Would a specialized small parts composite shop be worth while

[Strutwipe]

I came across an interesting dilemma. I need work done to my fiberglass lower cowling. For the life of me, I cannot find a repair shop in southerner Arizona that would do the work. I also notice that their are no small job composite shops advertised in Piper or Cessna Flyer, nor in EAA. Are there any places a person can ship items like pants, fairings, and wing tips to be repaired correctly with matching paint? If not, do you think starting up a small parts composite shop would be worth while? I have an individual that graduated from composite fabrication and repair aviation college that is interested in filling this niche. All repairs would come with an 8130-03 repair tag.

 

[David Megginson]

Owners tend simply to replace those parts, once simple fibreglass repairs in the local shop no longer suffice.

That said, if there were a shop in Canada offering the service, I might consider using it when I have a cracked fairing.

 

[Maxnr]

Is there an EAA chapter nearby? Some of those guys are good with composites. Some of the boat yards in my area are also good.

 

[baboss]

Our local shop, which is a Cirrus Service Center, was comfortable doing some simple fiberglass repair/reinforcement on the front lip of my Cessna cowling.

 

[kyleb]

Anyone can do cosmetic repairs. An owner, the local body shop, whoever.

Now, if the part is truly broken, that’s a different story, but that’s probably the edge case.

 

[FORANE]

You might check on VAF. I hear alot of complaining about the composite portions of the builds.

 

[mondtster]

If you’ve ever done composite work you’ll know how much work goes into the parts and the material costs aren’t cheap either.

I make parts for myself and close friends but there is no way I’d try to build a business around it because I suspect you’d end up working for free an awful lot.

 

[Crashnburn]

If you’ve ever done composite work you’ll know how much work goes into the parts and the material costs aren’t cheap either.

I make parts for myself and close friends but there is no way I’d try to build a business around it because I suspect you’d end up working for free an awful lot.

Either that or just not working.

 

[Jumpmaster]

My IA works with a few guys who work with composites for a living and do some work on the side. So when I had a new STC’d intake installed in my lower cowl and some new exit ramps put in as an owner produced part that required a lot of glass work - both carbon fiber and fiberglass - he supervised the installation work including the painting. Came out really nice - very professionally done. I think there are lots of ways of getting quality composite work done. As someone mentioned, some EAA serial builders might be a good source, depending on what they have built.

 

[3393RP]

I came across an interesting dilemma. I need work done to my fiberglass lower cowling. For the life of me, I cannot find a repair shop in southerner Arizona that would do the work. I also notice that their are no small job composite shops advertised in Piper or Cessna Flyer, nor in EAA. Are there any places a person can ship items like pants, fairings, and wing tips to be repaired correctly with matching paint? If not, do you think starting up a small parts composite shop would be worth while? I have an individual that graduated from composite fabrication and repair aviation college that is interested in filling this niche. All repairs would come with an 8130-03 repair tag.

Take your cowl to a marine repair shop. There are several in Phoenix that could make it like new.

This is one of those times the regulations are a giant PITA. The boat shop would do better work than an A&P, cheaper, and faster.

 

[Maxnr]

Take your cowl to a marine repair shop. There are several in Phoenix that could make it like new.

This is one of those times the regulations are a giant PITA. The boat shop would do better work than an A&P, cheaper, and faster.

The marine repair shop is a good choice. Also consider a boater's supply shop. West Marine is one. There are others. They sell an inexpensive fiberglass repair kit. Even I can follow the instructions.

Regulations, "a giant PITA," I demur. Follow this: FAR 43 Appendix A has guidance for: para (1) major alterations, para (2) major maintenance and most important, para (3) preventative maintenance. This is a list of more than 30 items that the FAA calls "preventative." Number 12 on the list is repair to fairings and cowlings. An owner, operator or pilot is authorized to perform preventative maintenance. Some time you actually see log book entries for preventative maintenance. Some times its skipped over. Who logs inflating a tire? But changing a tire? I would. Replacing a side window is permitted, but a windshield is para (2).

Good luck.

 

[Maxnr]

For what its worth, some composite repairs are major repairs. I flew an aircraft for years that was Kevlar honey comb in the front 2/3 of the airframe and common metal semi mono construction in the back third. It was nick named "The Kevlar Komet." I saw (from time to time) A/C that wound up on their back. Oh yeah, there was sheet metal work done on the aluminum, but the Kevlar buffed out ok. Any repairs to the honey comb had to be done by the mfg, not our maint dept. That was rare.

 

[Strutwipe]

Thank you all for your productive comments. This is a lot to think about from a business point of view. I want to see this young man succeed but I too am on the fence.

 

[David Megginson]

Thank you all for your productive comments. This is a lot to think about from a business point of view. I want to see this young man succeed but I too am on the fence.

You know the drill — if he wants to end up with a small fortune from an aviation business, he'll need to start with a large fortune. :-/

 

[NoHeat]

Cirrus wheel pants are fiberglass, and I had one crack. I shipped it to a Cirrus service center in another state. They repaired it, painted it the standard Cirrus white, applied new decals, and shipped it back UPS. The repair was something that shop was well equipped to do (they regularly did bigger composite repairs) but apparently my request was uncommon, to repair a wheel pant without bringing the plane to them.

I've heard that some owners have sent wheel pants to auto-body shops, but they don't repair them the same way.