Operators need to safeguard the condition of aircraft while parked

Parking An Airplane? Here's What You Need To Know

Experts discuss the maintenance owners and operators need to do before—and while—parking or storing an airplane during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prolonged periods of inactivity mean that operators need to look up manufacturer-recommended practices for long-term parking or storage. (Photo: Barry Ambrose)

By Jerry Siebenmark • Senior Editor

April 15, 2020

With the Covid-19 pandemic showing no signs of a quick easing, business aircraft could be parked longer than their owners and operators originally expected. What may have first been anticipated as a temporary interruption lasting a few weeks has evolved into a situation where a company’s multi-million-dollar asset could be sitting for several more months or even longer. That has given rise to the need for owners and operators to understand that parking an airplane for a period of time goes well beyond towing it into a hangar and putting covers on the engines and pitot tubes.

“The modern business jet doesn’t like to sit around,” Thoroughbred Aviation founder and president Nathan Winkle said during an April 9 NBAA webinar on maintaining parked aircraft. “We’re going to have some issues. I think it would be naïve of operators and owners to think on the day of the all-clear that we can just return back to full flying.”

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

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