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Interior cockpit covers

bmarvel

Well Known Member
Friend
Now that I have a better understanding of Smugmug, I wanted to replace some former Tiny Pic photos that have vanished with something once again viewable. The post below was buried in a long thread but should have stood alone. It's about an interior cockpit cover system I use in the -14A.

Below are several photos showing all three sections of the interior cockpit cover. One covers the glare shield, the second covers the seats and instrument panel and the third covers the baggage area. They fold into about a 12 inch by 12 inch stack an inch thick when stored. No velcro is used; attachment is by button snaps available at most fabric, craft or marine supply stores.

The U shaped cutouts on the aft side of the center cover were originally intended to allow the shoulder harnesses to pass through to the front seats. But after we installed the covers we realized those harnesses should not be exposed to the sun more than necessary so we leave them laying on the baggage compartment floor when parked with the covers installed. I suggest you do the same and not make the cutouts. You will also see how the tow bar comes through as well as how our Home Depot PVC chocks are stowed in the lightening holes of the seat back supports.

My wife got the material at a Jo Ann's fabric shop but we don't know what it is called. It is much thicker than bed sheets and has sort of a smooth waxy texture to it. We used Acrilan (a sailboat sail cover material) for the cover of our former RV-8A but it wasn't available here in western Colorado. Anything white will do as it will tend to reflect sunlight.

This method prevents direct sun contact and protects the interior instruments and objects from unfriendly prying eyes. It also avoids plexi scratching, an almost guaranteed outcome of having an external cover if any wind blows as dust is just about impossible to keep out.

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