Since most of our population lives near the ocean, that's where most of the airports are as well. When airplanes are parked outside on the ramp they are exposed to the salt air. This can cause premature corrosion, and serious damage to the skin and components of an aircraft. Over time it can become overwhelming and when you add that to the normal fatigue of the total time the aircraft has flown on its airframe it can be significant.
Now then, if you are purchasing an aircraft this is something you should be considering. Do you really want to buy an aircraft which has been exposed for many decades next to or in the salt air creating internal corrosion issues? Okay so, let's talk about this for second, especially if you are buying a used aircraft.
In fact, in the book "Buying and Owning Your Own Airplane," 1980, by James E. Ellis the author notes that before you purchase an aircraft you should consider "Where it has been based? An airplane in the salt-air environment of the island of Nantucket could be expected to have more serious corrosion problems than one from the dry desert of Tucson, AZ."
Now then, there are other challenges when you buy an aircraft that is perhaps parked out in the desert due to the winds which whip up and can sandblast the aircraft if it's parked outside. For instance, there could be damaged to the Plexiglas, pitted windshields, paint peeling from the leading edges, fiberglass damage to the cowling, along with sand particles getting into the air intake and mixing in with hydraulic fluid and grease which can get under the olio strut causing landing gear problems.
Also if you buy an aircraft that has been parked out at a desert airport the paint could be faded, chalky, with lots of oxidation. Indeed, field rats, and birds often use aircraft for shading from the hot summer sun, building their nests inside. The hot desert can also cause premature failure to hoses and belts. Therefore, these are other things to consider. If you are in some sort of climate between the desert, and an airport near the ocean, there might be a significant amount of humidity in the air, this can cause mold inside the cabin, which isn't good for the aircraft either.
Suffice it to say if you're going to purchase an aircraft, you need to know what to look for based on the regional weather conditions, and this should be a deciding factor prior to buying any airplane for yourself. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow has launched a new series of eBooks on the Aircraft Cleaning and Detailing Business. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a The Aircraft Wash Guys, a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/
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