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Touring Motor Gliders Association (TMGA)

durable covers for phoenix


Gfeldman

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Earlier this month Jim and I flew my new Phoenix (N33GF) from MLB to PTW just outside Philadelphia. Does anyone have any experience with companies that make durable covers for the Phoenix? I know Eric made his own but I am wondering about other pilot's experiences with commercially available covers.

George Feldman

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I would check with 'Bruce's Custom Covers'.

I have his covers on my twin Comanche, and plan on purchasing them for my G-109.

A friend has a full set of his covers on a G-109 and they fit very well and are well made.

bob.

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On 1/29/2016 at 9:27 AM, biplanebob said:

I would check with 'Bruce's Custom Covers'.

I have his covers on my twin Comanche, and plan on purchasing them for my G-109.

A friend has a full set of his covers on a G-109 and they fit very well and are well made.

bob.

Thanks guys will check Bruce's

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On 1/28/2016 at 10:12 AM, Gfeldman said:

Earlier this month Jim and I flew my new Phoenix (N33GF) from MLB to PTW just outside Philadelphia. Does anyone have any experience with companies that make durable covers for the Phoenix? I know Eric made his own but I am wondering about other pilot's experiences with commercially available covers.

I'm happy with the covers my wife made from the Tyvek material used for RVs, lawn furniture, etc, but I'd like to hear about what you find out there.

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I just got a quote from planecovers.cz.  The cost for Twill fabric was 17,000 CZK;  Silver fabric was 22,000 ($712 / 922) plus shipping.  Delivery time was ~1.5 months.  Note:  This is for full plane covers.

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I used to have Tyvek covers. They lasted less than a year. The material quickly gets damaged by UV. The best material I had was "Sunbrella". It lasted about 7 years. Other thick cotton may last 2-3 years.

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  • 3 weeks later...

yes, they quoted me about $2500. for a full set of phoenix covers. The trouble is they have never made it before. They do have an owner nearby that they could use for measurements and presumably to try the covers on before sending. The Czech company has been making covers for the Phoenix since the first production prototype flew and their price is less than half that of Bruce's covers. I have ordered the Czech covers and will let you know my experience.

George Feldman (N33GF)

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  • 2 weeks later...
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On 2/16/2016 at 10:24 AM, SonjaCE said:

I used to have Tyvek covers. They lasted less than a year. The material quickly gets damaged by UV. The best material I had was "Sunbrella". It lasted about 7 years. Other thick cotton may last 2-3 years.

The Tyvek we used was rated for about 2 years of continuous use outdoors. I use them when traveling, or at soaring camps and other events. The rest of the time the plane is hangared, so I expect to get 7 to 10 years out of the covers. They are lightweight (about 6 lbs for wing and tail covers) and can be easily compressed into a bag, then stored in the baggage compartment without taking up much room. I always carry them. Cost was about $200 for the material, and a day to cut out the pieces and sew them together.

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  • 1 month later...

Received the complete set of covers from the Czech company. Fit is absolutely perfect. No data yet on how they hold up in weather.

George F

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Great!

I am glad that you like the covers.

When the boys did measurements for first set of covers they spent really long time arround Phoenix :-)

Best regards!

Martin

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  • 1 year later...

Hi, George -

I was wondering if you could give a follow up report on the Phoenix covers you bought last year. How are they holding up? What was the total cost, including shipping? Were they just wing covers or a full set? Did they come with any expectation of how long they’d last? How do they fasten to the aircraft and each other? Thanks for your help.

Ed

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Ed,

I keep my plane hangared for the entire year and do not have information on how they will hold up. I originally intended to use them for a month or 2 when I kept my plane outside when I took extended trips but haven't done this yet. When I emailed the manufacturer in Czechoslovakia they said they should last about 2 years depending on the climate with exposure 24/7.

They cost about $750. and they were a full set of covers. The fit is superb and the fabric feels durable. The canopy cover attaches with straps. Go to http://www.planecover.cz/kontakty_en.html

Hope this helps.

George

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  • 11 months later...

I did order from Bruce's Custom Covers.  He quoted me 2500$ and then drove out to my home field KRHV, took the measurements and made the covers in a few weeks.  The covers are a very durable nylon with extra soft lining for the canopy area.  

I'm very happy with the covers, but I don't use them all the time since i have a covered shelter at KRHV.  I expect these will last many years with my current usage pattern.   I intend to use these when parked outside at my soaring airport KTRK in the summer.

Bruce has the measurements now, so next covers he makes will fit just as well as mine ( excellent )

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  • 3 years later...

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