ron sterba

Well Known Member
Well,has anybody installed floor panels for your feet under the rudder pedals in your 7A or 9A? I would like to put some sound deadning material between the outer skin of the floor and the new floor panels inside. Going with the vetterman exhaust and mufflers. Sort-of a guite machine if you will..
Ron in Oregon
 
Better Solution

Classic Aero supplies a carpet set for front and baggage floor. The front has a dense, sound deadening material glued to the back of the carpeting with spacing for the floor stringers to fit between, all edges are finish bound. The result is a level front floor. In addition, both front and baggage carpets come with industrial velcro to help hold the carpet in place. Typically, you'll find you don't need to use this in the baggage bay, and the front will require only about half of what they supply. End result is a well-insulated floor that will not "bunch up" when you climb in and out. Want a really finished look in your plane - CA supplies carpet for the seating area as well. It may seem pricey, but the end result is a perfect fit that solves multiple problems.
Terry, CFI
RV-9A N323TP
 
So, I was thinking I would go relatively "minimalist" on interior carpeting and upholstery. I'm spending enough on the engine/panel to choke a horse and really don't care about what it looks like on the inside as long as it does what I want it to do.

And then....

My fiancee and I were looking at the airplane and discussing what color I was going to use for the interior, and she says "You're not going to cover all this stuff?" (pointing to the riveted structure) "I'm not riding in an ugly airplane, you better figure something out."

And so, now it looks like I'll be buying some interior stuff. Such is life.
 
You builders have REALLY come thru with ideas that WILL definetly work! I liked ALL the ideas because there uses for each idea you guys posted here. Its questions like mine and others that generate sooo many hits in just a 15 hour old posting! 256 and counting and the work day isn't over yet! (its NOON Friday11-19-10 PST). Spoke to a builder whom made a tip canopy from a SLIDER! It tips up forward in the AFT postion to open the baggage area to put in a suitcase or small fold-up bike. The builder said Vans looked at the concept and said it should work fine. It does and I worked it! It works great! So as my 9A makes its way down my assembly line with all your great ideas it should BE ONE FINE BIRD! Thanks Guys and Doug too for his fine forum site! When i get that builders site I will post it as( slider canopy tips forward in AFT postion for suitcase) Ron in Oregon
 
Ron,

I put 3/4" black foam (ACS insulation) on the floor and then bent a couple pieces of sheet Al that fit on top the insulation, level with the longerons. The bend is about 5/8" on the center side of the Al sheet. I then put some holes in the short leg of the bend to fit over the screw heads from the center fuel line cover. On the outside, I cut the Al to slide under the longeron in a couple places. These stay in place really well without any screws or other fasteners. On the top (where my heels sit) I put some wing-walk material (aka skateboard friction strip) to keep my feet from slipping.

greg
 
I second Terry's comment. Bought everything from AeroClassic. Insulation under that carpet is THICK.
 
Notes from the Field

Maybe my experience is unique but here's the story. After pulling up to the refueling pump at a nearby airport, I noticed a pool of oil oozing from between the belly skin and floor stiffener. Later, using MEK, I wiped the oil off the Akzo primed surface. P.S. Don't try that with rattle can primer. Puzzled as to the source of the oil, I pulled the cowls and a cursory superficial examination uncovered nothing. The firewall is completely fumed sealed so it was difficult for me to imagine how that oil could have migrated through the firewall to the spot it where showed up. The belly of the airplane did have some oil residue on it and I guessed (still do) the oil entered the cockpit via the unpainted rivet pattern. I took the plane up again and while flying, the pool of oil reappeared before my very eyes! I landed and again pulled the cowls. Again, nothing was immediately apparent so I invited two friends one of whom is a highly experienced IA to help me look things over. Like a good editor, there is nothing like fresh eyeballs to help uncover something you may otherwise overlook. What did their mutual experience uncover? Many of the valve cover screws accepted an extra 1/4 to 1/2 turn. Most of all, even though the fuel filler neck was safety wired, it was slightly loose. Those items were addressed and many flight hours later, the problem has not reappeared. My IA friend told me high airspeed can do unexpected and seemingly crazy things with oil migration paths and my experience proves the point.

x1ivkn.jpg


My point is this. If the floor was covered, who knows how long that oil would have collected. Noise deadening? That's what ANR headsets are for.