Don - I'm no veteran to Coupes, since I just got one in January. But I have owned several airplanes, and have been around this business for 34 years. I'll start by saying that corrosion is a constant problem, but corrosion of internal structural members of the wings is the worst. Reviewing the logs for my 46 coupe, I've seen many wing member repairs over the years. You didn't mention the price that you may pay for this plane. If the price is such that you can buy it, strip that metal off, then rebuild the wings, then corrosion proof them, and finally put fabric on them like is supposed to be there, you may be alright. I would never have metal skinned wings. These airplanes of this genre were designed for the wings to be opened up every few years (in those days, that meant every 5- 10 years since they only had linen or cotton covering then, not the modern synthetic fabrics which can last 20 years if the plane is hangered). You didn't mention the engine. You can put a ton of $$ into it too, so be careful. Once you recover the wings, painting the whole airplane is no big deal, since the fuselage is so small, and the tail feathers come off so easily. Once you remove the cowling and tail feathers, there isn't much surface area left to paint. If the price is right, and you want to keep this plane for several years and "fly out" your investment, it might be OK. But if you want something to fly now, and safely, I'd be very dubious. My personal preference is to find a plane upon which someone else has spent the money and time to restore it, and pay a fair price. It'll be far less expensive in the long run, and you won't be down for the better part of a year fixing it. Good luck in your search, and let us know how it comes out. Jerry Eichenberger Columbus, Ohio N2906H
>>> "Don Mack" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 03/07/98 08:28PM >>> I looked at a Coupe today for purchase and am not sure which way to go. I am leaning towards a purchase, but as with any big purchase, I have some nagging questions. I took a current coupe owner with me who seems very knowledgeable about the Coupe. He and I took a good look. One of the wings (metal) showed signs of a mouse making a home at some time (fiberglass and cloth and/or fur). There was some visible corrosion on the skins, ribs and spars. Nothing appeared major, but even with all the inspection plates, it is impossible to see everything. The other wing showed some corrosion as well, but not as much as the moused wing. Everything else on the plane seemed within reason. I know that any levels of corrosion, etc. is hard to describe on the net. I am assuming that unless the plane has just been covered, that some corrosion will exist at some point on unprimed parts. I have looked at three coupes and this one had the least amount of them all. On one of the other two planes, when the inspection plates were removed, there was moisture in the wings. One thing suggested by the guy that went with me was to think about recovering the skins with fabric. According to him, it is not a difficult job. The worst part being removal of the metal skins. Since I am working on a Van's RV-6A, I am used to removing rivets (every rivet has to perfect, doesn't it?) and I feel I know the work involved in removing the skin. However, I know nothing about the effort to fabric cover a wing and paint it. Also, I know that for the plane to look decent, the entire thing would have to be repainted. My only other fear would be that I would have to replace the leading edge, although again, I am used to riveting. I assume that it would not be undoable. My thought would be to purchase the plane, fly it this season and recover it over the next winter. If anyone has any thoughts, I would appreciate direct feedback via email or if you would like, email a phone number and a time I could call. Don Mack [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.flash.net/~donmack !
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