Airframe

Oral & Practical Study Guide: Aircraft Covering

Study Materials
Aviation Maintenance Technician Series Airframe textbook, Volume 1
Pages 185-211
ASA, Inc.

Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics Airframe Handbook AC 65-15A

Pages 85-111
Federal Aviation Administration

Advisory Circular 43.13-1B

Pages 2-1 through 2-40
Federal Aviation Administration

Typical Oral Questions

1. What are three types of fabric that can be used to cover an aircraft?
Cotton fabric, synthetic fabric, and glass fabric.

2. What paperwork must be completed if an aircraft that was originally covered with Grade-A cotton
fabric is re-covered using a synthetic fabric?
The covering must be done according to a Supplemental Type Certificate, and a Form 337 must be
executed, stating that all materials and processes complied with the requirements of the STC.

3. What type of rib lacing cord is recommended for attaching cotton fabric to an aircraft structure?
Waxed linen cord.

4. How wide should the surface tape be that is used to cover the trailing edge of an aircraft wing?
Three inches wide.

5. Why is the surface tape used on the trailing edge of the control surfaces of some airplanes
notched?
Since the edges of this tape face into the wind, it is possible that it could start to lift and form a very
effective spoiler. If the tape is notched, it will tear off at a notch.

6. What is the purpose of the reinforcing tape that is used between the fabric and the rib lacing on an
aircraft wing?
The reinforcing tape keeps the rib lacing cord from pulling through the fabric.

7. Should a sewed seam in the fabric used to cover an aircraft wing run spanwise or chordwise?
Both spanwise and chordwise seams are permissible, but chordwise seams are preferred.

8. What is the preferred seam used for machine-sewing pieces of aircraft fabric together?
The French fell seam.

9. What type of material is used for inter-rib bracing in a fabric-covered aircraft wing?
Cotton reinforcing tape.

10. What type of knot is used for locking the stitches that are used for rib lacing on a fabric-covered
aircraft wing?
A modified seine knot.

11. What determines the spacing of the rib lacing stitches on a fabric-covered aircraft wing?
 The never-exceed speed of the aircraft.

12. When is the finishing tape applied to a fabric-covered wing when it is being recovered?
After the second coat of dope has dried and the nap of the fabric has been sanded off.

13. What is the recommended type of repair to a fabric-covered aircraft surface when it has an L-
shaped tear with each of the legs of the tear more than 14 inches long?
If the never-exceed speed of the aircraft is less than 150 miles per hour, a doped-on repair can be
made.

14. What type of hand-sewing stitch is used when sewing in a panel of new fabric on an aircraft
fabric-covered wing?
A baseball stitch, locked every eight to ten stitches.

15. What is the minimum strength to which aircraft fabric is allowed to deteriorate before it is
considered to be unairworthy?
Fabric can deteriorate to 70% of the strength of the fabric that is required for the aircraft.

16. What is an antitear strip, and when are they required on a fabric-covered aircraft?
An antitear strip is a strip of the same type of fabric as is used for covering the wings. It is laid over
the rib between the reinforcing tape and the fabric. An antitear strip is required for aircraft that have a
never-exceed speed in excess of 250 miles per hour.

17. When are drainage grommets applied when an aircraft is being re-covered?
They are laid into the third coat of dope, at the same time the surface tape is applied.

18. Where are drainage grommets located on a fabric-covered aircraft wing?

At the lowest point in each bay. It is customary to install a grommet on each side of a wing rib, on the
underside of the wing, at the trailing edge.

19. How is the strength of the fabric on an aircraft structure determined?

An approximate strength test can be made with an FAA-approved fabric punch tester, but the only
way to know for sure that the fabric has sufficient strength is by pull-testing a one-inch-wide sample of the
fabric.

20. Why are some portions of the structure of an aircraft dope proofed before they are covered with
fabric?
Dope proofing keeps the fabric from sticking to the structure when the first coat of dope is applied.
The fabric normally sags enough to touch the structure before it begins to pull taut.

21. What is done to cotton and linen fabric to protect it from mildew?
The first coat of dope that is used on cotton and linen fabric has a mildewcide mixed in it.

22. How is polyester synthetic fabric shrunk on an aircraft structure?

It is shrunk with heat from an iron or from a heated blower.

Typical Practical Projects

1. Demonstrate to the examiner the proper way to stitch fabric to an aircraft wing.

2. Test the fabric on an aircraft structure to determine if it is airworthy.

3. Make a doped-on patch to a damaged area in a fabric-covered aircraft structure.

4. Demonstrate to the examiner the proper way to sew a piece of new fabric to a piece of damaged
fabric on an aircraft structure.
 5. Install a drainage grommet on the trailing edge of a fabric-covered aircraft wing. Demonstrate the
correct way of opening the hole in the grommet.

6. Explain to the examiner the correct procedure for covering an aircraft wing with polyester synthetic
fabric.

7. Demonstrate the proper splice knot to use when joining pieces of waxed rib lacing cord.

8. Determine the correct spacing to use for rib lacing on an aircraft that is specified by the examiner.

9. Test the strength of a piece of aircraft fabric using the pull test.

10. Explain to the examiner the correct way of removing wrinkles from cotton fabric that is installed on
an aircraft structure before the dope is applied.