Hail Damage Repair?

[gwav8or]

In my diligent search for a Mooney, I've seen some aircraft with hail damage.  Although I would not want an aircraft with hail damage, I was wondering (actually my wife asked me...) is it possible to repair hail damage?

I know automobiles can have the paintless hail repair done but can aircraft?  Someone once told me that repairing would weaken the sheet metal?  Kinda makes sense to my untrained brain.  Is there any FAA guidance?  Or is it a plain, no?

[carusoam]

Find aircraft sheet metal expert and ask…

Often sheets of aluminum just get replaced…

The control surfaces are extra thin for weight… they have a tendency to get beat up the most…

Less critical locations get filled and sanded flat…

PP thoughts only,

-a-

[0TreeLemur]

Yes, a friend of my brother's did paintless hail repair on cars, including one of mine.   MAGIC is what that guy could do.   Not perfect,  you could still see many of the defects under the right light, but they were not super obvious.

In some ways, Aluminum sucks though.  It has behaviors that don't make it very springy.  Ever seen an aluminum spring? 

Aluminum deformed enough to make a dent is too far gone to spring back I think.  Maybe I'm wrong, not an expert, but it seems unlikely.

Good luck.

[Jsno]

Aluminum work hardens when it gets dented.  That makes straightening it out difficult.  The dent is harder than the surrounding metal.  Hail damage is ok as long as it does not interfere with the operation of any flight controls.  Many of your large passenger and freighter aircraft have hail damage although they use thicker skin.  Damage to composites usually have to be repaired.  I have some hail on my Mooney and the upper surface of my Cessna has quite a bit of minor dents.  It does not affect the flight characteristics at all.  My view is while sitting in the cockpit looking out, I don't see it so I don't care.

[0TreeLemur]

28 minutes ago, Jsno said:

  I have some hail on my Mooney and the upper surface of my Cessna has quite a bit of minor dents.  It does not affect the flight characteristics at all. 

Reminds me of that Myth Busters episode where they put divots like a golf ball on a car and it got better mileage.

[Marauder]

If the hail damage is on the fuselage, they use a lightweight filler on those. If it is on the flight controls there are a couple of options. If it is on the ailerons, reskinning or replacing the aileron are the only options. Same for the rudder. I learned from one of the MSCs that the elevators can be flipped.


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[Pknox]

23 hours ago, Jsno said:

Aluminum work hardens when it gets dented.  That makes straightening it out difficult.  The dent is harder than the surrounding metal.  Hail damage is ok as long as it does not interfere with the operation of any flight controls.  Many of your large passenger and freighter aircraft have hail damage although they use thicker skin.  Damage to composites usually have to be repaired.  I have some hail on my Mooney and the upper surface of my Cessna has quite a bit of minor dents.  It does not affect the flight characteristics at all.  My view is while sitting in the cockpit looking out, I don't see it so I don't care.

I am nearly 100%, sure no one will see it unless you point it out.

 

[0TreeLemur]

19 minutes ago, Pknox said:

I am nearly 100%, sure no one will see it unless you point it out.

 

Don't look at my hangar mate's Turbo Arrow. 

[kortopates]

There is an FAA approved paintless dent removal process provided by a company that specializes in traveling to the plane's location and performing their service on business sized jets and up. 

After getting estimates for repair, some Mooney owners have gotten their insurance company to spring for installing TKS rather than repair the leading edges since the TKS panels cover them anyway. Great way to change a loss in value to a gain - courtesy of your insurance! Otherwise a new paint and body work take care of it except for the control surfaces as pointed out above which need to meet balancing requirements.

For control surfaces, mainly ailerons. Only a couple of specializing firms like Beagle are capable of doing a quality reskinning job versus buying new $$ ones from the factory.

[A64Pilot]

Aluminum skin is actually very forgiving, dents can be “spooned” out, but it’s a time consuming process so too many dents for hail damage, but I’ve seen significant dents spooned out if you can get to the backside of the dent, done so well no body putty was needed.

Actually over time a lot of hail dents just go away from the solar heating of the skin, they aren’t going to disappear, but often they do grow less dented.

I’ve also seen dry ice used to some pretty good effect, I believe the theory is it shrinks the metal and pulls some of the dent out.

Best answer for hail unfortunately is replacement of the skins, but I’ve seen some real artists with body putty too.

[Jsno]

I have tries the dry ice method and had no luck with it.