Not a new concept by any means. 1955 Taylorcraft Ranch Wagon (Model 20) was covered in fiberglass. A friend of mine helped restore one here in Alaska years ago...said it was a royal PITA. This might give you some ideas:
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Originally posted by alaskabearhawk View PostNot a new concept by any means. 1955 Taylorcraft Ranch Wagon (Model 20) was covered in fiberglass. A friend of mine helped restore one here in Alaska years ago...said it was a royal PITA. This might give you some ideas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylorcraft_Ranch_WagonChristopher Owens
Bearhawk 4-Place Scratch Built, Plans 991
Bearhawk Patrol Scratch Built, Plans P313
Germantown, Wisconsin, USA
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This thread made me curious about the 'Razorback' process. Not much info out there on google.
Scratch Built 4-place Bearhawk. Continental IO-360, 88" C203 McCauley prop.
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What about aluminium??
Hi Guys,
well, the great news is, I own a bearhawk (and lots of debt!). I purchased Adam Price’s one from out west.
I’ve been vaguely thinking about what form the fuselage will eventually take, and Jim Hutson (scratchbuilt BH-4pl) told me if he had his time again, he wouldn’t use fabric, he’d cover it in aluminium.
Is this even feasible, weight-wise? Can anyone give me more info?
I’ve done some rough calculations with the numbers used on this thread, and getting the material weights off the net (hooray for google convertor!)
Material Spec lbs/sq.ft lbs/sq.yd oz/sq.yd + paint
Aluminium 2024-T3 0.016 0.230 2.07 33
Oratex 0.118 1.06 17
The 17 oz figure is 5 oz fabric and 12 oz paint (as stated above0
- I know I haven’t painted the aluminium.
- I know I haven’t allowed for nut plates, tabs, screws, washers with aluminium.
Now, there’s a post elsewhere explaining that because the controls are all counterweighted, it makes no sense covering them in aluminium. So we’re just talking about the fuselage here.
Can anyone tell me what is the total surface area of the fuselage? How many extra pounds of weight are we talking about if I go down the aluminium path?
And in case you are wondering why I’m trying to ‘reinvent the wheel’, well, I’m Australian, and fabric planes seem to be a liability in our harsh sunlight.
Also I’d like to be able to fold up my own panels for this build, and remove them later for annual inspections.
Any thoughts at all appreciated :-)
James
The Barrows Bearhawk: Who knew my wife could get jealous of a plane?
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Yeah, so the pagination didn't come out too well when I hit "post":
Aluminium 2024, 0.016":
lbs/ sq foot: 0.239
lbs/ sq yd: 2.07
oz / sq yd: 33 (no paint)
Oratex:
lbs / sq foot: 0.118
lbs / sq yd: 1.06
oz / sq yd: 17 (painted)The Barrows Bearhawk: Who knew my wife could get jealous of a plane?
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I don’t have any numbers for you. However, it was popular to metalize the Stinson 108, which is similar in dimensions to the BH. I know when I was looking at Stinsons, this was a fairly common discussion. Might be an easy Google search?Christopher Owens
Bearhawk 4-Place Scratch Built, Plans 991
Bearhawk Patrol Scratch Built, Plans P313
Germantown, Wisconsin, USA
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I owned a Stinson 108 for a while so followed the plane fairly closely; While it was popular in the 1950's to change from fabric to aluminum because pf the short lifespan of cotton fabric, those planes are less desirable today as they are heavier than the fabric planes and have steel tubing that hasn't been inspected in 60 years.
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Hello James. Here in the USA - fabric covering is really the preferred material for covering bush planes. While not knowing anything about your background and experience building experimental planes - you would be wise to stick to the plans. Many unintended things happen when you start changing things.
And welcome aboard. You are the 3rd owner of that kit. Mark
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