Serious question, did you go with the new composite patch kit or the traditional aluminum doubler for that recent skin repair?

We had a small crack on a Cessna 172's wing last week and I chose the composite kit. It saved about 2 hours of labor and the weight difference was noticeable. Anyone have long-term results with those bonded repairs on primary structure?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_elliot9d ago

How's the bond holding up after a few annuals? We did a bonded repair on a Cherokee six years back. Still looks solid, no cracks or signs of stress. The weight saving was the real win for that bird. Just make sure your shop is really good with the prep work. That's the whole game right there.

the_hayden1d agoMost Upvoted

Something I haven't seen talked about is the paint. With a bonded patch, you don't have any rivet heads to trap moisture and cause corrosion under the paint later on. We had to redo a riveted doubler on an old 150 because the paint failed around every single rivet after a few years, started some light corrosion. The smooth surface of a composite patch just seems to let the finish last longer in my book.

grantf739d ago

My IA at Sun Air told me they've seen composite patches on 172s holding strong for over a decade now.