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How long does fabric covering last? I heard you have to recover every few years. This business about recovering every few years comes from the old days of covering with cotton and linen. That's ancient history. Today, all covering is done with heat-shrunk polyester fabric. With proper application, today's fabric systems last 20 to 30 years, even outdoors. TopI'm confused about the different systems. Please summarize them. There are really only three basic systems, and they all start with heat-shrunk fabric:
Of these systems, which is cheaper? How much will it cost to cover my plane? If you got a price quote on each of the three systems, you'd see that they all total about the same. Only the cost per can is different. For instance, dope costs about £45.00 a gallon, Poly-Fiber is about £55.00 a gallon, but you need twice as much dope as Poly-Fiber. The urethanes can get as high as £200.00 including catalyst and flex agents. Here you use fewer gallons, but at a much higher price. No matter which system you use, the final cost for the fabric, tapes, coatings and paint is about the same. Cub sized aeroplanes will cost approx £2,000, depending on the colour you choose. Bi Plane (Tiger-Stamp) will cost approx £2,500 Ultralights run about £1500 on average. Can I cover my own aeroplane? I'm not a Licensed Engineer. Most of the aeroplanes covered today are done by owner/builders. Fabric covering is easy to do; it's just time consuming. Your PFA Inspector will usually supervise your work for a reasonable fee, then sign the paperwork and logbooks if you do a good job that meets with his approval. Ask around at your airport, or in your PFA Strut. Have a chat with your Inspector. What if it's a 'C of A' aeroplane? This has to be done by a Licenced Engineer or an Approved Organisation but have a word with them. Most will be pleased with a helping hand and may even let you do it under their supervision. Get a copy of the Poly-Fiber manual. There are 135 pages of easy-to-follow instructions on basic fabric covering. Over the past 30 years, thousands of aircraft have been covered by following this manual. Better still, come to the Poly-Fiber sponsored workshop at the PFA Rally. If you can spare a weekend, you will come away with all the knowledge and skills you need. Get a copy of the Poly-Fiber video. This EAA video contains two hours of visual instructions. How much does fabric covering weigh? What is the lightest system? When Cubs rolled off the line, they had 75 pounds of Grade A cotton and dope on them. A Ceconite and dope finish on that same Cub will probably weigh about 50 to 60 pounds. A Cub done in Poly-Fiber has 40 to 45 pounds of finish weight. A Cub done in urethane can get pretty heavy if you lay on the thick coats. Urethane is not known for its light weight. Ultralights can be done in as little as 12 to 15 pounds. How long will it take a first-timer to cover an aeroplane? If you have the luxury of working on it eight hours a day, you can finish in a month or so. Of course, this all depends on your work habits, speed, and expectations. Most people do it during a winter season of weekends and evenings. Can I mix products from the different systems? No. Pick a system and stay with it. Mixing and experimenting can result in disasters of all sorts. Unless you have a degree in organic chemistry, a full lab, and the time to test your experiments, we recommend you stay conservative. Remember, you're going to ride in this aeroplane. Do I have to rib lace? My kit manufacturer says it's not necessary. Lift acts like a giant vacuum cleaner, exerting a peeling force on the top of your wing. You have to do something to hold your fabric on other than just gluing it. Pop rivets, screws, clips, and rib lacing are designed to secure fabric for long service lives. Rib lacing is kindest to the rib structures, and it's really pretty easy to learn. It takes only about five hours to lace a wing. This is great insurance and it costs very little. Yes, you have to rib lace. But it is really a piece of cake to do. Glue alone does not hack it. I want a really shiny finish. Can I use my favourite car paint? We don't recommend it. Urethane paints designed for automotive or other hard substrates just don't last long on fabric. They are fine paints for stiff, non-flexing surfaces, but were never designed to last for years on vibrating, flexing fabric. Be smart and use something designed from the start for fabric. Nothing is more disappointing that cracking paint over perfectly good fabric. And there is no easy remedy. You can't strip it. You have to recover. |
