Kerry Muller:
I just bought a used glareshield from a part-out situation. Same year as mine – ’75 C23. The glareshield in my plane does not seem original, and has a few fit issues, as well as being uncovered and ugly.
The glareshield I bought is the original fiberglass, with padding and recent FAA approved cover. Looks good, but the problem is the fiberglass underneath is cracked pretty good in a few spots. Looks like the cover is basically holding it together. Before I use this I wanted to reinforce the cracked area of the glareshield. I was just going to go to the hobby store and get some glass and resin and do some layups where the cracks are underneath. Also, the padding and fabric are covering the air slots that would be over the radio stack. I was thinking of getting a few of those little round vent things you see in the Spruce catalog and cut holes for those. My glareshield has 3 little vents like these.
I assume this is something I can legally do? Any other ideas appreciated.
Bob Steward, A&P-IA:
Part 43 Appendix A subparagraph (c) lists the items that an owner/pilot can
do and make his own log entry and sign off for return to service. Interior upholstery is one of the items on the list.
Standard repair for fiberglass is to sand the damaged area back at the rate
of one inch per ply, and then lay up the same number of plies removed, plus one. This also assumes you use the same resin and glass as the OEM.
I see no reason why on a non-structural part of the interior you could not
do this repair yourself and add more vents over the radio stack, etc.
Editor’s note:
You are unlikely to identify the original resin and glass used by Beech. The special fiberglass sold by hobby shops is both thin and strong. In the thin weights, it will easily mold around curved surfaces. Do NOT use cheap automotive or marine fiberglass and polyester resin. A safe, strong, and simple resin system for aircraft use is Vinylester resin. Some marine stores do carry it under the West brand. Pay attention to the labels. You will want to get “promoted” resin; it has a shorter shelf life but is easier to deal with (long story). The catalyst is used in small quantities (measured by the drop, for small resin batches). You will need a measuring dropper and the chart to match resin and catalyst quantities, as well as a small scale (like a Weight-Watcher’s scale). Be extremely careful with the catalyst. While the V-resin rarely causes allergic reactions, if it touches your eyes the catalyst will cause instant blindness.