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Wing Walk question

mturnerb

Well Known Member
I finally took N14VB to paint shop this week. I discussed wing walk with painter. Current plan is to do paint-on wing walk material form the rivet line that defines doubler as the outboard limit, and from the fuel tank back. Main question is the wing root fairing - should it also be painted with wing walk material?

Looking for input - I've seen photos of fairings with no wing walk, but seems to me it is a good idea to have it there.


Thanks in advance.
 
If I had it to do over I would cover more with the wingwalk, including at least some portion of the fairings.

Passengers tend to step all over the paint, they don't mean too, it's just the nature of navigating in and out if you aren't experienced with that particular airplane.

But .. the wingwalk is also an invetation to "step there" .. something to consider :eek:
 
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If I had it to do over I would cover more with the wingwalk, including at least some portion of the fairings.

Passengers tend to step all over the paint, they don't mean too, it's just the nature of navigating in and out if you aren't experienced with that particular airplane.

But .. the wingwalk is also an invetation to "step there" .. something to consider :eek:

Excellent advice - thanks
 
...the wingwalk is also an invitation to "step there" .. something to consider :eek:

Exactly this. I never let non-pilot passengers step up on a wing unobserved and unescorted; I'm always ready to grab an ankle to guide a foot to the right place.

I won't be painting wingwalk material on those fairings, as I don't want a passenger's weight on those areas. Only the portions of the wing overlying the doublers should receive the non-skid paint.
 
I agree, don't, cover the fairing. You might consider using an adhesive non skid material available from skateboard shops (about the texture of #80 grit sandpaper), cut a single piece to fit and stick it on. This stuff is extremely sticky and durable, after 2 years mine shows no wear whatsoever. My experience with wing walk paint is that it does wear off, and you will have to keep touching it up, building up more and more material, eventually having to strip it off.
Always supervise boarding and deplaning your passengers!
 
I second that on adhesive backed. I used that on 2 planes, and when I got it stained up with plane wax one time, I was easily able to heat and remove it and re-apply. I would not want to have to deal with replacing or repairing the painted on type.
 
On my last RV, I didn't use wingwalk material at all; I didn't like the look of it on my gorgeous Stars & Stripes paint job. I was always extremely careful of my footing and watched passengers like the proverbial hawk.

On the new RV, I'm planning to cover the doubler-backed area of each wing with some anti-skid material. I hadn't considered the adhesive type, but that might very well be the way to go.
 
On my last RV, I didn't use wingwalk material at all; I didn't like the look of it on my gorgeous Stars & Stripes paint job. I was always extremely careful of my footing and watched passengers like the proverbial hawk.

On the new RV, I'm planning to cover the doubler-backed area of each wing with some anti-skid material. I hadn't considered the adhesive type, but that might very well be the way to go.

But not on the wing root fairings?
 
Vans

Vans sell a -14 wing walk stick on that includes the areas that are reinforced. It goes from the front spar to the rear spar and includes the reinforced wing root fairing area.
 
But not on the wing root fairings?

Definitely not. I don't want to encourage anyone to put weight on them. I'd also like to at least try to keep people's pointy, kicking, careless toes away from the fuselage sides.

Even so, I'll show and tell each passenger exactly where I expect him to place his hands and feet - and then watch closely while they execute the brief.
 
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