reinforcing tape & dollar patches

Having a bit of a problem with reinforcing tape under dollar patches on my PA22
I have the jpeg images of control surfaces clearly showing 1 1/2 inch patch over the stitches

Also read in 42.13-1B section 2-9 ...Random or wide spacing, such as fuselage stringers... wanting 2-inch lengths for a single
stitch.

And no where can I find in the current Stits manual anything on reinforcing tape under dollar patches.

Just got off the telephone with the Piper guru in TN with the dollar patch die. He did not have the spec. He remembers and agrees they must be short.

How long is the reinforcing tape under a single Piper control surface stitch?
What Piper document calls this out or can I find it in the 43.13?


Control surfaces in pink ready to stitch, tape and finish.
Thanks to all in advance

I didn't do short reinforce tapes nor the dollar patches, I thought they'd look "patchy".

Full length reinforce tape... & iron flat your rib stitches (prevents big unsightly bumps) and put on 2" finishing tape the full length, over your reinforce tapes/stitches.

Makes it look... well... finished.

checking the Piper drawing Steve Pierce posted at
http://www.supercub.org/phpbb2/view...ar+patch&sid=1b53ad4d9d96d1f04bddbab43e3f6a08

Piper used a single stitch and patch for the outboard ribs not 24 inches of reinforcing tape and then 24 inches of finishing tape for a single stitch.

And many thanks to Steve for the many old Piper images he has posted.

From Steve Pierce's post

Note the single stitch on the outboard V ribs.
Also

Everybody has opinions. If you have a desire to be original, you need the dollar patches. The reinforcing tape seems to have been roughly an inch long, with square ends. I always rounded mine off.

If you are looking for service the idea of a full length surface tape is a good one - I now use tapes everywhere. It is not original, and doesn't look like it. So I put dollar patches over the stitches. You really do not need more stitches than Piper put in there, but they do not weigh much.

You will not fail an annual inspection because your reinforcing tapes are off by a quarter-inch - note how difficult it is to get an answer to your question, then ask yourself how your IA will know any better than this knowledgable group? Opinion.

I make them a 1/2-3/4". Just needs to keep the stitch from pulling through the fabric.

51-pa22 said:

Piper used a single stitch and patch for the outboard ribs not 24 inches of reinforcing tape and then 24 inches of finishing tape for a single stitch.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I was thinking (picturing) my tail feathers. Actually I had no idea there was only ONE stitch in any control surface!!

There were several things that needed changing/reinforcing/updating on my '56 -18A, but I respect those of you who want to keep things original.