Light aircraft hail damage
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Light aircraft hail damage
I'm looking for a little input from you guys, as I'm a rotorcraft engineer and don't have experience with this sort of thing.
What does light hail damage do to the value of a Cessna? Here's the details: I have an opportunity to get a Cessna 150F that has light hail damage to its upper surfaces. The aircraft needs painted due to age, so I figure that I can smooth out the small dents on the empennage and horizontal, and paint the thing. Cessna doesn't allow filler in a control surface, so I guess I'll live with the dents in the elevator, flaps, and ailerons. I haven't decided on if I'd smooth the dents in the tops of the wings or not.
Other than light hail damage, the aircrafts in nice shape with low time.
Would a scenario like this be a worth-while investment, or a bad one?
The biggest expense is the paint work, at $6500.00. I'd have this done though even if there wasn't hail damage, because it needs it.
I'm wondering if I should pursue this, and get an airplane to fly for a while, and then sell.
What do you guys thing?
Thanks,
Bryon
What does light hail damage do to the value of a Cessna? Here's the details: I have an opportunity to get a Cessna 150F that has light hail damage to its upper surfaces. The aircraft needs painted due to age, so I figure that I can smooth out the small dents on the empennage and horizontal, and paint the thing. Cessna doesn't allow filler in a control surface, so I guess I'll live with the dents in the elevator, flaps, and ailerons. I haven't decided on if I'd smooth the dents in the tops of the wings or not.
Other than light hail damage, the aircrafts in nice shape with low time.
Would a scenario like this be a worth-while investment, or a bad one?
The biggest expense is the paint work, at $6500.00. I'd have this done though even if there wasn't hail damage, because it needs it.
I'm wondering if I should pursue this, and get an airplane to fly for a while, and then sell.
What do you guys thing?
Thanks,
Bryon
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Georgia, USA
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Cessna should have a negligible damage limit for things like dents and scratches. However, as long as the dents left by the hail are shallow and have no sharp edges you should be fine. The only reason I could see for filling them would be cosmetic!
Personally - I wouldn't fill them.
Filler would just be added weight and eventually may develop an even worse apppearance if the skin flexes.
If it's within dent limits - don't fix it!
Filler would just be added weight and eventually may develop an even worse apppearance if the skin flexes.
If it's within dent limits - don't fix it!
I'm not sure if you are in a high humidity/salty air environment, but body filler can cause you future corrosion problems underneath the filler material unless you are super careful, and even sometimes that isn't enough.
I work on helicopters in the gulf of Mexico area and have been involved with some major refurbishment projects and have seen areas of that had small, within limit dents or dings (usually from seat belts and shoulder harnesses around the doors) that were found during initial stripping.
We stripped the damaged area of paint and primer, inspected the dents for serviceability limits, chem treated the bare skin, primed, then body filled followed by finishing glaze and another primer coat then followed with main paint job color. Sometimes in as soon as a few months to a year we see shrinkage with the filler material that can lead to cracked topcoat paint and corrosion starting undetected behind the body filler that can get pretty bad and not even show up till the damage is done. It is time consuming,sometimes frustrating, very dirty and tiring job doing body work, so either practice a lot or find you a good shop that comes recommended.
I work on helicopters in the gulf of Mexico area and have been involved with some major refurbishment projects and have seen areas of that had small, within limit dents or dings (usually from seat belts and shoulder harnesses around the doors) that were found during initial stripping.
We stripped the damaged area of paint and primer, inspected the dents for serviceability limits, chem treated the bare skin, primed, then body filled followed by finishing glaze and another primer coat then followed with main paint job color. Sometimes in as soon as a few months to a year we see shrinkage with the filler material that can lead to cracked topcoat paint and corrosion starting undetected behind the body filler that can get pretty bad and not even show up till the damage is done. It is time consuming,sometimes frustrating, very dirty and tiring job doing body work, so either practice a lot or find you a good shop that comes recommended.
