also try
www.pointofentry.org
KK

> ...but AFAIK, nobody's ever reported dust-induced corrosion.... extreme dessicant... etc.

Good morning!!

Try this experiment. Take a new screwdriver. As soon as you arrive, push it, tip first, into the playa. Put a cone or something over the handle so no one clocks themselves. When you leave, pull the screwdriver out and look at the formerly new and shiny blade.

That will answer your question on playa being corrosive and how much. We used a couple for corners on our camp layout, and they were rusty nasty. Also, the effects of the alkaline chemical dust (which, thinking about it, is the remnants of a huge saltwater sea - you know what salt water does to metal) are exacerbated by moisture. The 15% RH of the Playa keeps the reaction down, but add humidity and powie. That's why bikes end up rusty and nasty.

Most people take care of their playa stuff (including planes) so it's not noticable. I know of a few pilots who haven't done a post playa cleanup, and they report (so far) no probs to speak of, but then again, knowing how old aluminum corrodes so easily under the wrong conditions...

Also, it IS known (from those of us who run equipment out there) that playa dust wreaks havoc on electronics and electrical stuff. If nothing else, you want to make sure that your ignition and avionics (and switches, etc.) are at least blown clean to get the dust out.

It's all risk VS convenience. Sure you can leave the plane playafied (with all that playa-scented goodness!!) but what's hapening to it on a molecular level? I don't know, other than observations on other machinery that live in (and in and out of) playa dust (like my bike and the pickup) but it'd be interesting to have someone do a real study (rather than bootstrap guesses, of which, honestly, this is, too!) to what the effcts really are.

Hugz and Freitags...
bb