damaged elevator , where to buy replacement

[carusoam]

Lots of steps and keeping it squared while putting it together is a challenge...

The balance requirements are a bit challenging to execute...

-a-

[David Lloyd]

Skins are most likely available from Mooney.  Some companies have a big business rebuilding control surfaces, i.e. Airframe Components by Williams, formerly Williams Airmotive.  Don't know if they do Mooney surfaces.  Reason most people go for a salvaged control surface is cost and time.  There are a lot of salvaged parts available, keeping the cost down.  Ordering a skin from Mooney may cost nearly as much as a salvaged part and then paying someone with the expertise to drill out the old rivets, prep everything, building a jig to keep the parts straight during assembly, repainting and balancing may be more than even your insurance company is willing to pay.  Maybe if you had an airplane built in the last few years or there were no suitable salvaged parts available, you could win that argument.

People keep bringing up balance.  It is the reason many control surface can't be patched safely--it would make the part too heavy in the wrong place.  The Mooney service manual is downloadable on this site and shows and describes what is needed to balance the control surfaces. It really is not a big deal for a Mooney.  Unless you repaint over several coats using lead paint, it's gonna balance.  Not so with some others such as the Bonanza.  Those, have just enough paint on the ruddervators  to cover the metal.  No more.  Service manual, section 6, about page 6-7 describes balancing the surfaces.  The J elevators, support the elevator on the hinge line (on a table, not on the airplane) and weigh the trailing edge 12.87" from the hinge line.  Acceptable weights are between 1.09 and 1.3 pounds.  Different amounts for different models and serial numbers.  Service manual is always interesting reading.

[Mark Lenker]

Dominikos

Drop me a note, I'm in Grand Prairie and I have a serviceable RH elevator, if you would like to look at it please contact me.  Mark

mlenker@earthlink.net

[Guest]

Skins are available from Mooney, we stock a pair of skins just in case.

Clarence

[PT20J]

Back in 2018, I was considering the purchase of a M20J with a ding in the elevator. At the time a new elevator from Mooney (etched, alodined and ready to paint) was $4731. Skins were $385 each (need an upper and lower so $770). Prices have likely gone up some.

@M20Doc, how many hours does it take you to reskin one?

Skip

 

[Tim Jodice]

1 hour ago, PT20J said:

Back in 2018, I was considering the purchase of a M20J with a ding in the elevator. At the time a new elevator from Mooney (etched, alodined and ready to paint) was $4731. Skins were $385 each (need an upper and lower so $770). Prices have likely gone up some.

@M20Doc, how many hours does it take you to reskin one?

Skip

 

Maybe I am soft in the head from having airplanes but that seems reasonable to me. 

If your shopping for an airplane and 2 that you like had a damage history of a flight control and one had a patch/repair on it and the other had a factory new complete assembly, would you care?

[PT20J]

21 minutes ago, Tim Jodice said:

f your shopping for an airplane and 2 that you like had a damage history of a flight control and one had a patch/repair on it and the other had a factory new complete assembly, would you care?

Personally, I think some of us worry way too much about damage history. If it was fixed correctly and properly documented, why should anyone care?  A museum I volunteer at has a P-51B that crashed in England during WW II and was resurrected from a bog fifteen years ago. About all that was serviceable was the data plate. It was rebuilt from scrounged parts and looks (and flies, I'm told) like new. The first Mooney I owned had a nose gear collapse during taxi and had a new prop and IRAN'd engine. I never thought twice about buying it and when I sold it seven years later the buyer didn't have an issue with it either.

Skip

[Guest]

2 hours ago, PT20J said:

Back in 2018, I was considering the purchase of a M20J with a ding in the elevator. At the time a new elevator from Mooney (etched, alodined and ready to paint) was $4731. Skins were $385 each (need an upper and lower so $770). Prices have likely gone up some.

@M20Doc, how many hours does it take you to reskin one?

Skip

 

Hi Skip,

I’ve never skinned one yet but have sold skins to others.  Other than drilling out the Cherry Max rivets I don’t think they’re too difficult.

Clarence

[Tim Jodice]

I remembered that my airplane had aileron damage in the past. Here is what it cost to repair three years ago. 

 

[Jonny]

Hi Guys - If you need new flight controls, you have to go to a service center and they will ping us. If that doesn't work, then write me again and I'll step in. Issue is, we cant go around our service centers - but they can come to us and I'm happy to follow up if necessary.

 

Jonny

[mooneyflyfast]

Ron Fisher has a J that he is parting out at Kestrel Airpark 1t7. I believe it belongs to Jimmy Garrison.  Last I saw it it had elevators.

[adverseyaw]

Going rate for elevators is $2.5k-$3.5k. Aircraft Components quoted on the upper end to reskin and paint a Mooney elevator. There are a few shops with parted-out J/K/M/R elevators online, and those tend to run around $2k. By the time you factor in freight and painting, it seems like a wash between reskinning the existing elevator and replacing it with a serviceable used unit.

[EricJ]

Given the cost and availability hurdles of complete elevators or skins, I'd still seek out a regional sheet metal shop with a decent reputation and see about getting it repaired.   The SMM doesn't say much of anything about repairing control surfaces, but AC 43.13 has acceptable methods for doing so, even trailing edges.

 

[carusoam]

Let’s see if @dominikos is making any headway on his flight control surface project...

 

In this thread, we have...

• Used parts available
• Skins available from the factory
• Ideas on how to get new skins put on your existing parts

Best regards,

-a-

[dominikos]

@carusoam, thank you for checking on me! I found way forward after a few folks reached out to help. Mark Lenker had an elevator available and it is only 3 hour drive from me. I should be able to pick it up and install in the first week of December. Looking forward to flying again.

A friend of mine suggested to straighten up the metal, put some rivets to keep it together and put speed tape on it... Need to read whether that’s acceptable temporary approach. I’m new to plane maintenance so only assume it needs to be signed off by AP. 

[carusoam]

I see Mark Lenker has been recommended before by @DonMuncy...

See if Any MSers are traveling that way and can bring the parts along...

Sort of saving the effort of fixing the old parts half way...

Sharing expenses may make it interesting to go flying!

Best regards,

-a-

[jetdriven]

the elevator basically only consists of two skins and a spar.  So, if you tear both skins, thats basically the whole thing.

[dominikos]

On 11/20/2020 at 11:39 PM, carusoam said:

I see Mark Lenker has been recommended before by @DonMuncy...

See if Any MSers are traveling that way and can bring the parts along...

Sort of saving the effort of fixing the old parts half way...

Sharing expenses may make it interesting to go flying!

Best regards,

-a-

I would love that type of arrangement, how would I go about asking?

[PT20J]

On 11/14/2020 at 3:23 PM, PT20J said:

Back in 2018, I was considering the purchase of a M20J with a ding in the elevator. At the time a new elevator from Mooney (etched, alodined and ready to paint) was $4731. Skins were $385 each (need an upper and lower so $770). Prices have likely gone up some.

@M20Doc, how many hours does it take you to reskin one?

Skip

 

 

On 11/21/2020 at 9:17 AM, jetdriven said:

the elevator basically only consists of two skins and a spar.  So, if you tear both skins, thats basically the whole thing.

So, if you buy new from Mooney an elevator is $4731 and the two skins are $770. If it takes 10 hours at $100/hr for Mooney to assemble one (I can't believe it would be more than that and is probably a lot less with factory tooling) that's $1000. So that spar extrusion (and a balance weight) must be worth $2,961. My price info was from two and a half years ago, so prices may have changed. It kind of makes reskinning seem like a reasonable option though.

Skip

[carusoam]

1 hour ago, dominikos said:

I would love that type of arrangement, how would I go about asking?

This is a start a new thread kind of thing...

Titled... anyone going from here to there? Put a date range...
 

And fill in the details after that...

 

We never know who can make sense out of a trip... every now and then it works out well...

 

Best regards,

-a-

[Guest]

There aren’t a whole lot of parts that make up an elevator.  I’m sure that the processes that any manufacturer would have to follow are a lot more involved than we’d expect.

Clarence

Edited January 14, 2021 by M20Doc

[hoot777]

Just had tug back into mine. RH elevator. I have been told to get a replacement rather than replace yer skin Looking for input from my buddies here. Would appreciate recommendations. I’m in SC.

[dominikos]

Man, very sorry to hear that. I know how it feels and it sucks.

Check with Jerry - he is closer to where you are, Jerry Pressley  423 231 3491 and has a few Mooneys he is parting out.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, hoot777 said:

Just had tug back into mine. RH elevator. I have been told to get a replacement rather than replace yer skin Looking for input from my buddies here. Would appreciate recommendations. I’m in SC.

From the IPC

[carusoam]

A couple of choices to consider...

re-skinning with parts from the factory...

Pre-flown parts...

@Alan Fox

@SheryLoewen

@Jerry Pressley

 

Best regards,

-a-