Trash Blue River covering system

[taylorcraftbc65]

Re: Trash Blue River covering system

It's next annual is due in July, so yes, It is all stuck to the fabric, so yes, It never has, but it has always been hangered, and I won't fly it in any rain, and I live 80 miles east of El Paso, Texas, it is usually very dry here, so no, I don't think so, I just wanted to brainstorm with others, and see what you thought. I don't think that it will make it through the next annual, this inspector likes to err way on the side of caution. That's OK, I finally got all the small stuff taken care of, and I hoped that I could fly her the 35 miles round trip to the nearest airport, 2E5, and home twice for breakfast before I recover her with Randolf. That's the only stuff I have ever used, I know how to work with it, and if that A&P couldn't get a proper job with the Blue River, I'll stay with the old school stuff that I know.

Re: Trash Blue River covering system

Here are four photos of my taylorcraft after I got everything else patched up. I mentioned all the hairline cracks on the fabric cover chemicals of this Blue River system. This plane has been hangered EVERY DAY from the day that it was recovered 18 years ago. I have seen Stits and Randolf systems go longer and look great, this is TRASH. My question, is can I fly this like this, or does it require ANOTHER several grand thrown at it?

Does it have a current annual inspection?

Does the finish (albeit crappy) adhere to the fabric?

Does the fabric become water logged thru these cracks?

Is there anything else about this finish that you can think of that makes it unsafe for operation?

If the answers are Y,Y,N,N then I would expect it to be flyable.

Dave

p.s. I made an assumption that may be incorrect, that is that the fabric passes a strength test as part of the annual inspection however it would be better to do that test now again even if the annual is current.

[taylorcraftbc65]

Re: Trash Blue River covering system

Seven years before I bought the plane, it was completely taken down to the bare airframe and rebuilt. I have a stack of paperwork on the rebuild job about three inches thick. In that stack are the receipts for the fabric, and the Blur River dopes. colors, and everything. The man that rebuilt the plane was the future father-in-law of the A&P of T-27 when I got there in 2003. When I arrived, the aircraft was in it's hanger, with about a half inch of dust on every surface that would hold it. That plane had never been outside, except to fly, and was put up by the guy that I bought it from two years before I bought it, because he bought an L-5, ans a Starduster, and put each of them in their own hanger. I bought it in 2004, and at that time, the finish was flawless. It didn't start doing this until about three years ago, and I swear that that plane has never been outside in the sun, except when I was flying it. Two years ago, I started having minor issues with it, and as soon as I fixed one issue another would pop up. As a result, for the last year and a half, I have not flown it at all. I finally got all the issues taken care of, and now I wonder if it can be flown, because of these hairline cracks, that have slowly covered more and more of the plane till now it is completely covered, top, sides, and bottom with them.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Trash Blue River covering system

Did you recover it or is that was is stated in the log books when you bought it? That looks like very old dope finish that had tons of cracks, was rejuvenated, and then top coated. If you have ever seen a dope finish that had hail damage, that was rejuvenated and repainted will look just like that after a few years. Or has it cracked since you have had and had it top coated?

[taylorcraftbc65]

Here are four photos of my taylorcraft after I got everything else patched up. I mentioned all the hairline cracks on the fabric cover chemicals of this Blue River system. This plane has been hangered EVERY DAY from the day that it was recovered 18 years ago. I have seen Stits and Randolf systems go longer and look great, this is TRASH. My question, is can I fly this like this, or does it require ANOTHER several grand thrown at it?