What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

DIY Fly away Light Weight Cover

H

HEB1022

Member
Has anyone done their own light weight cover for the RV-12? I am thinking of putting my wife to work on her sewing machine. Has anyone attempted and how did it turn out? Anyone have a pattern that could be shared?

Thanks in Advance,

Harry
 
I assume you are considering a cover for the canopy area. I have one, used it one time parked outside for 4 days. Dust got under the cover combined with a light wind scuffed the paint at the tie straps. It took a lot of buffing to get it back to a gloss. I now use an inside cover over the seats and instruments.
 
I made one for my C180. It had a weatherproof exterior of spinnaker cloth and a soft inner layer. One day I washed and dried it and it shrank, never to fit again.

That was that.

Dave
 
I made a heavy cover for my 6A. Used sunbrella material on the outside and microfiber for the inside. The difficulty is not the sewing but the pattern development. There is a bit of an art to making patterns for complex curves of various proportions. Not rocket science, just a learning curve. You want it to be done well and tight fitting, otherwise you end up with the wind creating a power sander. You need a breathable material or you will have mold issues. You will need scrim for making the patterns. Suggest a sail makers supply shop.

A regular home machine should be fine for a light cover, but a heavy cover requires a commercial walking foot machine. I used to make sails, so had one. Also used it to upholster both planes. Recommend UV resistant upholstery thread (#60 IIRC) and a 16 or 18 ball point needle. A sharp needle will tear the nylon. I would use basting tape if I did not have a walking foot.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, after trying to protect cars with covers, I learned that a dirty cover can wreak havoc on your shiny whatever. It becomes a Brillo pad in a breeze. An inside sun shade might be preferred. That cover has to be pristine to do no damage.
 
Abrading the paint in a breeze would be bad enough, but I'd be more worried about multiple micro-scratches on the plexiglass. I polished my canopy a while ago...it was a laborious process.
 
Built the cover for my -7 from a giant truck cover that I bought from Amazon. Silver waterproof material with a soft fleecy liner. You can get the one for the biggest crew cab long bed truck made (your choice of brand) for about $80. Truck covers have a ton of bit flat places that take a lot of material. It would easily make 4 or 5 canopy covers.

I tacked the rough cut pieces on inside out and clipped it together with binder clips, then trimmed it and double sewed all the seams. Straps around the edge and tie downs under the belly and nose. It's non stop waterproof and snug so no movement in a breeze. Did fine at Oshkosh this year, including the big blow on Saturday.

The machine I used is a walking foot, and that did a great job, but a lighter machine would probably do just fine.

Another DIY for your DIY plane.

Cheers
 

Attachments

  • 20220115_124842.jpg
    20220115_124842.jpg
    210.7 KB · Views: 173
  • 20220115_124849.jpg
    20220115_124849.jpg
    194.2 KB · Views: 160
A/C Cover

wcalvert said:
Built the cover for my -7 from a giant truck cover that I bought from Amazon. Silver waterproof material with a soft fleecy liner. You can get the one for the biggest crew cab long bed truck made (your choice of brand) for about $80. Truck covers have a ton of bit flat places that take a lot of material. It would easily make 4 or 5 canopy covers.

I tacked the rough cut pieces on inside out and clipped it together with binder clips, then trimmed it and double sewed all the seams. Straps around the edge and tie downs under the belly and nose. It's non stop waterproof and snug so no movement in a breeze. Did fine at Oshkosh this year, including the big blow on Saturday.

The machine I used is a walking foot, and that did a great job, but a lighter machine would probably do just fine.

Another DIY for your DIY plane.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Great Idea Bill, Very nice work also.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top