Snow day!! Question??

[Ztex]

A bit OT but...
All time record snow fall for the Fort Worth / Dallas area today!

I took a quick spin by the airport today on the way home...

Question...does this happen up north all the time? Is it bad for the airplanes? (I know some have a tie down loop on the tail... but it doesn't look good for the 337)

[sdennison]

Yeah, kinda.....

[Tom Crawford]

The only good thing is they probably settled slowly onto their tails as the snow built up..

[Jack Cook]

Reminds me of all the toilet lids popping in "No Time for Sergeants"!

[muddyboots]

The only good thing is they probably settled slowly onto their tails as the snow built up..

and when the snow melts they come slamming down all at once.

[LadyO2Pilot]

Zane...so glad you posted the pictures....have sent the "Crew Chief/Plane Washer" over to GPM to check plane and shovel "global warming" off.

ps. just heard from CC.......plane not down on tail but lots of 172s were. Snow has been removed from tail, booms and flaps/ailerons.

[Dan K]

All time record snow fall for the Fort Worth / Dallas area today!

Umm...gee...that's a lot... (snicker)

As far as the spam cans go, most FBO's up north own at least one push broom to keep the snow from building up on their tie downs.

[51fixer]

Yeah, kinda.....

You got those pics too.
That would've been a heart stopping moment looking in there and finding that.
Rich

[Obergrafeter]

Not snow but I saw several Cessna types on their tailskids one morning at Boerne Stage from ice. Cheap people should have rented a hangar. I could have pushed that black O-2 out and made room for several of em.

[Cvairwerks]

Just got back from making an attempt to go to work...18 minuets and I only made it 2 miles from the house. At that rate I would have made it to work somewhere past lunch break. The roads are treacherous now, even with the temps still above freezing...will be really nasty in the next few hours as it dips below freezing. The wife just told me that Alliance, just a few miles south of us has recorded over 12" of snow today so far and it's still coming down.

[The Inspector]

Someone should place a stack of pallets under the nose gear of that pushmepullyou or, as MB cautions, big bux for the repair station across the field when that wet concrete slides off the stab!

[kmiles]

Planes going back onto their tail because of snow is not an uncommon occurance here in New England. As long as the owner or FBO clears the snow slowly and has someone to gently lower the nose (pretty easy with 1 person for the 172's) the planes will easily live to fly another day. The C-172 and 182 lines are built with a pretty strong nose gear. I went to a fairly large 141 school, and it is pretty amazing to watch the first landings that the planes make it through each September. I suspect even the 337 will make it through with little or no damage.

As for the planes at Dulles, I suspect the planes will be scrapped. With the amount of research that goes into damage history when purchasing planes, even if they did fix the planes, they would take a huge hit when they go to sell the planes in the future. Even if they were repaired at the factory, damage history effects resale value.