teardrop build

[lee senn]

I am aware that some small aircraft are actually covered with cloth which is then coated with a shrinking agent or paint . It seems to me that this would be a great way to construct a very lightweight tear . Has anyone on the forum built one this way ? Lee and Norma

[tony.latham]

Well... no, but I built this thingamajig. It's mostly covered with fabric. Does that count?



Unless you could figure out a way to insulate it, you would have major issues when it was hot and cold. I think it would be a condensation bear.

Aircraft fabric these days is dacron. It's shrunk with an iron. One of the issues with it is UV rays, so you would have to do your research on making sure the sun gets blocked. I dealt with that issue by spraying on several coats of paint (specific for dacron cloth) that was impregnated with aluminum powder.

If you go down this path, expect to build a paint booth for spraying. A brush or roller isn't going to cut it. You can look at the materials here:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAtJeNBhCVARIsANJUJ2E48o0Q9tySq8bW93c8Zu2-4RZOMhQL5KKpujUQ2p5IlnQ3yAdpenIaAn5XEALw_wcB

You'd also have to design the structure so the shrinkage wouldn't warp the framework.

Tony

[Tom&Shelly]

I am aware that some small aircraft are actually covered with cloth which is then coated with a shrinking agent or paint . It seems to me that this would be a great way to construct a very lightweight tear . Has anyone on the forum built one this way ? Lee and Norma

Well, there aren't many stones or other road debris up in the air to damage the fabric. And the original dope and fabric airplanes had to be recovered every few years, just because of the wear from taxiing and take-off, and from the friction of the air itself over the surface. When my dad was shopping for an airplane, he was talked out of a (partial) fabric type (1948 Stinson--he loved vintage aircraft), and settled for an aluminum Cessna 172 because of the difference in maintenance involved. Not sure how much maintenance the skin on Tony's plane involves--it's a different material and application/shrinking method.

Keep in mind too, folks didn't fly those aircraft into thunderstorms (and survived). I'm sure some were destroyed by violent weather on the ground. I'd want my tear to live through, and shelter us, from fairly violent thunderstorms.

Tom

[MickinOz]

I built this thingamajig.



Tony

Ah FFS, will you stop making me feel so f..ing inadequate?

[tony.latham]

Ah FFS, will you stop making me feel so f..ing inadequate?

Well... crap. Sorry about that.

Tony