Heat / Reflector Sun Shade Sheilds

[Seth]

Simple Question:  How to do you get the front heat sheild/reflector into the cockpit windsheild behind the roll cage bar on a M20J/201/231 model?

 

I didn't want to break it trying to get the new one in.

 

Here's the deal, I had a set of removable heat shields for my Mooney M20F.  I also had a full cover for the cockpit area (it used to be tied down outside before I got a hanger).

 

When leaving it on a tranisent trip on the ramp, if it didn't look like it was going to rain, I would use sun reflectors on the inside. 

 

For the Mooney Missile, I finally purchased a set of sunshade/reflectors for the inside (I got a 10% discount from Bruce's custom covers for the interior set of 5 and with my trip and summer coming up, I wanted basic heat protection.  Nothing works better than full cover (except a hanger) but the reflectors are a good inbetween as it's hangered at home.

 

The side windows fit just fine (square vs rounded as my airframe is 1983).  However, I can't seem to easily get the windsheild reflector in place.  The F model was a two piece windshild.  Thus, it was a right and left side that went up.  The J windsheild is one piece, but the roll cage is in the middle with equipment hanging and the reflector is HUGE.  I just don't know if I'm supposed to crumple it to get it in and around or if some on this board have two piece covers for the J windscreen reflector.

 

Tell me what you use, and what you have, if it's one piece two piece, or if I just have to wrestle it into place.  I'm calling Bruce's custome covers to ask how to get it in place as soon as they open.

 

Take care, and as always, thanks for the collective wisdom.

 

-Seth

[fantom]

I've had the two piece shades and I've been crumpling for over a decade with never an issue. Makes installation fast and simple.

[M016576]

I have the Bruce's heat shields for my '80 J: I crumple. It's a tight fit for sure, but they do fit and stay in position.

Edit: it's a one piece for the front windscreen

[Awful_Charlie]

I've got one of those plastic ones that is silver on one side and metallic blue on the other.  It's made of something similar to bubblewrap with a different finish and a cloth edging bead.  It came pre-folded in accordion style, but it crumples up fine too, which makes it easy to get in place.

 

I normally put it up to cover the south/south-west facing aspect when parking up for a day or more, so sometimes just on a side screen, sometimes half in the windscreen.  The awkward job is of course when it is the door that needs to be covered - that's the occasion I wish I had a multi-piece screen

[201er]

The cheapie ones are the best. They are fairly thin and fold up like an accordion. They are bendy so you can just open them up only 1/2 or 3/4 as needed and stuff them around the roll bar in place. Was like 10 bucks and works like a charm.

[AmigOne]

Indeed they are. I cut my shields to fit each individual window from a high quality automobile set ($10). They stay in place with transparent velcro in each corner which is almost invisible. For the front and for extra protection I cut a second on piece shield and both stay in place held by the center bar and tucked in between the glareshield and the windshield. No matter what the heat the interior is always surprisingly cool. Since they fold you can easily store them on the hat shelf.

[smccray]

I bought a piece of what is essentially bubble wrap with silver foil on both sides.  $20 and an hour of work and I had a complete set of sun shades and enough extra material sitting in my hangar to make a second set.  Works like a charm.

 

I folded the front shade accordion style and it lives between the rear seats in the summer.  After shutdown, I open a couple flaps of the shade and insert the shade onto the dash on the pilot side.  Then I reach around the roll cage on the copilot side and grab the right side of the shade and unfold the accordion while covering the windshield.  When putting it away, I refold the accordion while the shade is still on the dash to work it around the roll cage.  It gets a little messed up on the edges, but I haven't gone to the trouble of putting any type of seem tape on the shade and it hasn't seemed to mess up the shade.

 

If anyone wants to use my shade as a template let me know.  I may even have material for you... and the siccors... and the beer .

[Lood]

Just for interest sake. Some time ago, a friend with a brand new Cirrus SR22GT, stopped one of his pax on the spot when he (the pax) started putting up the sun shields after their flight. The owner reckoned that the guys at the local Cirrus agency, who sold him the airplane, told him never to put the sun shields in with the silver, reflective side facing towards the outside. According to them, this was not good for the windows and the reflection could cause discoloring of the windows, over time. He had the pax turn the sun shields the other way around and they fitted them with the silver sides facing to the inside and the dark sides facing out.

 

This didn't make sense to me at all, but I didn't follow up on this. Do any of you guys have any knowledge on this?

[smccray]

Just for interest sake. Some time ago, a friend with a brand new Cirrus SR22GT, stopped one of his pax on the spot when he (the pax) started putting up the sun shields after their flight. The owner reckoned that the guys at the local Cirrus agency, who sold him the airplane, told him never to put the sun shields in with the silver, reflective side facing towards the outside. According to them, this was not good for the windows and the reflection could cause discoloring of the windows, over time. He had the pax turn the sun shields the other way around and they fitted them with the silver sides facing to the inside and the dark sides facing out.

 

This didn't make sense to me at all, but I didn't follow up on this. Do any of you guys have any knowledge on this?

 

It's my understanding that sunlight does cause damage over time to the windows.  It would then follow logically that the reflective side of the shades that reflects the sunlight back out of the airplane would cause some incremental damage to the plane versus the black side that absorbes more of the rays.  I'll buy that, but it seems a little myopic. 

 

My plane spends most of its time in a dark hangar.  If it spends a few days in direct sunlight with a sunshade at double the exposure, it's still less than thousands of airplanes that live outside.  I'll live with a moderately shorter lifespan of the windshield versus the heat of the plane sitting outside in the Texas sun when I come back to my plane.  There's no free lunch- putting the silver side out keeps the interior cooler.  The operating temperature of a GNS430W is only up to ~130 degrees F; how hot would the plane get inside without any sun shades?  A cover would bet better for the windows, but it introudces the opportunity for scratches on the windows and paint, however unlikely.  The cover is significantly more expensive than sunshades, and it's more difficult to install than using sunshades.  There's no free lunch- it's all tradeoffs.