Pawnee recovering

[Stuart Venters]

What is this group's opinion on how often a Pawnee should be recovered
and where to get it done.

We have one with 28 years on the fabric. Fabric is still sound, but we
found corrosion in the tail and are concerned that the airframe should
be more carefully inspected.

[Charles Longley]

I've seen older cover on Pawnee's. It all depends on it's life for the last 28 years. Just been towing and stored in a hangar? It'll probably be OK. Ag airplane most of that time, stored outside? Probably needs a rebuild.

Charlie

[youngbl...@gmail.com]

Stuart, I have recovered Pawnee's and it is a big job, but not impossible. The fabric life is dependent on how well the plane has been taken care of, meaning kept out of the elements and chemical exposure. Your bigger concerns should be the corrosion in the tail area and the inspection and compliance with the Horizonal tail AD, which is not always done, but an AMOC with proper inspections can more than satisfy concerns for completion of the AD. I have repaired tubing in the tail on the longerons that go to the tailwheel assembly, that also is a pretty time consuming job especially if it is Rosetta welded and properly aligned.
I would use the Stits system with the recovering and also use the old fashioned cement trick on the tapes and structural overlaps. Just a few ideas from someone that has done plenty of Pawnee repairs and covering. Old Bob, The Purist