Wing walk for unpainted RV's

[kevinh]

Hi ya'll,

My RV-7A is nearing completion (starting the engine today - woo hoo), but I have a question about that anti-slip wing walk.

I'm going to fly the plane for a few months before taking it to a professional paint shop. During that time, I'd like to have something to protect the skins and prevent falls. If I go ahead and install the rubberized wing walk that Van's sells right now, will I have problems when it comes time to paint? I'm concerned that the paint shop will have a hard time painting nicely against the edges and filling the "RV-7" cutouts in the material.

Do people typically just install some throw away material and then peel it off when it comes time for the paint job?

-Kevin
finishing (really)

[svanarts]

I just went down to the hardware store and bought some anti-skid stuff that came on a roll. I just had him measure me off about 3 ft of it and cut it. It looks like it would peel off relatively easy. Probably add some heat from a heat gun and it would come off really easy. That way you don't have to sacrifice some pretty "RV" wing walks. I've had mine on for two years now. Still saving up to paint it.

[fred]

i didn't put any anti skid on my wings til it was painted,the painter put anti skid on. no problems with the bare wings they did fine and my wife and i had no problems getting in and out of the airplane for six months. we even did a hurricane evac out of fla last year and got in and out in heavy rain. fred

[szicree]

If you go the Home Depot route, be aware there are two different types of anti slip stuff: the kind that's all rubbery, and the kind that's more like sandpaper. If you use the gritty stuff, little bits of it will embed themselves in your shoes and screw up anything you step on (paint).

Steve Zicree

[svanarts]

True, the stuff I bought was the rubbery stuff. No grit.