Irish Linen Fabric

[Dano"T"]

I'm looking at a plane for a friend and it's covered in Irish Linen (1972) The June annual fabric test was good...but how much longer will this fabric last? The entire plane was repainted in 1998...I'll assume this will add some weight. Let's assume that this plane will always be hangared. Will this plane be servicable for several years or does the fabric degrade enough throughout time that it will be an issue in the not too distant future?

[alwaysoar]

Re: Irish Linen Fabric

If your friend buys the plane he should assume he'll have to do a fabric job and factor that into the price. About 10K assuming nothing wrong with the tubing etc, not a safe assumption if it's been 33 years since last looked at.

[VictorBravo]

Re: Irish Linen Fabric

It's gonna need to be looked at. Doesn't matter how strong the fabric is, if it's been 30 years since someone's been inside that airplane it needs to be disassembled and inspected. Ask Rob Lees how his wing attach fittings looked when he restored G-BREY.

The Irish linen might have protected the structure well enough to make it an easy restoration project, but the odds are that it is a restoration project under the fabric.

The fact that it is not missing any parts is the big advantage of that airplane, IMHO.

Bill