I’ve heard that planes, vehicles, equipment, etc. are not built for long term disuse. What is it about occasional use that may leave for example a plane in better condition than if left in a hangar all year?

Question

I’ve heard that planes, vehicles, equipment, etc. are not built for long term disuse. What is it about occasional use that may leave for example a plane in better condition than if left in a hangar all year?

In: 37

Answer 1

In addition to the other excellent answers here, the seals dry out and shrink and crack if they are sitting around dry all the time. Once they shrink or crack, they start leaking which can lead to other problems.

With tires, if tires sit in the same position long enough they start developing flat spots.