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wadebaird

Cessna 182 interior

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Hello,

We want to spruce up the interior of our Cessna a little as the interior is currently completely removed and doesn't look that professional.

Anyone have any ideas? I was thinking of using the plastic that you see in all of the Otters. Is that feasible? Where can I get it?

Thanks

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Hello,

We want to spruce up the interior of our Cessna a little as the interior is currently completely removed and doesn't look that professional.

Anyone have any ideas? I was thinking of using the plastic that you see in all of the Otters. Is that feasible? Where can I get it?

Kydex...FAA approved

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while it's always nice to have a "good looking interior "........

wouldn't some sort of covering,,,which is attached to the vertical framing ribs, cause you to LOSE the Usable Space???
between the front of the rib and the actual skin of the fuselage???

i know the depth that i am talking about is only 2 or 3 inches but that space CAN give the jumpers that little EXtra elbow room ,,,,, on BOTH sides of the cabin..... which CAN make a difference between comfortable and cramped...[:/]

just sayin'


jmy :)

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Have jumped 182's both with and without interior liners...

Without does (as someone else points out) provide that little bit extra room.

However, it also tends to be rather abrasive on rigs, with all sorts of places/things upon which to snag/cut/abrade your rig, jumpsuit, fingers. On the extreme case, our pilot was cut something bad on the unpadded interior when a jumper's rig pulled the tail off and he was attempting to bailout.

Lessor issues - a stripped interior is less weight carried up/down, but also noisier.

For myself, I'd use the closed-cell hard rubber foam that I've seen in some planes. It could be used on the floors/walls/ceiling, and cut-to-shape around the ribs/etc... BUT I don't have any idea of what the FAA would thing of its use.

Just my $.02
JW
Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

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The first step is to clean the interior down to bare aluminum?Alclad. Then spray it with primer paint. Then spray on a layer of light-coloured paint. A bright interior will help relieve feelings of claustrophobia.

Padded floor mats - similar to wrestling mats - are the next step.
You really only need fabric covering over sharp edges and things like aileron control cables.
Otherwise, any extra upholstery adds weight and decreases rate of climb.

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Kydex is a great aviation specific heat formable product. It's what the windows and side panels of Airbus and Boeings are made of. It's not too expensive, $50 ish a sheet if you shop around. I'd imagine fitting, trimming, and molding for an entire 182 to be a big job, I'd set aside a week if I were doing it by myself.

You might check with plane plastics (www.planeplastics.com ), as they may already offer a kit for 182. Their door panels and trim look factory perfect, but do require a lot of fitting and trimming.

Another poster suggested closed cell foam for a finished product. I just insulated my plane with 3/8" super soundproofing (available from aircraft spruce and many other vendors). It's fire retardant, comes on a 60" roll, has a paper trail, and is easy to work with. It took me three days to remove my existing insulation, clean and prep, pattern, cut, and install. I used it under standard interior panels. While it is very light and looks great, it does not stand up to abrasion at all.

I've heard that Selkirk makes a precut kit that's made of foam rubber that stands up to abrasion very well, but is a bit heavier. Word on the street is that the precut pieces don't fit well in some planes and require substantial trimming.

Good Luck with whatever you go with, and do post pictures of your finished project.

Jim

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While my plane was in for paint and there were some delays for the windshield and glare shield, I had them strip the remaining "glue" that was on the interior of the plane from the origional insulation and then paint it with zinc chromate primer which made it look good,didn't add hardly any weight and didn't do anything for sound insulation. Came out pretty good.
Replying to: Re: Stall On Jump Run Emergency Procedure? by billvon

If the plane is unrecoverable then exiting is a very very good idea.

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When I re-did mine I did the following:
Walls: Stripped the interior and glued on carpet, capping all the sheet-metal edges with rubber U-channel. This gives a good mix of elbow room, comfort, noise reduction, and rig protection.
Floor: Made two panels out of plywood, covered with 1/4" padding and carpet. They fit snugly enough that they don't need to be screwed down, while raising the floor to the level of the door, making exits easier. Comfortable and easy to remove for maintenance.
Ceiling: Fitted three pieces of fiberglass panel at the level of the interior frames. That cuts down on the headroom, but dramatically reduces the chance of head injuries.

It looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. I'll try to remember to get some photos next weekend.

Check with your A&P. Make sure that all materials are approved for use in certificated aircraft, that the work is documented in the airframe logbook, and that you get and keep the "burn certs" for all the materials.

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

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I stripped the interior. cleaned it up and got in there with a paint brush and some light-colored off-white paint. Painted the whole inside with a brush and it took a lot less time that I thought and it looks really nice in there. lighter colors add more light.

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Thanks everyone for the good suggestions.

We already have foam padding on the floor and walls which help out a lot with comfort. I just wanted to cover up the aleron cables and wing caps. Never thought of just removing the glue and painting the rest, that would probably serve it's purpose and save a lot of money.

Our A&P could only come up with aluminum as a solution and it would be at least a grand, these sound like better options.

Thanks!

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