3 Leather hides

[Yetti]

So I was searching for leather hides....  and The leather hide store had some on sale.  So I ordered 2 hides in Khaki

 

They showed up while we were cruising Alaska

 

So the easiest panel to take out is the one under the rear seat.   With a left over roll of aluminum sheeting.  Looks like siding from something.

 

 

And a couple hours later

 

 

As far as fire resistance, Pretty sure it will burn way less than the cardboard panel that this replaced since it was soaked with brake fluid/red mineral oil because someone thought 3/8 vs. 1/4 tubing on the brake reservoir was a good idea.    Note ugly green carpet to the right that will soon be replaced.  Note foil tape in place vs. duct tape.

 

Next up full leather baggage compartment.   Should be easier to clean than carpet.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Yetti

[Yetti]

Luggage compartment bottom panel

 

 

 

The aluminum panels take about 30 minutes to make, it would be faster if I had a brake instead of a hammer and edge of a table.  All in for the panel creation and install should take about 8 - 10 hours.  Things may slow up for the side panels.  We will see.

 

Cutting for the rest of the baggage compartment panels.

 

 

All in it looks like it should be around $750.00 including the floor carpet by the yard ordered this morning.  Maybe 15-20 hours labor.  Have not seen a full leather luggage area offered.  I would have had to pull the panels anyways since the people in the business did not have patterns available.

[Yetti]

nothing beats the smell of leather.  I was thinking it might smell like glue.  

 

The fit could be a bit better.  It looks like Mooney hand cut the panels and let the carpet cover up the gaps.  I just traced the panels.  I think should have gained some usable load back as the leather/alum panels were lighter than stock.   Good Bye Antique Moss.  

[jbs007]

looks like you did a great job!  will you bother figuring out how much weight it saved?  I've looked into buying materials to redo interior with myself and looked into the required fire resistance issue.  I don't have the info with me but there is a simple test you could do yourself with a scrap piece of leather and video tape it.  That should be enough for proof.  Otherwise you can send a scrap to a company that does the test "certified"ly and sends you official proof its ok for use.  If your plane burns in an accident (or in a hangar fire or anything else) for any reason, I'd hate to hear insurance not cover it because no proof of fire resistant materials were used.

 

Also thanks for the great pics.  Any estimate on actual weight saved?

[cliffy]

You may have an issue with your IA at your next annual though. He is specifically required to look for new interior and see the fire rating certs before he signs off on the annual. Being an F model it is under CAR3 rules (and not Part 23) for fire resistance and that can found in A/C 43.13-1B  Chapter 9, para. 60-

 

(2) If an annual inspection is performed

on a CAR-3 aircraft with a new interior and

there is no mention of a manufacturer’s

statement that the fabric is flash or flame

resistant as applicable, the possibility exists

that the fabric is an unapproved part. The

mechanic should take the necessary steps to

ensure that the fabric meets or exceeds the

ASTM or national standards.

 

Note that as a CAR3 airplane the rules are a little different that for a Part 23 airplane(refer to the entire 9-60). But the easiest way is to have burn tests done for @ $25/sample by a certified lab. Technically you can't do the burn test yourself. Also there is a way to hand spray a formulation onto the fabric that allows it to comply even to Part 23 standards. 

 

Now, you as owner/pilot are allowed to "repair" your interior (under "Preventative Maintenance) but you must still sign off the work in your Airframe log book just like your mechanic does when he works on your airplane. 

Part 43 Appendix A Para, C and AC 43.12A outline the work allowed as Preventative Maintenance for a pilot/owner to perform.

AOPA has a great write up on this at :

 

http://www.aopa.org/Pilot-Resources/PIC-archive/Aircraft-Ownership/Preventive-Maintenance

 

The form and content of your required sign off is contained in the FARs in 43.9

 

I encourage owners to get involved in the maintenance of their airplanes but I also don't want them to get their butts in a wringer by doing something outside the limits of their authority.

[Yetti]

I have read the AC on Fire testing.  What is interesting is they "upgraded" CAR 3 to be inc1uded.    I have done informa1 burn tests and cou1d bui1d a burn box and do a forma1 test, but wi11 probab1y just send it off.   The 1eather is good with a 1ighter and a propane torch.  The 1ighter just me1ts the carpet top fibers but the backing is good.. the propane torch wi11 do some me1ting of it.   So both shou1d pass the test just fine.

 

What I can't figure out is shou1d the test be conducted with the pane1 made up (1eather and a1um backing) or just the 1eather.  

 

Antique Moss f1oor carpet 9.5 1bs

 

2 antique moss side pane1s from the 1uggage compartment  are 5 1bs

 

Shou1d have the new pane1 weight and carpet 1atter today

[cliffy]

Just to clarify - burn tests are not required for CAR3 airplanes if the material meets an ATSM or other NATIONAL standard for fire resistance. The manufacture of the material can supply what standard the material meets. 

Many vinyl materials are made to a US standard and can be found on the manufacturer's website. 

[rob47v]

As far as I know leather if its natural hide leather that is, fire resistant or flame resistant. Thus it will not flame up like not treated vinyl or other materials that need the fire retardant treatment  done to them. We did have an aircraft interior shop close to us, which is now closed do to the inconsistencies in our sad economy. Anyhow he even said that if the material is natural leather hide, and can be proven there is no certification needed as its naturally fire resistant, and the FAA knows this as such. But the sign off has to stated as such. There should be a tag stating the composition of the material being used. I'm not an authority, this is just what I've learned.         

[Bob_Belville]

Leather will easily pass flame spread, vertical and horizontal. If your IA deems it necessary you can send samples to Skandia to have flame spread done. 

 

http://www.skandiainc.com/flamtest-cert.php

 

In 2012 I paid them $135 for 5 tests on leather, carpet, and headliner fabric. V&H for the leather and headliner, H only for the carpet. all materials (purchased through an auto trim guy) easily passed the standards appropriate for our planes.

[Yetti]

Good information fo1ks.  Thanks for the information.   Some more informa1 burn tests says the materia1 wi11 pass.   I wi11 send them to Skandia  

 

The 1eather in the picture had one burn test done before I did an horizonta1 and vertica1 15 second test.   So three burns on the same piece and it is sti11 not penetrating.  Using a Propane torch which is hotter than a bunsen burner.  

 

 

The carpet was from an auto supp1ier.   15 second vertica1.  

 

I may set up a stand and measurements according to DOT/FAA/AR-00/12    

 

from the AVWeb artic1e they said there may be issue with the 1eather dye.   Seems that the rich Ita1ian Corinthian 1eather wi11 pass fine

 

[Yetti]

2 antique moss side pane1s from the 1uggage compartment  are 5 1bs

 

2 Ita1ian 1eather pane1es are a bit under 4 1bs.  So a11 pane1s shou1d be 6 1bs.  savings and the antique moss is gone

 

 

Most1y done.    Dove Grey carpet.  Khaki pane1   Rusto1em Satin Nick1e p1astic.  Rusto1em Maroon arm rest.    It is possib1e that the green stripes on the exterior paint may become maroon.   1ooks 1ike I have one g1ue spot to c1ean off.  $531.00 tota1 with enough carpet to do another set and 3/4 of a hide 1eft.    Probab1y $75 to $100 more for forma1 burn testing.

 

Whi1e I was waiting for the g1ue to dry on the pane1s I bui1t an ice coo1er.

 

 

 

 

$30.00 for the heater core.  $25.00 for the boat exhaust fan.  $25.00 for the harbor freight bi1ge pump.   Coo1er a1ready had a1ong with wire and p1ugs and switches.

[Hank]

 

The 1eather in the picture had one burn test done before I did an horizonta1 and vertica1 15 second test.   So three burns on the same piece and it is sti11 not penetrating.  Using a Propane torch which is hotter than a bunsen burner.  

 

. . . Seems that the rich Ita1ian Corinthian 1eather wi11 pass fine

 

Wow! You're not only milking the most from your drowned keyboard, you're recycling late-70s Chrysler car seats! "Rich Corinthian leather" indeed! But can you roll your Rs like Ricardo Montalban? Please tell me that you use more of the buttons on your shirt than he did.

Seriously, your interior looks great! Mine is a mix of solid burgundy with houndstooth inserts, all wool.

[StinkBug]

One note on that cooler. Running the pump all the time will make the ice melt faster. The one that I have has separate buttons for the fan and the pump and if you just cycle the pump periodically it'll keep you cool much longer. Sometimes all you need is the air blowing on you to keep comfortable. Another switch and a little rewiring and you could do the same thing.

[Yetti]

Good info.  Thanks.   It is a DPDT switch (did not have a SPDT) so I can switch between fan.  or Fan and pump.   One diode and all is happy.  Two fuses - one on the 12v power plug. one inline inside the cooler.   Right now in Texas we need both.   I need to seal the gap between the blower and the top.  Shoe Goo is great fun stuff.

[Yetti]

And so the final chair is done.  I put a fair amount more foam in these so we will see how comfortable they are after a couple hours of flight.   Yetti are pretty big so it is like a corvette and once you are seated there is not much moving around.

This was a good learning experience.  The final seat took about 3/4 of a day to sew together, take the old leather off and put the new leather on.  

 

After they break in there will probably need to be some nip and tuck.

The first two tan hides were $250 and the third Maroon hide was $250 for one.    The tan hides were thicker than the "car upholstery" Maroon hide.   I went through about 4 needles.  The backs of the front seats will be redone at some point.   The new leather was glued over the old backs so it only looks passable.  The best way would be to cut an aluminum panel and recover it.   

Fun project.   And when I went to get the seat out the rich smell of corinthian leather fills the plane.   Pretty sure this will be the only Mooney with full leather baggage compartment sides and floor.  Have not seen too many two tone seats either. Seems to be holding up well.  Just wipe it off.  Tan may have not been the best color for the floor but that could be fixed easily.

The current project is a small leather pouch for mrs. Yetti made out of the scraps.  If it goes well look for the Yetti line of handbags to be in stores soon.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Yetti

[Yetti]

Wonder how much your leather covering of your seats weigh?   About 2 gallons of Av Gas

[Yetti]

Never put the final costs in here.

 

[Yetti]

 

Reverse side of the baggage floor.  The alum sheet is painted in tan.   It came that way.  The cut outs are for the baggage straps.

The maroon trim pieces and the arm rest are just spray painted leather.   They have held up for several years quite nice.     I did respray where my arm has rubbed the paint by the arm rest.   Never could figure out how to get the rear side panels out because of the rear seat decline lever.  So they got painted inside the plane.   Shower curtain and masking tape.

[markgrue]

I really like that step retract handle.   Where did you find that?

[Hank]

55 minutes ago, markgrue said:

I really like that step retract handle.   Where did you find that?

Looks like an emergency gear extension crank to me. Note the white gear lever at the top of the panel. 

[markgrue]

10 hours ago, Hank said:

Looks like an emergency gear extension crank to me. Note the white gear lever at the top of the panel. 

well dang...  I thought I had found a replacement for the big old chrome handle for my step retract.  I will still pilfer some of the interior ideas.  Thanks for all of the pictures.

 

Mark

[Marauder]

 
Reverse side of the baggage floor.  The alum sheet is painted in tan.   It came that way.  The cut outs are for the baggage straps.

The maroon trim pieces and the arm rest are just spray painted leather.   They have held up for several years quite nice.     I did respray where my arm has rubbed the paint by the arm rest.   Never could figure out how to get the rear side panels out because of the rear seat decline lever.  So they got painted inside the plane.   Shower curtain and masking tape.

The rear panels are a bit complicated in our 75 Fs. You need to pull the window treatments, those covers that hide the channel above the rear seats, the recliner levers and I think one more attachment point in the baggage area.

May the force of the screwdriver be with you!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[Yetti]

5 hours ago, Marauder said:

 

The rear panels are a bit complicated in our 75 Fs. You need to pull the window treatments, those covers that hide the channel above the rear seats, the recliner levers and I think one more attachment point in the baggage area.

May the force of the screwdriver be with you!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

My understanding from the drawings is there roll pin that holds the rear seat lever on.   Never could figure how to get to it.   Without taking the skin off the airplane.   So just painted in the plane.

 

[Hank]

1 hour ago, Yetti said:

My understanding from the drawings is there roll pin that holds the rear seat lever on.   Never could figure how to get to it.   Without taking the skin off the airplane.   So just painted in the plane.

 

It comes out. My C is the same, had to remove the long left panel to run new coax during WAAS upgrade. (My antenna is in front of the scoop, both radio antennas having been moved further back for less drag.)

It's the one on the left, with no pocket in the cover because the antennae are behind it.