REFLECTOR: Aircraft Covers

[David Scharfenberg]

Hi Terry

One word of advise would be to be very careful where you put the seems.  
  I have a cover that I purchased from the factory a long time ago.  The  
seems did quite a bit of damage to the plexiglass windows.  I would try  
to keep the seems away from that area.

Dave Scharfenberg



On Dec 15, 2008, at 3:23 PM, Terry Miles wrote:

>> ON AIRCRAFT COVERS
>>  
>> I am trying to work on my interior.  (Read: fix my door leaks before  
>> I can do much else.)  I am looking into aircraft covers for a simple  
>> door leak fix, or sewing a cover myself.  Here’s what I have been  
>> able to learn so far.  If you google “aircraft covers,”  there are  
>> two makers.  One (Kennon) won’t do any experimental aircraft covers  
>> and refers you to Bruce.  The other (Bruce’s Aircraft covers) lists a  
>> cover for the Velocity models but will not do ours anymore citing too  
>> much variance between builders and models to make it worth his  
>> while.  The fabric he uses is not real chafe tolerant so any  
>> protrusions like door handles or inlet scoops need to be custom  
>> re-inforced or the cover life is seriously compromised. 
>>  
>> To do this myself, it is going to take pattern making time/materials  
>> and an equipment investment.  I think I could make several and it  
>> would drop the set up costs to me which I think will run $1100 or so  
>> in a sewing machine + work table, seaming accessories, and some  
>> sample material to experiment with.  If you are interested in a  
>> cover, read on.  Otherwise you can delete this post.
>>  
>> The first choice is material.  The longer lasting material is heavier  
>> and bulkier.  The light weight stuff rolls up into a much smaller  
>> ball, but won’t wear quite as long as the horse blanket stuff.  Third  
>> choice is light weight, longer wearing, high tech for more money.   
>>  If you were parked outside all the time, the heavier stuff might  
>> make sense.  If you wanted a dust cover inside a hangar and a weekend  
>> trip rain cover, then the later would make more sense. 
>>  
>> A run of the mill spam can cover is table cloth size pc fitted nicely  
>> and with belly straps fore and aft of the wing.  (Canards can do  
>> that).  These spam can covers sell for $375 to $425 or so depending  
>> on size.  Canards can’t do the tablecloth routine.   
>> http://www.aircraftcovers.com/index.php? 
>> cPath=1_15_615_618&tplDir=fallback
>>  
>> The cover I envision is going to look a lot like this.  It will be  
>> fitted to encase the nose, the upper fuselage and stretch back to  
>> include the cooling air exits, but not the prop or any of the strake.  
>>   For now the anticipated price is $600 which is no more than copy  
>> catting his price for now too. I would hope to beat it by some, but  
>> not enough to impact anybody’s buying decision based on cost.   I  
>> don’t know yet.  I am not out to skin anybody, or get rich at this. 
>>  
>> I don’t want to advertise on our forum beyond this question to the  
>> group.   I am not saying I will even do it.  I just want to know what  
>> the interest is, and some sense of marine dingy cover material versus  
>> space age synthetics.  Contact me off line at  
>> terrence_miles at hotmail.com  if you want to know more.  …or you know  
>> somebody with a commercial sewing machine for sale.
>>  
>> Terry
>>  
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