Cheap Covering

brian whatcott wrote:
Stealth Pilot wrote:

I'm convinced that finishes like razorback and ceconite over polyester
would not be certified with the hindsight to see their faults.

my aircraft was covered in Stits, or Polyfiber as it is now know, back
in 1983~4. despite thinking that it was good for maybe another 4 years
for all of the past 10 or 12 years the bloody stuff just will not die.
it is painted in polytone which will remain repairable for the life of
the finish. just wipe back with a rag soaked in MEK, do the repair and
rebuild the finish. /snip/
Stealth Pilot

Is polyfiber a proprietary name for polyester 1.8 ounce heat shrinkable
cloth - also found in drapers as polyester lining material?


Brian W

Yes, probably, but what you find in "cloth stores" has already been heat
shrunk!--Jerry

I purchased the plane and found some questionable airframe problems
under close inspection. Then we adopted 2 girls from China and all
airplane activity ceased for a few years ( we got little Anna when I
turned 50 and actually thought I could adopt a second girl, raise two
infants, work and put hundreds of hours into a plane project, isn't
denial a wonderful thing).

With the problems I found on the fuselage and my new family to
consider I've decided to completely refurbish the plane and bring it
up to proper standards before flying it now. I'm glad I decided this
after pulling the fuselage fabric. My plane was built in the 60's and
I want to refurbish it and keep it flying for another 50 years. Also
it was very overbuilt so I can reduce weight dramatically and am
trying to get its empty weight down to 600#s like Pete Bowers
prototype.

To me the plane is a valued antique that represents all that I admire
from the early days of amateur built airplanes movement. Nothing
represents those days better than a Fly Baby or a Tailwind.

As the mechanic in charge I had to ground the airplane, tough
decision. I believe more of us need to be prepared to ground our
planes when they need it. I once read a discussion with a NASA safety
expert. He said they found out through research that the second a
pilot gets that little gut feeling that someting might happen the
proper evasive procedure should be instituted immediately.



tell me why you are contemplating replacing the stits.
what is wrong with it?

I ask because the damn stuff doesnt deteriorate in a hangar. if it is
just the paint finish that is stuffed then that can be repaired.
you can spray rejuvinator over it to replasticise the finish.
you can wipe the finish off with mek if it is polytone.

are you sure you need to replace the stits at all?
Stealth Pilot- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Yes, probably, but what you find in "cloth stores" has already been
heat
shrunk!--Jerry

I have found some have had luck with finding shrinkable drapery
linings and sheer fabric. It comes in 108-110 inch widths but would
need to be tested before buying any quantity. One guy took a small
swatch home and cut it to 10" then ironed it. It shrunk in length to
about 9" or 10% shrinkage. It weighed about 2oz. per yard. A good
indication is if the specs call for dry clean only. Seems the
offshore supplied stuff might be more likely to shrink.

canuck_bob wrote:
Yes, probably, but what you find in "cloth stores" has already been
heat
shrunk!--Jerry

I have found some have had luck with finding shrinkable drapery
linings and sheer fabric. It comes in 108-110 inch widths but would
need to be tested before buying any quantity. One guy took a small
swatch home and cut it to 10" then ironed it. It shrunk in length to
about 9" or 10% shrinkage. It weighed about 2oz. per yard. A good
indication is if the specs call for dry clean only. Seems the
offshore supplied stuff might be more likely to shrink.


Ask for it "in the griege" (pronounced "gray".

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/griege

On Sat, 8 Aug 2009 13:45:37 -0700 (PDT), canuck_bob
wrote:


I purchased the plane and found some questionable airframe problems
under close inspection. Then we adopted 2 girls from China and all
airplane activity ceased for a few years ( we got little Anna when I
turned 50 and actually thought I could adopt a second girl, raise two
infants, work and put hundreds of hours into a plane project, isn't
denial a wonderful thing).

With the problems I found on the fuselage and my new family to
consider I've decided to completely refurbish the plane and bring it
up to proper standards before flying it now. I'm glad I decided this
after pulling the fuselage fabric. My plane was built in the 60's and
I want to refurbish it and keep it flying for another 50 years. Also
it was very overbuilt so I can reduce weight dramatically and am
trying to get its empty weight down to 600#s like Pete Bowers
prototype.

To me the plane is a valued antique that represents all that I admire
from the early days of amateur built airplanes movement. Nothing
represents those days better than a Fly Baby or a Tailwind.

As the mechanic in charge I had to ground the airplane, tough
decision. I believe more of us need to be prepared to ground our
planes when they need it. I once read a discussion with a NASA safety
expert. He said they found out through research that the second a
pilot gets that little gut feeling that someting might happen the
proper evasive procedure should be instituted immediately.


with a 25 year old W8 Tailwind I face a similar choice in the
forseeable future. Luckily for me tube structures in fuselages last
longer than wood ones.
like you I think that they are worth restoring.
Stealth Pilot

Thanks Cavelamb, I'm trying my local fabric stores this week. /that
tip will be very helpful.

Stealth Pilot I originally bought the Fly Baby to have a plane to fly
that was in fact a full kit for systems. It dawned on me that a
flying plane would be a cheaper source of parts for a project rather
than sourcing individually. Then I started to understand the design
and the history of the aircraft and the building movement in North
America and fell for the design.

Ron's site really helped to see all this. Then I looked at the
Tailwind as a possible project and realized it started the movement to
legitamacy when it was the first homebuilt licenced to carry a
passenger.

I would like to see the EAA start an Antique Homebuilt category and
start elevating the status of these old homebuilts. But their
direction and goals are focused at the other end of the spectrum from
the Fly Baby and what it represents. They no longer support or
endorse the working guy who has to build and fly cheap, cheap like an
older used car cheap. You know guys like Poberezny and his buddies
meeting in a basement redesigning Corben planes because they wanted to
experiment and build cheap while feeding a family. Cheap has become
$40,000 and affordable $80-120,000 according to our GA savior LSA.

"canuck_bob" wrote in message
...
Thanks Cavelamb, I'm trying my local fabric stores this week. /that
tip will be very helpful.

Stealth Pilot I originally bought the Fly Baby to have a plane to fly
that was in fact a full kit for systems. It dawned on me that a
flying plane would be a cheaper source of parts for a project rather
than sourcing individually. Then I started to understand the design
and the history of the aircraft and the building movement in North
America and fell for the design.

Ron's site really helped to see all this. Then I looked at the
Tailwind as a possible project and realized it started the movement to
legitamacy when it was the first homebuilt licenced to carry a
passenger.

I would like to see the EAA start an Antique Homebuilt category and
start elevating the status of these old homebuilts. But their
direction and goals are focused at the other end of the spectrum from
the Fly Baby and what it represents. They no longer support or
endorse the working guy who has to build and fly cheap, cheap like an
older used car cheap. You know guys like Poberezny and his buddies
meeting in a basement redesigning Corben planes because they wanted to
experiment and build cheap while feeding a family. Cheap has become
$40,000 and affordable $80-120,000 according to our GA savior LSA.

You have a lot of good points there, and it's really interesting to note
that the Tailwind is still the plane to try to beat for efficiency.

Some of the kits can give it a run; but you are right about the price.

A lot of the problem is simply that a kit is about the least expensive form
that can fit into a business plan that includes an advertising budget, and
organized fly-in events require a lot of funding. The general security
madness also seems to add to the subsequent cost of basing and operation,
even if it does also have some efficacy in reducing the incidence of theft.

Actually, a lot of plans are still out there, all types of engines have
gotten lighter for their power output, and the same basic principles of
flight still work. So, perhaps the best that we can do is to try to
convince the EAA to roll Sport Pilot into Sport Aviation and to bring back
Experimenter as their seperate magazine. It was far from perfect; but it
could still be the best solution.

Peter

"Stealth Pilot" wrote

with a 25 year old W8 Tailwind I face a similar choice in the
forseeable future. Luckily for me tube structures in fuselages last
longer than wood ones.
like you I think that they are worth restoring.

I would like to be able to buy a non used, legal set of W-8 plans to build,
somehow. The W-8 should be able to build light enough for the Light Sport
rule, if built lightly with the right engine. The W-10 plans currently for
sale seem to be a bit more heavy to fit the rule.

What is so much different between the two, if you know what is different?
--
Jim in NC

On Sun, 9 Aug 2009 20:29:17 -0400, "Morgans"
wrote:


"Stealth Pilot" wrote

with a 25 year old W8 Tailwind I face a similar choice in the
forseeable future. Luckily for me tube structures in fuselages last
longer than wood ones.
like you I think that they are worth restoring.

I would like to be able to buy a non used, legal set of W-8 plans to build,
somehow. The W-8 should be able to build light enough for the Light Sport
rule, if built lightly with the right engine. The W-10 plans currently for
sale seem to be a bit more heavy to fit the rule.

What is so much different between the two, if you know what is different?

Jim I hope that that email address works.
christmas is coming early this year. :-)
Stealth Pilot

"Stealth Pilot" wrote


Jim I hope that that email address works.
christmas is coming early this year. :-)

It works, but you do have to take the "JUNK" out.

You have my interest peaked, now! g
--
Jim in NC