Glider Wraps, Gelcoat Refinishing

[Herbert kilian]

Soaring Cafe has published an article I wrote about the subject:
http://soaringcafe.com/2012/09/whats-your-pleasure-turkey-fajita-or-glider-wrap/
I would be interested what this forum thinks about the points made and
what the potential downsides are of wrapping a glider in plastic.
From my research, it should be a viable alternative to total
refinishing.
Herb Kilian

[JohnDeRosa]

Herb - I am betting that you read the same Sunday Chicago Tribune article "And that's a wrap" I did about wrapping a car in vinyl. It never occurred to me to use that on a glider. I now have visions of wrapping my wings in tiger stripes!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/used/sc-cons-0906-autocover-wrap-it-20120908,0,314744.story.

[Brad Alston]

Herb - I am betting that you read the same Sunday Chicago Tribune article "And that's a wrap" I did about wrapping a car in vinyl. It never occurred to me to use that on a glider. I now have visions of wrapping my wings in tiger stripes!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/used/sc-cons-0906-autocover-wrap-it-20120908,0,314744.story.

Yes, this is an interesting concept. My son does wraps and he has wrapped portions of his car. What I've noticed is that the areas wrapped tend to accumulate dust a LOT more than those areas that are not wrapped.

My assumption is that the static electricity build up on the vinyl is what keeps the dust particles attached more readily...but I'm no scientist! What that may mean in glider terms is that you may need to spend more time dusting the glider before take-off and, maybe after flying a while, any static build up may attract particles you don't want hanging around attached to the glider. This sounds like a great opportunity for some field experimentation!

Brad.

[[email protected]]

On the bottom wing surface one could put all kinds of fun stuff, also fuselage.
On a refinish the hard labor to remove the gel coat would still apply? Weight
would not be a problem?

Dieter

On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 12:33:42 PM UTC-6, Herbert kilian wrote:
> Soaring Cafe has published an article I wrote about the subject:
>
> http://soaringcafe.com/2012/09/whats-your-pleasure-turkey-fajita-or-glider-wrap/
>
> I would be interested what this forum thinks about the points made and
>
> what the potential downsides are of wrapping a glider in plastic.
>
> From my research, it should be a viable alternative to total
>
> refinishing.
>
> Herb Kilian

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 1:33:42 PM UTC-5, Herbert kilian wrote:
> Soaring Cafe has published an article I wrote about the subject:
>
> http://soaringcafe.com/2012/09/whats-your-pleasure-turkey-fajita-or-glider-wrap/
>
> I would be interested what this forum thinks about the points made and
>
> what the potential downsides are of wrapping a glider in plastic.
>
> From my research, it should be a viable alternative to total
>
> refinishing.
>
> Herb Kilian

I would call Dick Butler he can tell you about that.

[Herbert kilian]

On Sep 12, 8:43*pm, wrote:
> On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 1:33:42 PM UTC-5, Herbert kilian wrote:
> > Soaring Cafe has published an article I wrote about the subject:
>
> >http://soaringcafe.com/2012/09/whats-your-pleasure-turkey-fajita-or-g...
>
> > I would be interested what this forum thinks about the points made and
>
> > what the potential downsides are of wrapping a glider in plastic.
>
> > From my research, it should be a viable alternative to total
>
> > refinishing.
>
> > Herb Kilian
>
> I would call Dick Butler he can tell you about that.

Dick Butler's Concordia has - from the reports I've read - some
control surfaces wrapped in Monocote, a shrink film used for model
airplanes. This was done solely for mass reduction reasons, no gel-
coat on those structures. Car wrapping films are quite different.
I'm contemplating starting a field study by wrapping the (short)
winglets on my LS8-18 in white glossy film and to apply it myself
since I have some background. This is a non-structural component and
mine are like the rest of the glider in immaculate condition. The
material is available on-line and would cost around $50 for the two
winglets. That's cheap enough to remove the film after 1-2 years and
see what's underneath (if it holds up that long).
Herb

[Bob Whelan[_3_]]

On 9/13/2012 12:41 PM, Herbert kilian wrote:
> On Sep 12, 8:43 pm, wrote:
>> On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 1:33:42 PM UTC-5, Herbert kilian wrote:
>>> Soaring Cafe has published an article I wrote about the subject:

<Snip...>

>>> Herb Kilian
>>
>> I would call Dick Butler he can tell you about that.
>
> Dick Butler's Concordia has - from the reports I've read - some
> control surfaces wrapped in Monocote, a shrink film used for model
> airplanes. This was done solely for mass reduction reasons, no gel-
> coat on those structures. Car wrapping films are quite different.
> I'm contemplating starting a field study by wrapping the (short)
> winglets on my LS8-18 in white glossy film and to apply it myself
> since I have some background. This is a non-structural component and
> mine are like the rest of the glider in immaculate condition. The
> material is available on-line and would cost around $50 for the two
> winglets. That's cheap enough to remove the film after 1-2 years and
> see what's underneath (if it holds up that long).
> Herb
>

If you ever fly from "gravelly strips" (e.g. WW-II concrete airbases tend to
qualify in this neck of the woods) another area to consider wrapping might be
(part of) the tailboom aft of the main wheel where - in my experience - rock
damage accrues...an easy wrap, no laminar flow there to be disturbed, possible
reduction in "gravel damage"...

Regards,
Bob W.

[Tim Taylor]

No need to run the experiment. Just look under contest numbers on gliders and trailers. If I had a new glider with gel coat I would really look at wrapping the whole glider. I did the numbers a few years ago and total weight was only about 30 pounds or less for the wrap.

[Dave Nadler]

I suggest wrapping the canopy.
It would reduce all that annoying glare
that makes PDAs so hard to read.
See ya, Dave

[Paul Remde]

Maybe wrapping the pilot would lower injury rates... :)

Paul

"Dave Nadler" wrote in message
...

I suggest wrapping the canopy.
It would reduce all that annoying glare
that makes PDAs so hard to read.
See ya, Dave

[Tim Taylor]

An example:



http://blog.aopa.org/lgfsweeps/?p=110

[Dave Nadler]

On Friday, September 14, 2012 2:35:29 PM UTC-4, Tim Taylor wrote:
> An example:
> http://blog.aopa.org/lgfsweeps/?p=110

Darn, I was hoping for an example wrapped pilot.

[Craig Funston[_2_]]

On Friday, September 14, 2012 11:35:29 AM UTC-7, Tim Taylor wrote:
> An example:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> http://blog.aopa.org/lgfsweeps/?p=110

Looks like he's got three years on it now. Might be worth contacting him to see how it worked long term.

Craig

[Ramy]

On Friday, September 14, 2012 12:42:56 PM UTC-7, Craig Funston wrote:
> On Friday, September 14, 2012 11:35:29 AM UTC-7, Tim Taylor wrote:
>
> > An example:
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > http://blog.aopa.org/lgfsweeps/?p=110
>
>
>
> Looks like he's got three years on it now. Might be worth contacting him to see how it worked long term.
>
>
>
> Craig

LOL on the wrapped canopy and pilot. However as strange as it sounds, it may be a much more attractive and affordable alternative to complete refinish. Looking forward to hear more about it and if it is indeed a viable alternative.

Ramy

[Muttley]

Hi Bob

For your particular problem you do not need a full wrap but the following
could help

http://www.streckenflug.at/shop/product_info.php?cPath=42&products_id=800

[rlovinggood]

Wrapping an aircraft isn't new.

Back in 1983, I saw several F-104 Starfighters in white shrink-wrap material. They were to be shipped from Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, to Taiwan. The F-104's were at Luke for training German pilots. However, in the early 80's, the Luftwaffe was changing over to Tornado's and the training program, run not by the U.S. Air Force, but by Lockheed came to an end.

Herbert, how's your project coming? If you want to increase the scope of the project, just shrink wrap the Cobra with LS8 inside and ship to me. I'll continue the test and you can go and get yourself a self-launcher that you've would like to have!

Ray

[Herbert kilian]

On Sep 15, 7:34*am, rlovinggood > wrote:
> Wrapping an aircraft isn't new.
>
> Back in 1983, I saw several F-104 Starfighters in white shrink-wrap material. *They were to be shipped from Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, to Taiwan. *The F-104's were at Luke for training German pilots. However, in the early 80's, the Luftwaffe was changing over to Tornado's and the training program, run not by the U.S. Air Force, but by Lockheed came to an end.
>
> Herbert, how's your project coming? *If you want to increase the scope of the project, just shrink wrap the Cobra with LS8 inside and ship to me. *I'll continue the test and you can go and get yourself a self-launcher that you've would like to have!
>
> Ray

....just shrink wrap the Cobra with LS8 inside and ship to me.
Ray, I would gladly comply and ship my LS8 to you! Problem is, you
wouldn't know what to do with it!
(You had it coming)
Herb

[Chip Bearden[_2_]]

I rubbed off portions of my old contest number on a glider years ago
to convert JB to JE for the new owner. The otherwise crazed gel coat
looked perfect where the numbers had been. It was kind of eerie to see
how much protection had been provided by that thin layer of gray
lacquer.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
U.S.A.

[[email protected]]

> I would call Dick Butler he can tell you about that. Dick Butler's Concordia has - from the reports I've read - some control surfaces wrapped in Monocote, a shrink film used for model airplanes. This was done solely for mass reduction

I could see Monocote(high heat film) and Oracover(low heat activated film) being used in this capacity but it depends on what is underlaying. Generally RC films work well and easily with balsa and obeechi sheeting. They can be applied on raw, clean (parting wax removed completely) fiberglass but that's not as easy and really hard if the surface is a curved or of complex shape. And films often have to be tempered meaning the first few times in the sunlight they can bubble/relax and sag from heat and have to be reheated/re-shrunk. The car wrap technology sounds interesting and appears to work well on complex surfaces. It would be interesting to see how it is done.