How do I fix this?

H. Paul Shuch is a Light Sport Repairman with Maintenance ratings for airplanes, gliders, weight shift control, and powered parachutes, as well as an independent Rotax Maintenance Technician at the Heavy Maintenance level. He holds a PhD in Air Transportation Engineering from the University of California, and serves as Director of Maintenance for AvSport of Lock Haven.

Moderator: drseti

Post Reply
User avatar
ShawnM
Posts: 813
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 9:59 pm
Location: Clearwater, FL / KZPH

Re: How do I fix this?

Post by ShawnM »

Glad to hear it and the aluminum is the best option. And yes, my local HD doesn't sell small aluminum sheets for some reason either. Luckily I have an Alro Steel metal and plastic supply warehouse about 15 minutes from my house. They stock everything I could ever need for aircraft repairs. :mrgreen:
Top
JJ Campbell
Posts: 167
Joined: Fri May 31, 2019 4:10 pm

Re: How do I fix this?

Post by JJ Campbell »

ShawnM wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 2:15 pm Personally I'd cut an .063" or .090" aluminum plate about 1" larger than the hole and then rivet that over the damaged area.
I used 0.09" Aluminum. I left the door in place and did the work at the tie-down. All that is left is to paint it. Thanks for the great advice!
Attachments
Baggage Door Repair.JPG
Baggage Door Repair.JPG (242.04 KiB) Viewed 4859 times
Sport Pilot ASEL
Tecnam P92 Eaglet
Top
User avatar
ShawnM
Posts: 813
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 9:59 pm
Location: Clearwater, FL / KZPH

Re: How do I fix this?

Post by ShawnM »

Well that looks like it'll hold up well, great job. Once painted it'll blend right in. Did you use rivnuts and some sort of epoxy/JB Weld to bond the plate to the fiberglass? That'll be the weakest point now.
Top
JJ Campbell
Posts: 167
Joined: Fri May 31, 2019 4:10 pm

Re: How do I fix this?

Post by JJ Campbell »

ShawnM wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:03 am Well that looks like it'll hold up well, great job. Once painted it'll blend right in. Did you use rivnuts and some sort of epoxy/JB Weld to bond the plate to the fiberglass? That'll be the weakest point now.
I used RivNuts so I can take it all apart and take the aluminum plate home for painting. I'm sure that this is way stronger than the original plus I learned a hard lesson about not putting ANY weight on the open door! Now, I just have to wait for the paint to arrive in the mail. LOL, I really didn't feel like yet another trip to the hardware store...
Sport Pilot ASEL
Tecnam P92 Eaglet
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Ask The Mechanic”