Environmental Events

Aircraft parked outdoors are exposed to the elements. Over time, that exposure can generate maintenance items. The best protection is keeping your aircraft in a hangar. See How to Use Hangars.

How Exposure Works

The system tracks how long each aircraft has been parked outside. When an exposure threshold is reached, there’s a chance a maintenance event is generated. The more severe the conditions, the shorter the threshold and the higher the probability.

ConditionExposure Threshold
Standard outdoor storage24 hours
Storm conditions6 hours
Severe storm with high winds6 hours
Prolonged outdoor storage7 days
Long-term outdoor storage30 days
Wildlife hazard area72 hours

Reaching a threshold doesn’t guarantee an event. Each one triggers a probability roll, not an automatic result.

What Happens When an Event Triggers

A maintenance item is added to the aircraft. Examples include hail damage on surfaces, corrosion from moisture, UV degradation, or wildlife interference. These work the same as any other maintenance item: you’ll see them on the aircraft detail page and need to resolve them before the aircraft is airworthy again.

See Aircraft Maintenance and Inspections for how to handle open maintenance items.

Staying Ahead of It

  • Store aircraft in hangars when they’re not flying.
  • Check aircraft status before scheduling long trips.
  • If you own aircraft spread across multiple airports, check each one periodically.