FAA shut down my 3M aircraft graphic film.

Skymac said:
Does anyone have any good products for vinyl leading edge material besides regular plotter vinyl?
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3M has a number of options with each one having their own pros/cons. What exactly are you trying to protect the leading edge from?
 
Bell206 said:
3M has a number of options with each one having their own pros/cons. What exactly are you trying to protect the leading edge from?
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It’s an older fabric and paint aircraft in very good health for its age but there are some some cracks in the paint and over time I’ve got some chipping. Bugs and cleaning doesn’t help so a protective covering is in mind.
 
Skymac said:
here are some some cracks in the paint and over time I’ve got some chipping.
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Keep in mind since it's a fabric wing any self-adhesive tape/vinyl you install will probably damage the finish/fabric when removed after an extended time. And considering none of the 3M tapes have an indefinite life span, with some much less, you may want to pursue an alternate route. Depending on the fabric system used, you may want to look at a re-prep/paint of the leading edges followed by a protective wax or an applied coating like Rejex.
 
Skymac said:
Since this thread is out there.

Does anyone have any good products for vinyl leading edge material besides regular plotter vinyl? Looking for something that’s white that would go well on the leading edges of a fabric covered plane. I was thinking of car wrap vinyl as well but haven’t had time to experiment.
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I used clear 3M paint protection film on the front of my fixed gear nose strut and around the holes in the side of the nose gear wheel pant (where the tow bar attaches). I got mine on eBay. If you need longer pieces than you can get from there, you can get film marketed for airplanes from https://www.aircraftpaintprotection.com/Leading-Edge-Protection_c_229.html. Amazon also has longer rolls https://www.amazon.com/s?k=paint+pr...000-gatwy-feature-SEARC&tag=amz-mkt-chr-us-20.

These films are designed to be impact and abrasion resistant (I believe they're polyurethane laminate). Much more so than any of the adhesive vinyls that I used for decoration and placarding.

I think you might also find that color matching with vinyl will be a challenge. Clear avoids the need for that.
 
kyleb said:
My sense is that shrink wrap in fabric aircraft is the concern. Not vinyl graphics on a metal or composite plane.
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The concern was people were covering entire aircraft with "shrink-wrap" coverings. Caused a few issues. There is an STC approved shrink-wrap system out there called Oratex but its designed to replace standard fabric. Several FSDOs included "vinyl graphics" into the mix which required further definition by the FAA and are not included for any aircraft.
 
Bell206 said:
There is an STC approved shrink-wrap system out there called Oratex but its designed to replace standard fabric.
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Oratex is the same polyester (dacron), not vinyl, fabric as other coverings, all of which are shrunk. The only different thing about Oratex is their use of a heat activated adhesive to stick it on and the fact that it's dyed with UV protection built in instead of having to be painted. Expensive materials but a lot less labor.

All of the modern covering fabrics (Ceconite, Stits, Stewart, etc.) are STC'd processes to replace the old cotton fabric originally used.
 
Dana said:
Oratex is the same polyester (dacron), not vinyl,
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Very familiar with Oratex but don't recall stating it was vinyl? And given it is basically a one-step process it has been touted/marketed as a "shrink-wrap" process. Hence the context of my post. However, while Oratex is a polyester fabric, I believe it is its own proprietary blend and not a licensed Dacron product like the other standard fabrics. Regardless not a fan of Oratex for several reasons and prefer Stewarts over all the rest.
 
To paraphrase this thread.

Someone was told about something. Then went and told someone else. Someone else made a statement, which has been brought forward as "gospel". And now "someone else" is the ah$%^.

Story should be: do your own homework.
 
Exact
Bell206 said:
The concern was people were covering entire aircraft with "shrink-wrap" coverings. Caused a few issues. There is an STC approved shrink-wrap system out there called Oratex but it’s designed to replace standard fabric. Several FSDOs included "vinyl graphics" into the mix which required further definition by the FAA and are not included for any aircraft.
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Exactly. Even though some FSDO’s have defined “vinyl trim” as shrink wrap, they are flat out wrong. Not that they care to correct their definition, but it is completely misguided and foolish
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Hey, it's no stupider than PIN number or HIV virus. There really is no term for A&Ps with inspection authorization, but they've been called "IA" for the decades that I've been flying.
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I had always heard that as A&P-IA. The IA being an add on to the A&P
 
MauleSkinner said:
So the guy who signs my logbooks is known as an Inspection Authorization? :rolleyes:

I would say he’s an A&P who has an IA. He could also be called an AI, but calling him an IA would be grammatically incorrect.
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I call them A&E/AI. A&P is where you go to get a pound of coffee. ;)
 
A&E is Anything and Everything .
 
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