A beautiful winter afternoon in January, with clear skies and relatively warm temp’s. The 150K has been safely tied down in the shade hangar with cabin cover in anticipation of next weeks strong cold front and strong winds that are expected. Installing the wheel pants, without a doubt, completely change the look of the airplane. Although you lose 18 pounds of useful load (and weight is always a concern with small planes), and optimistically gain only 2 knots in airspeed…many pilots opt to not utilize them. Wheel pants also add to the difficulty in checking tires, air pressure, and brakes during preflight. However the 1970 model have a higher “rise” where the bottom of the pant is near the axle. Later model style pants where much lower, and those had little doors on the side to access the valve stem.
In August, I received word from the Airport that a “shade hangar” was available, and of course, I accepted. My name is still on the list for a regular hangar, but the waiting can be up to a year or two. There are two kinds of shade hangars, the “north” and the “south” facing. Not many want the “south” as the orientation of the hangar allows sun to fall on the nose of the plane. The other side (the north facing) give full coverage from sun. However, I went with the “first available” which was the south, as it was far better than being out on the open ramp. At least the plane will remain dry and protected from rain leaking in and soaking the carpet, and from full force winds and the rare hail we get in the Bay Area. I also get to have a metal storage box for oil and cleaning supplies, and to fold the canvas cover for storage. Since the plane is now “under the shade hangar”, I have left the cover off for the nice summer weather. A cover is great, but if you want to do just a quick “touch and go” afternoon for under an hour…it can be a hassle, as it has to go off and on. Sometimes you don’t feel like wrestling the awkward beast!
