I have purchased a very nearly completed 1030R from a retired aircraft mechanic who never got a chance to fly it because of heart issues. It's been sitting for a few years but overall seems like its in very good health, just dusty. It has been kept indoors in a heated building for its whole life, and as far as I can tell has hardly seen any sun at all, maybe only a few hours when engine testing.
I'm just going to put everything here as I go through it to hopefully get some good advice as I go along!
One of my main questions: Is there an easy way to get the fabric skin off of the wings and body of the plane without having to re-do it all? I'm guessing no, so I'll have to come up with some other means of inspecting the frame inside of the fabric to make sure it's all good. I trust the guy, he seems to have cared greatly during its construction, but.. gotta verify, you know? I would just really rather not ruin what is essentially a brand new fabric skin.
Other then that, I plan on replacing the lead acid battery with a lithium one to save weight, and spend some of that weight saved fiberglassing/carbon fibering key areas on the airframe for insurances sake. I'm not actually gonna do that part.
I also will be installing a custom set of avionics, because I come from the FPV drone world and I have a lot of sensors and electronics laying around =)
I spent 3200 dollars on this all in. I think I got a good price, considering that technically it is 'new' and a lot of the labor is already done. What do you all think? It's still currently at his place, I'm picking it up this weekend.
Depending on how the fabric was finished, if it was polyfiber you can glue on an inspection ring then a doilie over that and then cut out an inspection hole. Then use a cheap bore scope. I've got a ring at the center of each diagonal brace and a couple on the fuselage and can see about everything. If you take the tail section off you get a pretty good view of the fuselage also
Plus 1 to what Stilson said. You can get to everything you need to see through openings that already exist, and inspection holes. Since your airplane was built by an aircraft mechanic, it's possible that he installed inspection holes at strategic location. Where are you located. It's possible that there is a Mini Max owner or builder near you who could lead you through a proper inspection. Good luck. I have a model 1030 which I flew yesterday, and will probably fly today.
Plus 1 to what Stilson said. You can get to everything you need to see through openings that already exist, and inspection holes. Since your airplane was built by an aircraft mechanic, it's possible that he installed inspection holes at strategic location. Where are you located. It's possible that there is a Mini Max owner or builder near you who could lead you through a proper inspection. Good luck. I have a model 1030 which I flew yesterday, and will probably fly today.
True, I do see a few little ares to sneak a mirror in, now that you mention it.
I'm located in Hackettstown, NJ, which is the northwest part of NJ. I'd be super happy if I could find another Mini Max owner to talk to nearby! But even people on here like you will be plenty, I think, as long as I take good pictures.
Hello all! One of my main questions: Is there an easy way to get the fabric skin off of the wings and body of the plane without having to re-do it all? I'm guessing no, so I'll have to come up with some other means of inspecting the frame inside of the fabric to make sure it's all good. I trust the guy, he seems to have cared greatly during its construction, but.. gotta verify, you know? I would just really rather not ruin what is essentially a brand new fabric skin.
If the other methods described above are still not adequate to access / inspect key sections of the air-frame, one can cut out the fabric in those sections where you would like to take a closer look. Re-covering of newly cut sections / areas is same as for repairing ripped fabric. I would do it only as a last resort, but it certainly can be done. If you need to cut out small sections, do it on underside of wings or horizontal stabilizer, so repair patches are hidden away mostly out of sight when airplane is parked on the ramp.
Find a local A&P mechanic who has experience in wood, dope, and fabric. He should have a copy of the FAA 43-13-2 which covers the subject, or it can be copied from the FAA site. Be aware it's huge. It would also be worth while to hook up with a local EAA chapter. I did fly today, and it never gets old.
I'm not too proud to admit that the first time I cut into my new to me bird it was a very scary moment, but it probably saved my life. Fabric work is actually simple and satisfying once you get over the initial fear of the unknown. Read, watch videos, and practice on a few scrap lumber "picture frames". The smallest quantities of the chemicals needed that you can readily get will have enough extra to practice, buy a yard or two of the same weight cloth and I'm sure that once you see how friendly the repair of fabric is you'll be sold for life on cloth covering. Last time I ordered them from aircraft spruce a ring and doily combined was less than $2, an in inspection cover a couple more, and then you have a permanent inspection panel you can check whenever you want. Granted there are different covering/finishing methods, my personal experience is limited to polyfiber which (other than the fumes) I find a joy to work with.
I'm not too proud to admit that the first time I cut into my new to me bird it was a very scary moment, but it probably saved my life. Fabric work is actually simple and satisfying once you get over the initial fear of the unknown. Read, watch videos, and practice on a few scrap lumber "picture frames". The smallest quantities of the chemicals needed that you can readily get will have enough extra to practice, buy a yard or two of the same weight cloth and I'm sure that once you see how friendly the repair of fabric is you'll be sold for life on cloth covering. Last time I ordered them from aircraft spruce a ring and doily combined was less than $2, an in inspection cover a couple more, and then you have a permanent inspection panel you can check whenever you want. Granted there are different covering/finishing methods, my personal experience is limited to polyfiber which (other than the fumes) I find a joy to work with.
So are you recommending I cut all the skin off, or just make inspection holes? I agree, I'm going to order some supplies to practice and learn how to do this. I've already figured out carbon fiber vacuum-forming, I can't imagine this will be any harder to figure out.
Also, since you might be able to answer this... What do you recommend as a coating for the fabric to protect it from UV degredation? So far I've found a product called Aerothane. Is that any good?
I recommend ispection holes, even if there are repairs to be made you can probably do it through an inspection ring, if not, you should only have to remove a singe section. As far as recommending finishes I will have to bow out and agree with the faa' recomendation of not mixing products from different covering processes. If you have/are Buying it from the builder ask him what process he/she used and use their product.
If starting clean slate build I'd say stits covering is time tested, crazy easy to make repairs/ mods to latter, and durable. It is a bit pricey, expensive to ship, temp sensitive for storage and application, and fumes to high heaven. So far I've not found a better alternative though when considering all the variables......but it fumes, I'm still looking....
Just a point. Odd looking exhaust for a two stoke. Make sure it runs o.k. and makes predicted power. Removing a tuned exhaust and replacing with something different can have substantial operational, efficiency, reliability and performance implications. Back pressure, plugging pulse timing (if you still have one), jetting, power band etc are a few of the concerns to keep in mind. Looks like maybe a Kawasaki engine?
Hopefully the builder took those things into account, either way, might be worth a call to the conversion OEM to ensure what is on there is acceptable to them.
Fabric work can be fun. I used Stewarts System (water based system - no fumes) with ultralight fabric and was very happy with the outcome. Many good options out there. She does look to be painted though (from what I see there).
I remember him talking about the exhaust, that it was bought from the same place that he got the engine and all the aero-conversion parts. It was meant to be a tuned exhaust for this engine to make it run a little better then the stock one it came with.
If that's actually the case, we shall see. I certainly plan on testing the engine and thrust testing the whole thing to make sure.
The engine is a Kawasaki 440. I'm still working on identifying other parts of it.
Does it look like just the leading edges are painted, or the whole thing is?
Apparently the fabric is Dacron, and it was painted with a thin coating of UV resistant house paint. I can't say I've heard that before, but it has been several years and the fabric does not seem like it has dissolved or deteriorated.. Has anyone heard of anyone using that before? Is it okay? Or is the fabric ruined? I will test with a punch style tester, of course.
Study up on exterior grade latex finishing, it is done, has a lot of supportive reviews and I'm personally interested in it as it would be much cheaper. I haven't been able to find any details about experience with repairs on it however.
Quite a few MiniMax's (and other homebuilts) have used 'latex' housepaint for some years. I used it on my Max. Note that housepaint does not contain latex rubber, it is usually acrylic. But being made for houses, which are exposed to weather (& in particular sun) 24/7/365, it does provide excellent protection against u.v. degradation of the substrate. I have a test section which I have left out in the Australian sunshine for 2 years now, with no apparent weakening of the dacron cloth. I can't comment on repairs, as I haven't made any yet. Acrylic housepaint gives a good finish. I used semi gloss, and diluted it considerably with water, using a very cheap airless spraygun to apply. The paint works well, it's cheap, and is available in many colours. I have no hesitation in recommending it, despite the murmerings of horror amongst the more traditional aeronauts amongst us.
Does your fabric still feel 'fabricy' even after the paint? This fabric is so fabric feeling, even though its colored, that I didn't even think it was painted at first. Is that normal? Or did the previous builder just do a very thin coat and I should add another?
Here is what it looks like from the inside, for reference.
Probably not the most flattering photo taken from the inside - shows all the irregularities! Modern acrylic paint forms a plastic skin over the fabric. Because of this, you should brush on the first coat by hand, to impregnate fully the weave of the cloth. The subsequent coat or two may be sprayed for a better finish. You can't really see the weave of the fabric on my plane, but I may have put a bit too much paint on (not good - it's heavy).
Does your fabric still feel 'fabricy' even after the paint? This fabric is so fabric feeling, even though its colored, that I didn't even think it was painted at first. Is that normal? Or did the previous builder just do a very thin coat and I should add another?
Here is what it looks like from the inside, for reference.
I think he just put single coat on to keep it light. Since you are still in contact with him, ask what process he used to cover with, I.E. polyfiber, stewart, etc. I believe you would be best served by removing all paint in the area where you are going to put the inspection holes. I wouldn't trust putting new fabric over top of household paint! Just saying!! But definitely get the inspection rings,dollies and covers and then the proper covering "system" products and go to town. I know there are Polyfiber and Stewart systems YouTube videos that will help too~! Good Luck! Scott
He said that he used "Exterior house paint that was UV resistant" and that's all he can really remember because it was many many years ago.
That brings me to a good question actually, what product do you recommend that removes the paint from the dacron without hurting the dacron? I've been searching everywhere but I can't seem to find any! Plenty of posts about painting, but none about 'unpainting'
Good reference! I guess now I have to see in good light if the paint layer is thick enough or if I need to add another. Or do I strip it all off and go with modern paint? Though I guess its only a few years old, its still probably modern paint now. Or just leave it? Is there a way to strip the paint off without ruining the fabric or the glue that holds it to the frame? So many questions..
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