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Roof/Window Repair TB20

Kevlar looks white to off white, often with a coarse weave as seen in the photo. It looks like a layer of Kevlar on top of CF or something else colored darker (perhaps honeycomb)

Last Edited by Silvaire at 03 Nov 17:45

Colin

There are very few companies in the light aircraft engineering field that know anything about composites and only one in the UK that has EASA 145 heavy repair approval, they are located 28 NM north west of your base.

The paint is being removed in the next few days so the Composite can be inspected. I doubt that it will show any defects (at least I hope so). It’s probably the paint that is getting tired as its the original from the factory and the aircraft has lived outside most of its life.

I’ll keep you posted with the outcome.

I know of one aviation composite Co. which is about 350 degrees from me. They do a lot of work in Composite mainly for gliders. Friends in the aerobatic world use them as well.

EGLK, United Kingdom

A and C does specialist composite repairs so send him a PM

Regarding Socata paint, they have had occassional “hiccups” where something went badly wrong and the stuff just came off / cracked up / etc. The paint around my filler caps would peel off in 2cm wide strips, leaving the green primer underneath. I know of TBM owners ($3M) reporting the same. Perhaps somebody had too much wine at lunchtime and went cross-eyed when setting the temperature+humidity in their climate controlled spray booth. Or more likely the job was done out of the booth, on a hot or humid day. On my plane it’s just little cosmetic stuff which I have been touching up. Yours is the same generation as mine; all the GTs were built around 2000-2001, with the 2002/2003 ones mostly using up what was left of the pile of parts, until nothing was left. Finally, I don’t think much of the MAPAERO paint they use; it is stuff which is a bastard to buy (don’t I know it) because the company is utterly arrogant and unhelpful, and no paint shop outside France will use it because – they claim – there is better stuff around.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Totally agree about Mapaero. Waste of time.

I have worked most of my life in industrial transportation markets for a big American company, and so I am very familiar with paints/coatings/adhesives/bonding etc. You are right, there are many better quality coating alternatives around.

The filler cap problem on TB’s is quite common and is caused by clumsy refuelling and the design of the filler cap neck. I have a rubber mat that goes over the filler neck to prevent any inadvertent damage, although that doesn’t stop them pouring fuel across the wing occasionally. And yes, I have paint lifting around the filler cap as well.

EGLK, United Kingdom
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