I took the 16 hour course so now I can do my own conditional inspection on my RV – 12. Pretty scary considering how little I know. I do have an AxP looking over my shoulder. I removed my upper and lower cowlings today for the first time. I noticed that the lower cowling has what appears to be some insulation I assume to protect a cowling from melting. In fact, it appears the insulation itself has melted or at least is disintegrating. I’ve included a photo. Can anyone tell me what this material is actually for and where I buy it and any tips on replacing it. Thank you.
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I’m an IA!
- Thread starter glenadavis
- Start date
First lesson...... It's "Condition" Inspection.
I suspect we'll be fielding these and "Biannual" / BFR until the heat death of the universe.
At least I haven't heard "I got my privates" in a while...
rmarshall234
Well Known Member
Second lesson….if you say you are an IA it means you have an Inspection Authorization and are allowed to do annual inspections (and other things) on certificated aircraft. It is a higher level of authority than an A&P.
I wasn't sure what material you were asking about. The foil is sold by Vans in sheets. It really should have a layer of Fiberfrax between to protect the fiberglass.
It appears the fiberglass is bare. I would strip it all down and apply two coats of epoxy neat (no thinner) then a couple coats of epoxy primer. Then reapply the foil with Fiberfrax (1/16-1/8").
It appears the fiberglass is bare. I would strip it all down and apply two coats of epoxy neat (no thinner) then a couple coats of epoxy primer. Then reapply the foil with Fiberfrax (1/16-1/8").
Thank you to everyone who clarified my previous post. So, I’m not an IA, I have my LSRIA certification. I am not due for my (B) FR, but I am still holding my PRIVATES.
And us certified "IA's" are soon going to be "IR's"...but that's a whole different story... It is however, another reduction of FAA touch labor.
flightdoc101
Active Member
I would consider it to be a layer of carbon or soot. Exhaust leak or spilled oil? What does it look like after you have cleaned it off? That is right where the oil cooler sits, no?
That looks like a serious exhaust leak on the #2 header. There was a service bulletin (SB-00005) regarding potential cracking of cylinder #2 exhaust on the original RV12. If the header is cracked, there is a kit available from Vans to replace it; see the SB.
You were right on target. It all washed off. But some if the metal insulation had started to tear and crack. So I removed all of it. Some people have told me I should apply two layers of epoxy and then the metal reflective insulating material on top of the epoxy. What I had on there was 13 years old. Is there anything that’s a one step process today? that’s as good as the two layers of epoxy and then the metal?
Dan has done a lot of heat testing of parts FWF. It's good reading.
Two coats epoxy
Two coats epoxy primer
FiberFrax
Aluminum foil.
Seal edges and overlaps with RTV
This is an RV-12
It can least afford adding weight from unneeded layers of epoxy and epoxy primer on the inside of the cowl.
The cowl is made with a wet layup process (not prepreg), so it is fairly textured on the interior surface.
Because of this it does not have the porosity that is common with the prepreg cowls on the other models so does not require any level of effort to seal the surface, and it would take a lot of fill coats to get a smooth surface.
There are literally many many 100's of RV-12's that have done just fine built per plans when properly inspected and maintained, (which if built as an ELSA) would not allow a bunch of extra coatings to be installed on the cowl interior.
Takeaway lesson - not all ideas are appropriate or apply to all RV's when making suggestions (in this example, the make up of the cowl is totally different than it is for all the other RV models).....
It can least afford adding weight from unneeded layers of epoxy and epoxy primer on the inside of the cowl.
The cowl is made with a wet layup process (not prepreg), so it is fairly textured on the interior surface.
Because of this it does not have the porosity that is common with the prepreg cowls on the other models so does not require any level of effort to seal the surface, and it would take a lot of fill coats to get a smooth surface.
There are literally many many 100's of RV-12's that have done just fine built per plans when properly inspected and maintained, (which if built as an ELSA) would not allow a bunch of extra coatings to be installed on the cowl interior.
Takeaway lesson - not all ideas are appropriate or apply to all RV's when making suggestions (in this example, the make up of the cowl is totally different than it is for all the other RV models).....
I stand corrected.
