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Pa-12 interior

buckeye

Registered User
denver colorado
Hey guys I'm getting ready to start the interior of my -12 project. I am wondering if anyone has any patterns from a previous project that would help cut down on the time and work. I'm putting in a metal interior and headliner.

Thanks for the help in advance.
 
What are the benefits of metal interior, other than pretty. Been my experience that lighter planes fly best. Weight difference from fabric , as original, over metal---???? Maybe you plan to haul heavy loads of moose meat like, like a friend of mine ---then you NEED metal.--HA !
 
My PA-12 interior is fabric. I'll take what precious little weight advantage I can get to offset the multitude of mods that have added a lot of weight. Why a metal interior?

windy
 
What are the benefits of metal interior, other than pretty. Been my experience that lighter planes fly best. Weight difference from fabric , as original, over metal---???? Maybe you plan to haul heavy loads of moose meat like, like a friend of mine ---then you NEED metal.--HA !

I know of a -12 that has flown many years as a part135 airtaxi airplane with a FABRIC interior. No question it has carried "...heavy loads of moose meat...". :)
 
My AL baggage walls rattle like a bucket full of empty soup cans. Really loud now that the ground is frozen when I taxi. Wonder if Kydex would be quieter?

Glenn
 
Contact glued bubble wrap works great on .020 aluminum. On the back side of course. Mike
 
I like my fabric interior, except that access to stuff like fuel valves can be a problem if it's needed. But - - I could have solved that problem with a little more foresight in placing inspection / access plates on the interior.
 
Gordon,
It's not too late to add inspection holes/covers to the interior. I've added a couple to mine & it looks like they were planned, not an afterthought.

windy
 
Agreed, Windy - just haven't "had to" yet - only "wanted to"!! I had a fuel valve that decided it wanted to leak, and was just barely able to reach it through the stock style hole to get it fixed. If I were to do it over I'd install backing plates in strategic locations, ready to be cut out for access covers if necessary.
 
My 12 came with aluminum baggage and interior. It does not rattle. It is large extending way back. It has floor tie downs... it don't use them. It has a large upper extended baggage door I really like. I like that when I open the extended baggage door that there is no shelf... I can easily access items in the lower section.... I feel it gives me good options when I have long, large, or odd shaped things. There is no way you could talk me into adding a shelf. I'm sure that it is heavy compared to other options. The usual comment I get is that it is a really good looking utility baggage. I like the fact that even when I jam pack it there is no pressure on the exterior fabric.
 
My extended baggage compartment is metal-walled (no rattle), also, but only have the shelf & compartment door. Yours sounds really nice & very useful jrb. The fabric interior I was referring to is in the cockpit area. There's the outer fabric of the fuselage and an inner fabric in the cockpit, with the fuselage tubing, fuel lines, cables, pulleys, etc, in between.
 
I know Oratex has been discussed here on covering the exterior of aircraft, but what about on the inside if it is as durable and easy to repair as advertised it looks like the perfect choice? It would be the lightest and most durable I can think of.
 
Hey guys I'm getting ready to start the interior of my -12 project. I am wondering if anyone has any patterns from a previous project that would help cut down on the time and work. I'm putting in a metal interior and headliner.

Thanks for the help in advance.

buckeye,

You might want to consider .040 Kydex as an alternative to metal. It's pre-finished and easier/more forgiving to work with than metal. It will take Skup-like creativity and patience to form a headliner in Kydex, though. I did metal up top. The D windows transitioning to the overhead was no big deal with a break and a rivet gun. Bending Kydex never occurred to us but Mike has demonstrated that it's a viable option. If you prefer metal side panels? Go for it. Lots of Cubs have used metal interiors successfully for lots of years. All the rattle talk? Poor installations. As for patterns? I wouldn't trust two -12s being the same. Buy some card stock and masking tape and make patterns for yourself. That'll be a simple task relative to the rest of the project. Make sure you have enough tabs and have them correctly placed to attach the panels. Have fun!
 
My biggest rattle problem is the Scott 2000 rock hard tailwheel. Even harder when it cold and transmits every little bump it touches. I'm modifying a little Maule soft tire to fit the Scott.

Glenn
 
Interior

Maybe try the Kydex. It works really well!
 

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buckeye,
... It will take Skup-like creativity and patience to form a headliner in Kydex, ...

Santa.. oh I mean the fed-ex guy, delivered some strip heaters yesterday, that I hope will work well for heating just the area you need to form or mold in the kydex... http://www.briskheat.com/p-152-rh-plastic-bending-strip-heater.aspx


kinda cheesy setup the built, mine will be aluminum, adjustable width heating area, with a temp controller... or so is the plan at the moment...

 
That is how I bent the aft skylight on my L-21 windows. Works good.

I'm really happy with my aluminum sidewalls and fabric headliner---very durable and quiet. I glued thin slices of foam to the backside of aluminum to reduce rattle---works good. One change: I wish I had an inspection cover for the trim handle so I could lube the pulley without removing the whole side panel.
 
... I wish I had an inspection cover for the trim handle so I could lube the pulley without removing the whole side panel.

my plan from here on out, is to make ONE plate/cover/cutout that covers trim and fuel valve area (PA-18 ), will also include area where right tank front line tees into fuel line... will probably also have all the placard wording and warnings on it also, above fuel valve....
 
my plan from here on out, is to make ONE plate/cover/cutout that covers trim and fuel valve area (PA-18 ), will also include area where right tank front line tees into fuel line... will probably also have all the placard wording and warnings on it also, above fuel valve....

I use .025" aluminum covered with a weave fabric glued directly to the metal. No padding.

John
 

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my plan from here on out, is to make ONE plate/cover/cutout that covers trim and fuel valve area (PA-18 ), will also include area where right tank front line tees into fuel line... will probably also have all the placard wording and warnings on it also, above fuel valve....


Mike, How big of an inspection cover would that be?
 
One change: I wish I had an inspection cover for the trim handle so I could lube the pulley without removing the whole side panel.

Flyin S, Couldn't you just remove the trim crank and take the cover plate off to get to the upper pulley?
 
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