Super Cub Sweepstakes: 'Do-it-yourself' fabrication
Sweeps-like makeovers with big savings
A complete tip-to-tail, inside-out restoration like AOPA’s Super Cub Sweepstakes aircraft is undergoing might not be feasible for all rag-wing aircraft owners, but replacing damaged, corroded, or stressed decades-old parts and re-covering the aircraft with new fabric and paint can breathe new life into the aircraft. With some time, elbow grease, help from an A&P, and expert advice, owners can refurbish much of their aircraft on a budget.
For more information
Baker Air
Consolidated Aircraft Coatings
Univair
Consolidated Aircraft Coatings
Visit the AOPA Super Cub Sweepstakes webpage to see photos of the latest work on the aircraft along with a complete list of generous contributors. (www.aopa.org/sweeps)
Finding the correct replacement parts for older aircraft can be like finding a needle in a haystack. If the part is original to the aircraft, owners might not find a part number on it. In the case of aircraft no longer supported by their manufacturer (like the Super Cub), turning to other companies for parts is essential. Colorado-based Univair—a family-owned company now under the third-generation leadership of Jim Dyer—specializes in supplying approved parts for older Pipers, Cessnas, Aeroncas, Ercoupes, Luscombes, Stinsons, Taylorcrafts, and more. Univair discounted many of the airframe parts for the Sweepstakes Super Cub. Dyer said they sell about 20 fuselages, 1,000 wing ribs, and hundreds of spars for the Super Cub each year.
“Our guys here are happy to help if you need a bolt for the tailwheel or the whole wing,” Dyer said, explaining that everything is sold by part number. Univair trains its employees to be knowledgeable about the aircraft they support and to work with owners to accurately narrow down the part possibilities to the correct one.
After improving the structural integrity of the aircraft—new versus 60-year-old parts—adding a new fabric covering and paint could make the aircraft look like it just rolled out of the factory.
Consolidated Aircraft Coatings President Jon Goldenbaum donated the coverings for AOPA’s Super Cub—which Baker Air Service in Montana is refurbishing—but many of his customers are re-covering their own airplanes with the help of an A&P, providing substantial savings. The materials to re-cover an aircraft cost about $5,000, he said. Based on the amount of fabric the California company sells, Goldenbaum estimates that more than 2,500 fabric-covered airplanes are re-covered every year by Consolidated Aircraft Coatings materials, and 80 percent of those covered in the United States are “done by amateurs under supervision of an A&P.” Because of this, Goldenbaum said his company helps teach amateurs how to properly cover aircraft.
Detailed, easy-to-read manuals about three types of fabric covering processes are available for free download on Consolidated’s website, technical specialists provide support over the phone, and hands-on workshops are offered at major aviation events like EAA AirVenture and the Sun ’n Fun Fly-In and Expo. Goldenbaum said his goal is to demystify the fabric covering process and show owners that it’s not hard, they “can do it themselves and save $25,000.”
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