tgardnerh Posted August 21, 2019 Report Share Posted August 21, 2019 (edited) This ad for a Canadian M20A (CF-LCV) says that the wing has been "fiberglassed," which i take to mean that the wood has been encased in fiberglass and resin. I've heard of this being done before, and it seems a little bit much to do under a 337, but I also have never seen an STC for the work. It looks like there's an STC for Razorback fiberglass covering (SA2-952), but that looks more like standard fabric. Does anybody know what the deal is with a fiberglassed M20A? NB: I'm not looking to buy this airplane, just want to understand the fiberglass thing for when I eventually get to buy a mooney. Edited August 21, 2019 by tgardnerh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 I'm sure it's referring to Razorback covering. I think the best covering system would be Oratex. No silver or dope needed. Fabric comes pre painted and you apply it like shrink wrap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgardnerh Posted August 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 1 hour ago, kerry said: I'm sure it's referring to Razorback covering. I think the best covering system would be Oratex. No silver or dope needed. Fabric comes pre painted and you apply it like shrink wrap. Interesting. Another M20A owner suggested that one could fully encase the wooden structure in resin impregnated fiberglass, like a surf board, to ensure longevity. I wonder if he was just mistaken/I misunderstood him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 I'm sure you could fly a Mooney wood wing impregnated with resin but wouldn't practical because of the weight added to the airplane. The best option is to use ultralight fabric with proper UV protection. With field approval I think Oratex fabric would be the best option because it's stronger and lighter than the ceconite process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 When modifying the plane... Make sure there is some data to be used to make sure the mod is legal... Some data might come in the form of Mooney Maintenance manuals, or standard A&P procedures related to wood working... There may be some really good products available that will work very well... just make sure you have everything to make it log legal... The Material supplier might even hold the keys on how to do it legally... How much weight does this material add? Check for other experience as well. Fiberglassing over wooden boats didn’t work very well back in the day... it may sound better than it works... PP thoughts only not a mechanic... Best regards, -a- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetti Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 (edited) I am not certified on aircraft.... But I did build the kayak below with epoxy and plywood from a kit. And grew up doing fiberglass repair. The hard thing would be the previous paint. The epoxy really does impregnate into the wood. There would be no way to get all the paint out of the wood. So the epoxy is not really going to go into the wood. Which will then cause adhesion issues. Also with Epoxy you would have to paint it because Epoxy breaks down under UV. The kayak has spar varnish on it because spar varnish has UV inhibitors. The kayak is about 45 pounds and only has glass 6 oz I believe on the bottom. and on the inside on the cockpit floor. It is really strong If it were not so pretty, I would try to stress test it and break it. Some of the strength is because of the angles. Edited August 22, 2019 by Yetti 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetti Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 It kind of depends on what you are trying to accomplish with fiberglassing the wing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgardnerh Posted August 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 Thanks Y'all! I think it sounds like: This is probably not a good idea for weight and practicality reasons it's probably not legal (at least not with a loooooong conversation with the FAA) there *is* however a fiberglass cloth covering option, which works roughly the same way as ceconite etc, and probably is not the best choice regardless I knew this was the place to go to ask such questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.