Fabric Ages?

What sort of life expectancy can you expect to get out the various types of fabric coverings and under what sort of weather/hangar/maintenance conditions?

I know this is going to be a question with hundreds of variables and many different answers and opinions but any info would be appreciated?

Thanks.

David.

Not really an option anymore, but.....The Irish Linen/nitrate dope on our J-3 was put on in '73 and it still looks good. Aircraft has always been hangared and is owned by an A&P IA. Probably will recover in the next five years, if anything to do a full tube and wood inspection with the cover off.

Short answer....Kept hangared and out of the elements, a fabric job can last well over thirty years. Keep it outside in the wind, rain, sleet, hail, snow, ice and sun and you could possibly have to recover in less than 10.

Poly-Fiber is our preferred process now...FWIW.

My Champ was covered in '88, then set outside until '96 when i got it. It was covered with the Stits proccess. but just lose few years outside destroyed the fabric on the tops of the wings, tail, and fuslage. Planning on starting the recover this christmas break.


Anybody who leave a fabric covered plane outside should be smacked !!! :x

Fabric Ages

I agree with the previous post. Very few use linen any more with long life synthetic available. My 1959 PA-18 was purchased by my father in 1964 with the original fabric on it. At the first inspection we learned what a test in the high green means . . . .$$$$$$ It only tested 36 lbs. on top of the wings. I remember the sensation of putting my fingers through the wing panels. Seems to sell the plane they put a new coat of dope on it an lots of wax. It tested O.K. then . . but at annual . .nope. It had led a tough life outside in Northern New York and then Western New York. In 64' we covered it with the Cooper (101) process and Randolph dope. The plane has been hangared in W.N.Y since then. The cover was on about 18 years when we started getting cracks in the dope. This is because the dope ages and looses it's adhesion to the fabric (flexing, etc.) If you put too much dope on . . . it can start cracking in as short as 3-4 years. ( Have seen it several times at the Fly-In in Lock Haven) It was recovered again with basically the same process Once again the fuselage was recovered again this past year to solve a corrosion problem. We rejuvenated the wings and they should last several more years. Had we known about rejuvenating several years ago . . we could have delayed things a few years. But again as the previous post . . . . it is good to look at what is going to keep you alive . . .every 20-25 years. Each time the synthetic fabric seemed as tough as new . . . when cutting it off. But the fabric is not the concern. It is the integrity of tubing, etc. Even a well "pampered" bird will have a few hidden secretes after 30+ years . . . as I'm sure other "birdmen" will attest.

1966 cotton

My 66 cub still has the original cotton on the wings. It breaks in a pull test at 68 lbs. The bird has been hangered it's whole life except for 6 months on the ramp waiting for my hanger to get built. In my opinion, the main reason it's lasted is that Piper put fungicide on the cotton before doping, and that fungicide is colored a deep dark blue. It probably absorbs any UV that gets through the silver dope. I conducted many light tests on my patch repairs, and have gone to the practice of putting down a coat of dark blue before applying the silver. It's too difficult to apply a consistant coat of silver that is light proof. The Maule tester quit working (failed the fabric)at 68 lbs. 43.13 calls out a pull test.