've either got color stripes or block colors, if you just have the canopy cover wherever that finishes, even within a year when you take the cover off, you can see unblemished and blemished by the uv. Years ago we took a picture of a burgundy aircraft and you could see exactly where the cover finished and where the sort of rear fuselage started and it's. It's like a slow thing. You don't it overnight, but over the course of the summer you find yourself having to repolish the rear and never touch the front.
Speaker 3:So yes, in an ideal world, but I understand that it could be a bit of a faff if you fly regularly. So maybe what you do is you have a full set of covers and you always put the cockpit cover on and maybe the wings and the tail, because sometimes the rear fin can be. You know, you take a Cessna that's got the sort of ADF wire or antennas and it's just slightly out of height as well. So you have to get a little hop-up or a step or something. Maybe you leave that cover. If you know you're not going to fly for three weeks, then pop it on, but if you're going to come back in three or four days, you could get away with just the other surfaces. Ultimately, the top of the fuselage wings and the tailplane take the most amount of abuse from the uv. They're also fantastic platforms for birds to sit on. So, yeah, if you can put the covers on those as a minimum, I think you're going to save yourself a lot of money in the long run with resprays and polishing.
Speaker 2:So basically, it will help you to protect your paint.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, and it will look after you. In fact, the covers, you know could almost be looked at as a disposable asset. So in the sailing world we have anodes on the bottom of the boat. They're sacrificial. All the corrosion and everything just eats that away instead of your propeller or your bearings or anything metal in the water. The covers are almost the same In 10, 12 years time when they start to struggle. It could be longer than that depending on how well you look after them.
Speaker 3:I don't recommend drying them on a barbed wire behind you. That tends to do quite a bit of damage. But if you do ensure that it's had an opportunity to dry out every now and again and you've cleaned it etc. Then you can look at that as saving the cost of your paint. So if you amortize it over 10, 12 years, you've extended your paint or your gel coat life by a long way and it's not even a bill you want to pick up. I don't think trying to repaint an aircraft. So yeah, if you look at it as it's, yes, it possibly started to fade, possibly needs a bit of a service, but it's doing what it's designed to do. It's taking the punishment instead of the airframe. So yeah, absolutely, it's definitely um a worthwhile investment for sure.
Speaker 2:Quite handy, so here's a fun one. So I finally got my lovely new covers and I'm treating them like they were made of gold. But then I come back to my plane a few days later and guess what? The birds had decided to use my pristine cover as their personal toilet. Yeah, target practice. So any tips on how to clean bird poo off the covers?
Speaker 3:straight away. No, no's is don't, don't like washing your car, don't get any sort of car washing, don't get the ferry up liquid, anything like that. It's um, they all have oils in them, a bit like clothing cleaner it's got an oil in it so that after you've washed your clothes they smell nice. Well, the problem with a breathable fabric is much like the skin of sort of a human being. You'll fill the pores with oil and water then just has a perfect transit straight through. The material makes sense. Yes, and so if you've scrubbed a little area where there's bird mess, the next time it rains that patch will just get wet straight away.
Speaker 3:So the best thing to do with bird mess is, uh, sort of baby wet wipes or just a soft sponge and some fresh water. And then, if you much like when you clean your canopy, don't sit there scrubbing as hard as you can, it's just small soft oscillations. You know, if the sponge has got two sides, like the brillo and the soft, always use the soft because ultimately, if you sit there and scrub it really hard, you can actually move the fibers of the material around if you did it hard enough and then you just compromise that little area of water resistance. So fresh water and a sponge will do sort of localized bird mess.
Speaker 3:If you've been completely annihilated, then we we do have. We have an in-house service where basically it's professionally cleaned. And the reason before when I said, oh can, can you do it at home? And it's like you can do bird mess and spot mess. But if you have lived under a tree or, you know, dropped it in the mud every time you've taken the covers off, it's quite hard to have a successful clean because ultimately you need large volumes of water, large, slow, rotating drums which of course at home, even on the slowest setting it's a bit too violent. The buckles inside will be whacking around the inside of the machine.
Speaker 2:So water, a soft sponge, small movements around the droppings, and it should be good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and even when they've had the berries and it could be like purple on there, slow and steady definitely wins with that one. And actually quite a lot of people do it on the aircraft because you can make the problem worse. Doing it on the floor because, as you're sort of doing that, you're pushing mud back into the bottom of the cover.
Speaker 2:I believe I'm doing it all wrong since day one. I get so annoyed when I see them. I really go with all my strengths with a, with a brush, and just try to remove it. It's great to know how we should do it properly. So let's now fast forward a few months and my cover has done a great job protecting my plane, but it's starting to look a bit dusty, so what's the best way to give it a good clean without causing any damage?
Speaker 3:So yeah, with that we see people, especially if it's like a full set of covers. Some people leave the covers on the aircraft and take it, wheel it over to somewhere with a hose and then just fresh water rinse it down. In the UK we have that sort of sahara dust every now and again comes over and gets dumped during um high winds so that stuff has got a real orange tinge to it. So yeah, when you're running the fresh water over, you can really see it sort of coming out. Okay, if it's ingrained because you've been in a way to spain and it's been sort of rained, the sand's got on it, then it's been baked on in sort of 25, 30 degrees that just requires a bit more effort than you can sort of successfully do at home and that's where big slow turning.
Speaker 3:Just getting the the fabric a little bit agitated um temperature helps with that as well. It's just a bit too much to do at home really. But yeah, if you can get it fresh water with the hose or on a washing line never a pressure washer. Don't hit it with anything like that. Will that damage the fabric? Yeah, it will just move the yarns around and it's not going to go straight through, unless you're super close and with an aggressive end on it. But you sort of see people doing it in the marine world and it looks fantastic the second you've done it. But yeah, you're going to lose all your water resistance because you've just moved everything about a bit, which is too aggressive.
Speaker 2:I've heard some people say that you can just take the aircraft covers to the dry cleaners, and I asked this question at the beginning of our conversation.
Speaker 3:Something tells me that it's not quite that simple, right yeah, so in theory, um, we know people who've taken covers to um be cleaned with the companies that do like horse rugs and things like that, so they're used to large pieces of material that can't be spun fast, can't be over temperatured.
Speaker 3:But ultimately, what happens when you wash a material like that is quite often you then need to treat it with an antibacterial treatment just so that it's prepared for the oncoming years, and then, quite often, you can rejuvenate the water resistance. So it's not a coating that goes on, it, it's more of an activator and it's it's more of a binder that brings all the yarns back together, those elements, especially for fabrics like ours that we design and make ourselves. Those sort of um, that sort of information wouldn't be readily known by these people, so what you might do is get a super clean cover back that just doesn't have the same water head anymore. So, yes, a light downpour would go through it rather than a heavy, heavy downpour so it's very clean, but it doesn't work as well as before you cleaned it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and sometimes it's worth giving up a little bit on the aesthetics of the cover so you can over-clean a cover as well. So you could every year send it to be cleaned, and that would just be too aggressive for the material over time. So actually, what you're better off doing is letting it build up, cleaning it. Letting it build up and cleaning it and over the course of its life, probably only cleaning it professionally two or three times really At home. Yeah, absolutely, you're not going to hurt it with a soft sponge and water and clearing the bird mess off as quick as possible. But, yeah, to really clean every square inch of it properly and intensely. You don't want to do it too much throughout its life.
Speaker 2:um, and yeah, you certainly don't want to do it incorrectly it's a very interesting observation because, as airplane owners, I we are quite proud of our machines or, for obvious reasons, so I can. I can see pilots trying to keep the plane looking as good as they can, and that will include the covers, but it's a really good point that you make about it's probably better to leave the covers to look not as good as they could, because that will ensure the aircraft is actually being better protected.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely, and I think my focus would always be on the condition of the inside of the cover. Ultimately, that's the part that's touching the windows, the perspex, the vital elements that we're trying to protect. So, never letting the cover go, you know, inside facing down on the ground, never allowing grit to get in there somehow. You know, always be prepared to shake the cover a little bit because nothing will stick to what we've made. So a little sort of almost like your pre-flight sort of just a little around the box. It would be the same with the cover just a little shake just to make sure. But the inside would be my sole focus and then the outside, just making sure that tree sap doesn't harden or bird mess. Um, but yeah, there's always going to be a bit of give and take.
Speaker 2:If it's crystal clear, you might over clean it, sort of thing so we've talked about how a cover protects the plane, but what about the cover itself? Does it have a lifespan or will it eventually start to lose its effectiveness? Or if so, it's buying a new one the only option. Or can we give it a new lease of life with some tlc or maybe some reproofing?
Speaker 3:yeah, you can. You're sort of almost relifing them so you'll have a performance curve on the fabric that will, you know, straight out of the bag, will, will, it will plateau for ages and then start to go and that that sort of fade is more in the atmospheric dirt, building up on the covers. So that will be affecting how the water is dissipated off the material and along. The life of the cover is many, many factors from user. User error being making sure that it has an opportunity to dry out so it doesn't go from a wet aircraft into the bag, an opportunity where it can be left out for your days flying. And you've got almost like a little washing line behind where you leave the aircraft. Amazing, that would be perfect. You can bring the cover back. We'll look at it. If you've damaged any buckles because I don't know they got trodden on, or aircraft rolled over it or something like that, or we have a lot of mice Mice in the UK love eating things and especially gliders because they're so low to the ground they can reach everything.
Speaker 3:Anything like that can be repaired. We stock and hold all the colours of materials so it's not going to look ugly. You've not got a silver cover with a blue patch in the middle of it. We always try and do it aesthetically so that it looks like it was never there. Um, they can be relifed. We can the the suggestion of, as the performance starts to fade because it's getting dirty and it's getting embedded with just sap and atmospheric stuff, we can wash it again. At that point we can rejuvenate the water resistance. That gives it a bounce and it brings it back up After.
Speaker 2:I purchase a cover on average, how many years will pass until I should start to think about reliving it? Using your own words?
Speaker 3:Funnily enough for us, when somebody comes back to us it's because they've bought a new aircraft, not because the cover's died. So GA aircraft. We tend to see the covers once in their life on average for, yeah, just a bit of a spruce up, maybe the Velcro needs replacing or a buckle or something like that, and so we would normally see a GA cover. I would expect to see sort of 10, 12 years and that's solid outdoor use. It goes beyond that and a lot of covers. We've seen covers in the winter, especially right now it's really busy for sort of wash and maintenance season. It's amazing we're seeing covers right from year one back and they just get cleaned. Maybe a bungee has gone wrong and needs replacing or a hook's missing, uh, and then it goes straight back out the door and straight back into use, um, so we're seeing covers 20 years old, um, and yeah, it's all. If you're outside permanently, you're going to have a different lifespan to somebody who's bouncing between a bit outside in the hangar and anywhere in between.
Speaker 2:So that's kind of that variable factor so someone like me, where the airplane leaves outside all year round, you should expect at least 10 years out of yes yeah, absolutely, and I would expect that to continue on. Basically, as long as people aren't doing anything daft to them, then um yeah and if I want to give it a bit of a new lease of life, should I send it to you every couple of years, every year?
Speaker 3:yeah, and what we tend to do is, when it arrives, we check it. If somebody says, oh, could you give it a clean and a wash exactly what. The first thing we'll do is always look at it and go that doesn't need a wash and reproof, extend it for another year. What we'll do is always look at it and go that doesn't need a wash and reproof, extend it for another year. What we'll do is we'll fix the tear that you did there or the um, the buckle that's missing. We'll sort that out for you.
Speaker 3:But, yeah, just try and push that sort of clean down the road because ultimately the bigger gap you leave between the wash and the reproof extends the overall life of the cover. So, if you can, instead of doing it every year, which naturally is slightly intrusive to the material so you don't want to do it every year because ultimately, instead of getting 10, 12 years, you'll end up at eight. So you just try and each time just drag it out as far as you can, just if it doesn't need it, just do another year. See how that goes, um, but for us the sort of a simple turnaround is normally about sort of 10 days. So if you did find yourself in the middle of the summer and you thought, oh, actually it does need doing. Then you're not going to lose the cover for eight, ten weeks.
Speaker 2:It's, it's only ever going to be just over a week and this, this chat, has been incredibly insightful, and if our listeners could only remember one thing from our conversation today, what would you want it to be?
Speaker 3:yeah, I would. The main thing would be don't be afraid to leave your aircraft outside. It's it's not a compromise. You're not going to shorten the life or damage your aircraft. Um, both have pros and cons. In a hangar, on face value it sounds great, but actually in real world it's got some pretty strong negatives to it. But you can have covers in the hangar as well. So don't don't let that sway your decision as to whether you're going to leave the aircraft outside or inside. It's choose what's right for you, whether that's budget or how you operate the aircraft. But yeah, don't don't think of it as a compromise.
Speaker 2:Just think of it as a strategy that you're trying to fit within your flying aspirations for those who want to learn more from you or maybe even get one of your covers. How can they find you?
Speaker 3:On the website. So, vertigocoverscouk, we've got information, but just don't hesitate to call the phone number's on there. If you've got questions about your location, your type of flying, any weight compromises you might have with your baggage, never hesitate to call and we'll try and help you where we can.
Speaker 2:Andy Blundell. Thank you very much. Thank you.
Speaker 1:And this is it for today's episode of the Pilot's Logbook. We hope you had a great time. If so, please share the show with a friend. You can find links to more resources at thepilotlogbookpodcastcom, which is also where you can sign up to receive new episodes directly in your inbox. Subscribe and support the show.
Speaker 2:If you wish to contact me, please drop me an email at. Hello at fernandotoday. Our next episode will drop in two weeks time. Until then, happy flying.
