tpreece Posted April 7, 2022 Report Posted April 7, 2022 Has anyone ever tinted the windows in their plane? I want to tint the back windows and I called a local automotive tint shop today and they said they can't tint plexiglass and won't even try. I have seen several Mooneys with the back windows tinted so how did you guys do it? Quote
MikeOH Posted April 7, 2022 Report Posted April 7, 2022 Not exactly tinting, but I have 'static cling' dark plastic sheets cut to fit the windows. When it's hot I just 'stick' 'em on. Quote
carusoam Posted April 7, 2022 Report Posted April 7, 2022 There is probably a few threads around here for that… Essentially plastic windows don’t tint as easily as glass… But the whole window is pretty easy to replace… with a darker shade. For ease of use the static cling films are popular… Decide what you want to do… then see if the search will ferret out the answer that is best for you… PP thoughts only… Best regards, -a- 1 Quote
LANCECASPER Posted April 7, 2022 Report Posted April 7, 2022 51 minutes ago, tpreece said: Has anyone ever tinted the windows in their plane? I want to tint the back windows and I called a local automotive tint shop today and they said they can't tint plexiglass and won't even try. I have seen several Mooneys with the back windows tinted so how did you guys do it? Automotive tint turns out horrible after a year or two and some IAs won't sign off on the airplane for annual since they feel the heat is trapped in the plexiglass and may weaken it. The GILA cling tint works well and can be cut to fit and @Skates97 has a link to it: https://intothesky.com/window-tinting/ 1 Quote
ArtVandelay Posted April 7, 2022 Report Posted April 7, 2022 I replaced the windows, the back ones with extra dark tint. 1 Quote
David M20J Posted April 7, 2022 Report Posted April 7, 2022 I have not done it, but I have hangar neighbors who saw me trying to make sun shades and walked over and said they got "static cling" stuff like @MikeOH was saying. apparently they got it from home depot and its super easy to add and remove is what they were telling me. I have no idea what exactly it was but I saw it on their mooney and it looked good, they are gone for the week but if they come back I'll try to remember to ask them exactly 1 Quote
Browncbr1 Posted April 7, 2022 Report Posted April 7, 2022 (edited) There is a static cling roll made by Gila in purple box that not just blocks sun, but is designed to block heat. I put it on my rear windows and it makes a big difference. I’ll try to find the box. I got it at orielly’s. Edited April 7, 2022 by Browncbr1 Quote
EricJ Posted April 7, 2022 Report Posted April 7, 2022 8 hours ago, David M20J said: I have not done it, but I have hangar neighbors who saw me trying to make sun shades and walked over and said they got "static cling" stuff like @MikeOH was saying. apparently they got it from home depot and its super easy to add and remove is what they were telling me. I have no idea what exactly it was but I saw it on their mooney and it looked good, they are gone for the week but if they come back I'll try to remember to ask them exactly I get it at Wal-Mart, and, yes, it's very easy to use. Quote
jazmintchandler Posted March 16, 2023 Report Posted March 16, 2023 (edited) I've never tinted windows in a plane before, but it sounds like an interesting challenge! I did a bit of research and found a few options for tinting plexiglass windows. One option is to use a heat-shrink film designed specifically for aircraft windows. Another option is to use a spray-on tint designed for plexiglass. It's important to make sure whatever product you choose is FAA-approved for use on aircraft windows. Good luck with your tinting project, and if you're interested in a sun shade for your plane's windows, you might want to check out https://snapshades.com/ for some options. Edited March 20, 2023 by jazmintchandler Quote
LANCECASPER Posted March 16, 2023 Report Posted March 16, 2023 24 minutes ago, jazmintchandler said: I've never tinted windows in a plane before, but it sounds like an interesting challenge! I did a bit of research and found a few options for tinting plexiglass windows. If you use anything but the cling (removable) tint or shades (https://justplanetint.com/collections/aircraft-kits), you risk that a mechanic down the road will not sign off. I had that happen in 2007 in an annual-gone-bad and ended up having to remove the auto-type tint to get the annual signed off. I paid to have it installed 6 months prior and I paid to have it removed. Airplane tuition is expensive education sometimes. 1 1 Quote
ArtVandelay Posted March 16, 2023 Report Posted March 16, 2023 If you use anything but the cling (removable) tint or shades (https://justplanetint.com/collections/aircraft-kits), you risk that a mechanic down the road will not sign off. I had that happen in 2007 in an annual-gone-bad and ended up having to remove the auto-type tint to get the annual signed off. I paid to have it installed 6 months prior and I paid to have it removed. Airplane tuition is expensive education sometimes.Well, you need to be careful with front seat windows cause you need nighttime visibility and no way would I tint windshield of course. But rear windows shouldn’t be a problem, yes? I order mine with optional extra dark tint. Quote
LANCECASPER Posted March 16, 2023 Report Posted March 16, 2023 8 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said: Well, you need to be careful with front seat windows cause you need nighttime visibility and no way would I tint windshield of course. But rear windows shouldn’t be a problem, yes? I order mine with optional extra dark tint. 8 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said: Well, you need to be careful with front seat windows cause you need nighttime visibility and no way would I tint windshield of course. But rear windows shouldn’t be a problem, yes? I order mine with optional extra dark tint. If the plexiglass came tinted no problem, I agree the back windows are great dark. However the IA who I was dealing with showed me a document that described how auto tint film that adheres to plexiglass traps the heat inside and causes them to craze prematurely. I didn't agree with him then, but saw years later on another airplane what he was talked about. The front un-tinted windows had no crazing and the back auto-tinted windows had a lot of crazing visible. Of course the airplane referred to wasn't hangared and it was a Texas airplane. 1 Quote
Pinecone Posted March 17, 2023 Report Posted March 17, 2023 On 3/16/2023 at 12:01 PM, LANCECASPER said: If you use anything but the cling (removable) tint or shades (https://justplanetint.com/collections/aircraft-kits), you risk that a mechanic down the road will not sign off. I had that happen in 2007 in an annual-gone-bad and ended up having to remove the auto-type tint to get the annual signed off. I paid to have it installed 6 months prior and I paid to have it removed. Airplane tuition is expensive education sometimes. So the IA would not sign it off because something MIGHT happen in the future? Wow, heck you engine might fall off in the future. Quote
LANCECASPER Posted March 17, 2023 Report Posted March 17, 2023 7 minutes ago, Pinecone said: So the IA would not sign it off because something MIGHT happen in the future? Wow, heck you engine might fall off in the future. Probably since there was no mention of it in the log book and he was asked to sign off the first annual under my ownership. I didn't like it at the time, but I agree with it now. Even after six months it didn't look great, there were already bubbles in the tint. It was just a bad idea in the first place. Quote
Skates97 Posted March 17, 2023 Report Posted March 17, 2023 As others have said, use the static cling. It is easy to use and easy to remove if you want to. I wrote up a step by step a few years back. After a couple years it gets a little hazy so I just remove and replace it. https://intothesky.com/window-tinting/ Quote
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