fabric covering inside

[JHR]

Hi All

I am about ready to cover my Highlander and wondered whether to cover the inside with fabric or not.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

John

Wanaka NZ Ki #312

[SuperFly]

Hi John,

The advantages are that it protects the exterior fabric from damage by cargo, and it gives the interior a nice finished look.

The only disadvantage that I see with it is that you give up a little bit of cargo space (and I mean little bit) inside the airplane. I decided not to cover the interior of mine, but in retrospect, I wish I had.

The weight of the fabric covering inside is negligible, and unless you are building an airplane specifically for STOL competition, it will make nearly no difference at all.

All advice worth exactly what you paid.

[john2]

Hi John,
I did just the opposite of Ben. I started out with intentions of not covering the inside of mine but then decided to cover the inside of the cargo bay with superflite fabric and then from the rear spar bulkhead forward make foam inserts with fabric covering on them. They really look nice and are removable.
Back to the cargo bay, I originally had intentions of just gluing the interior fabric to the inside of the finished exterior Superflite fabric but then decided that I like the nice appearance the interior covering gives. I really like the way mine turned out and am glad I went to the extra trouble. I have attached a few pictures. The cargo bay picture is my project and the foam inserts are from a plane at the factory but I did mine the exact same way.
You might notice also that I moved my elevator push/pull rod to below the cargo bay. That was something that I had thought about doing and then someone else (sorry don't remember who) posted on the forum that they were doing this so I went ahead and did mine this way. I then got apprehensive about it and had a discussion with Troy. He has no problem with this and likes it that way. The reason for it being in the cargo bay is because of landing gear failures on the Highlander would wipe it out if set up this way but is not a problem on the SS because of extra structure for the gear legs.
As Ben said, worth what you paid for it.

[User GDS]

I covered the interior with Superflite, to protect outer skin as already mentioned. Mine is very utility looking, painted same color as the exterior. Another reason I did it is that I had never done any covering before the Highlander so it was my practice area. It's the hardest part to cover and nobody will ever notice mistakes.

[JHR]

Thank you all for your advice.

I have plenty to think about.

John

[JHR]

I intend to cover the inside with fabric and then glue light weight wall carpet like the factory do; is the fabric painted before sticking on the covering or just glued and heat shrunk?

John
New Zealand

[KevinC]

I used Kydex to make sure cargo (like a bike handlebar or something) didn't go through fabric. I like it.

My Highlander weighed 680

k

[john2]

I intend to cover the inside with fabric and then glue light weight wall carpet like the factory do; is the fabric painted before sticking on the covering or just glued and heat shrunk?

John
New Zealand

John,
The fabric is just fitted, glued and heat shrunk. You then use a spray on adhesive to stick the wall carpet or other finish fabric to.

[xpflyr]

Hi John,
I did just the opposite of Ben. I started out with intentions of not covering the inside of mine but then decided to cover the inside of the cargo bay with superflite fabric and then from the rear spar bulkhead forward make foam inserts with fabric covering on them. They really look nice and are removable.
Back to the cargo bay, I originally had intentions of just gluing the interior fabric to the inside of the finished exterior Superflite fabric but then decided that I like the nice appearance the interior covering gives. I really like the way mine turned out and am glad I went to the extra trouble. I have attached a few pictures. The cargo bay picture is my project and the foam inserts are from a plane at the factory but I did mine the exact same way.
You might notice also that I moved my elevator push/pull rod to below the cargo bay. That was something that I had thought about doing and then someone else (sorry don't remember who) posted on the forum that they were doing this so I went ahead and did mine this way. I then got apprehensive about it and had a discussion with Troy. He has no problem with this and likes it that way. The reason for it being in the cargo bay is because of landing gear failures on the Highlander would wipe it out if set up this way but is not a problem on the SS because of extra structure for the gear legs.
As Ben said, worth what you paid for it.

Just beautiful workmanship! Also a great idea. How many hrs did it cost.

[john2]

Just beautiful workmanship! Also a great idea. How many hrs did it cost.[/quote]

I am away from home at work right now so I can't review my notes, but I think you can figure at least a full day on the cargo area. I have the foam cut outs for the front area but have not attached the fabric to all the pieces yet. Sorry I can't be any more specific.

[SheepdogRD]

I used Kydex to make sure cargo (like a bike handlebar or something) didn't go through fabric.

Kevin, did you put the Kydex over interior fabric, or instead of it? How did you attach it?

[Dave Krall CFII SEL SES]

We used Kydex 1mm for interior for easy cleaning, just spray water and let dry or vacuum. A few Velcro small patches glued onto tubes for each panel to secure. The cargo bay Kydex panels were left natural color and cockpit ones were painted via rattle can, and two were used to make two cup holders in front of each occupant in between the stick mixer rack tube triangles.

[SheepdogRD]

We used Kydex 1mm for interior for easy cleaning, just spray water and let dry or vacuum. A few Velcro small patches glued onto tubes for each panel to secure. The cargo bay Kydex panels were left natural color and cockpit ones were painted via rattle can, and two were used to make two cup holders in front of each occupant in between the stick mixer rack tube triangles.

I bought 1mm for ours, and it sounds easy enough to do. Do you have any pictures of your finished installation?

[Dave Krall CFII SEL SES]

I don't know how or have the time to get pix into the web but I can text you a few if you like. It's nothing special but it's durable, fast and fairly light. Some of the panels are out right now too.

[jjacky]

I noticed that some of you covered foam panels with fabric for some of the interior panels. What foam did you use, how thick is it and do you still like it? Thanks!