jimboflying
MEMBER
How is the Airworthiness of the fabric on an airplane usually determined at each annual inspection?
A friend just tore her Super Cub down that was covered in 1980 because it kept tear at the longerons and some places on the wings. She applied tapes to the tears but finally decided she wanted a nice airplane and tore it down for recover.
I put a Maule tester on the fabric in several places before we stripped it. It was good every time, except for the big ringworm the tester left in the dope. The problem was the fabric splitting where it rubbed something underneath. It was 40 year old Ceconite and dope.
.... is starting to split the middle horizontal tape on the left side below the window.
DENNY
FWIW a buddy of mine had a Luscombe with old "irish linen" cover on the wings--
the fabric was fine, even after many many years, but the (cotton?) stitching was failing.
It (rightfully) made him nervous so he recovered,
installed a set of wing tanks while he was at it.
Then bumped it from an A65 to an O200--
it's quite the performer!
Haven't got the exact hours since recover but probably between 5-6K hours and 28 years. Drummed through the fuselage fabric on the right side, top longeron.
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How is the Airworthiness of the fabric on an airplane usually determined at each annual inspection?
Haven't got the exact hours since recover but probably between 5-6K hours and 28 years. Drummed through the fuselage fabric on the right side, top longeron.
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I don't see a stick, this timeHaven't got the exact hours since recover but probably between 5-6K hours and 28 years. Drummed through the fuselage fabric on the right side, top longeron.
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I don't see a stick, this time
Judging from the appearance of the pinked edges, that fabric and tapes were not installed correctly. The tape is supposed to protect from this type of separation by doubling up the fabric thickness in possible wear areas. That being said, it did last 28 years and it was a pressure/wear location that failed, not the fabric.Haven't got the exact hours since recover but probably between 5-6K hours and 28 years. Drummed through the fuselage fabric on the right side, top longeron.
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Did someone paint it with enamel to supposedly toughen it up?There is a flying 1950 Pacer up here with the cotton it left the factory with.
Glenn
Did someone paint it with enamel to supposedly toughen it up?
have heard of people re-stiching wings, then taping and repainting... was common in cotton days....