Going No Carpet?

Huckster79

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Huckster79
Im the proud new owner of a 1947 Cessna 140, I've had my ticket for 10 years but flown rentals and a club plane, so the responsibilities of personal ownership are new. She's a nice bird but like many the carpet is not the highlight of her aesthetics... Is there any reason if I remove the carpet that it must be replaced? If not is there anything I should do to the newly exposed aluminum? I would think the carpet afforded it little to no protection from anything besides scratches but wanted to make sure. Would there be a good finish to consider giving a no carpet plane?

Ray
 
Im the proud new owner of a 1947 Cessna 140, I've had my ticket for 10 years but flown rentals and a club plane, so the responsibilities of personal ownership are new. She's a nice bird but like many the carpet is not the highlight of her aesthetics... Is there any reason if I remove the carpet that it must be replaced? If not is there anything I should do to the newly exposed aluminum? I would think the carpet afforded it little to no protection from anything besides scratches but wanted to make sure. Would there be a good finish to consider giving a no carpet plane?

Ray

I like carpet, but this stuff is pretty nice too

https://www.aerofloor.com/product-category/flooring/
 
Im the proud new owner of a 1947 Cessna 140, I've had my ticket for 10 years but flown rentals and a club plane, so the responsibilities of personal ownership are new. She's a nice bird but like many the carpet is not the highlight of her aesthetics... Is there any reason if I remove the carpet that it must be replaced? If not is there anything I should do to the newly exposed aluminum? I would think the carpet afforded it little to no protection from anything besides scratches but wanted to make sure. Would there be a good finish to consider giving a no carpet plane?

Ray
Precut with burn certs, $180
https://www.airtexinteriors.com/index.php
 
Have you seen under this carpet yet? Sometimes things are swept under the carpet on purpose.

are there rivet lines that could snag a shoe? Someone mentioned corrosion, but are there unsightly stains on the skin?

I think $200 to replace it sounds like s good investment.
 
Airtex is about as simple as it gets. And you can choose from many colors to match your interior. Just completed the last of the wall panels and plastic in my ride. The carpet is next...and a LOT simpler.
 
You are thinking of a Bonanza, Cessna 140's do not have drapes.

Ya, agree. Horizontal blinds seem more appropriate for a Cessna. :)
 
Is there any reason if I remove the carpet that it must be replaced?
No. But in my experience, you'll want something to protect the floor from wear and tear. Coin-dot type flooring is a good alternative. Have done several airplanes in it and it was standard retrofit in various helicopters I've been around. There are also a number of aviation dealers of it that can pre-cut if you like, plus there are various methods to secure it. I wouldn't recommend gluing it down though. Don't forget to weigh the old carpet and compare it to any new flooring if you go that route.
 
I was thinking i could save a pound or three by leaving it out, as i try to u do some of her weight gain...
 
No. But in my experience, you'll want something to protect the floor from wear and tear. Coin-dot type flooring is a good alternative. Have done several airplanes in it and it was standard retrofit in various helicopters I've been around. There are also a number of aviation dealers of it that can pre-cut if you like, plus there are various methods to secure it. I wouldn't recommend gluing it down though.
I don't know why anyone would glue it down, but I have found such situations. Annual inspections demand, in accordance with FAR 43, inspection of control systems, wiring, and structure. There are plenty of cables and pulleys down there, bellcranks, wire bundles, landing gear structure and the like, and if the carpet doesn't come out you can't inspect that whole area. The stuff we find---frayed cables, seized pulleys and various other failing bits---proves that too often it's ignored. I recently found a seeping fuel line fitting that had been seeping so long there was a thick blue stain on the inside of the bottom skin. The fitting nut was finger-tight.
 
My Sport had carpet in it. Took it out 20 years ago. There was plywood under the carpet, I think its 1/4 or 3/8". I painted the plywood with a tan enamel paint, looks good.

I live in a rain forest and parking out side. No more worries about moldy carpet. Its also easy to clean...
 
Hardwood floors...
Not unknown in aircraft....
baynard_panel.jpg

Ron Wanttaja
 
Make sure you pick a rug that really ties the room together.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
I don't know why anyone would glue it down
The only one's that I find who glue things down are original OEMs in some cases and owners who copied the previous install during replacement. One can really customize an install with coin-dot or similar flooring. Throw in some custom cut kydex panels for cargo hauling and the floor covering will last for years.
 
A guy on back country pilots said he lost 20 lbs taking carpet and door post covers and such out. that’s a lot of loss of weight whit such a limited useful load.

I have a hard time thinking that thin crappy carpet and gawdy apolstry quiets down a 71 year old aluminum can very much... it’s already far from quiet, even as far as planes go.. I could be off as it’s only intuition. Heater will cook you out so a loss of some insulation not an issue..20lbs is very tempting.. take that and extra grimes light out and I’ve lost 25+ pounds for the cost of a fabric patch....
 
Could you do like a truck bed liner?
I've seen it used in helicopters as floor liners or for EMS ops on fluid trays. If the part could be removed it was sent to the local applicator. If it couldn't, a 1:1 mold was made or red tagged item was sent to the applicator and multiple copies were made. Not all brands would pass a burn test, but some did just fine. All the resulting parts were done as "owner produced" and installed where needed. Made a big difference over conventional options. However, if the area was flat the go to material was coin-dot. But if more 3D or curved then the bed liner material was used.
 
I've got a '46 Taylorcraft, with no carpet, I painted the metal floor with a 2 part epoxy White, 7 years and several hundreds hours ago and it has not worn any, doesn't make a bit of difference with the noise, I've always thought a lot of the noise was through the plexiglass all around, just take the carpet out and fly it awhile and see what you think, wish you the best
 
I've got a '46 Taylorcraft, with no carpet, I painted the metal floor with a 2 part epoxy White, 7 years and several hundreds hours ago and it has not worn any, doesn't make a bit of difference with the noise, I've always thought a lot of the noise was through the plexiglass all around, just take the carpet out and fly it awhile and see what you think, wish you the best

I think thats the plan, wont be able to paint till spring, if i like no carpet ill do similiar to yours with the epoxy paint, and if i hate it, ill spring for carpet...
 
A guy on back country pilots said he lost 20 lbs taking carpet and door post covers and such out. that’s a lot of loss of weight whit such a limited useful load.

I have a hard time thinking that thin crappy carpet and gawdy apolstry quiets down a 71 year old aluminum can very much... it’s already far from quiet, even as far as planes go.. I could be off as it’s only intuition. Heater will cook you out so a loss of some insulation not an issue..20lbs is very tempting.. take that and extra grimes light out and I’ve lost 25+ pounds for the cost of a fabric patch....

I seriously doubt the removable interior bits and carpet in a 140 weighs 20-25 pounds.
 
I seriously doubt the removable interior bits and carpet in a 140 weighs 20-25 pounds.

IDK, just going off what another guy said as I've never removed any of it to weigh it myself. I was combining his 20lbs with the removal of the extra grimes light which is supposedly 6+lbs on its own...
 
IDK, just going off what another guy said as I've never removed any of it to weigh it myself. I was combining his 20lbs with the removal of the extra grimes light which is supposedly 6+lbs on its own...
I've taken plenty of interiors out for inspections. That stuff really does add up. There are some very light carpets, and I have found some really heavy stuff as well. Some of the aftermarket interior plastic is much heavier than the OEM, to make it more crack-resistant. Selkirk Aviation makes fiberglass interior panels for many Cessnas and they're not light at all; just really tough. And they take a LONG time to fit to the airplane.

Much of the increased empty weights of the restart Cessnas (172/182/206) is due to the interior. Heavier panels, heavier floor coverings (some sort of embossed plastic panels) and leather upholstery.
 
I've taken plenty of interiors out for inspections. That stuff really does add up. There are some very light carpets, and I have found some really heavy stuff as well. Some of the aftermarket interior plastic is much heavier than the OEM, to make it more crack-resistant. Selkirk Aviation makes fiberglass interior panels for many Cessnas and they're not light at all; just really tough. And they take a LONG time to fit to the airplane.

Much of the increased empty weights of the restart Cessnas (172/182/206) is due to the interior. Heavier panels, heavier floor coverings (some sort of embossed plastic panels) and leather upholstery.

Makes sense- she didn’t gain weight in one big fell swoop-or it would be easy to identify and change back with one change back... frankly I think the pic in the thread of the naked interior looks good...she’s a GA plane not a caddy, I wud rather lift off faster and haul more than not see the plain doorpost...
 
When I stripped my 180's interior, insulation, headliner, bulkhead curtain, and the fittings that retained that junk? My plane lost 37#. And that was changing from lightweight Cessna vinyl flooring to heavier diamond plate rubber. I had already done the seats a year or two earlier so that weight savings wasn't part of it. I replaced my panel at the same time as the interior so a few pounds would be attributed to that.

My interior looks much better now.
 
When I stripped my 180's interior, insulation, headliner, bulkhead curtain, and the fittings that retained that junk? My plane lost 37#. And that was changing from lightweight Cessna vinyl flooring to heavier diamond plate rubber. I had already done the seats a year or two earlier so that weight savings wasn't part of it. I replaced my panel at the same time as the interior so a few pounds would be attributed to that.

My interior looks much better now.

Got any pics You could share?
 
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