After 2 months of trying, I finally got an un-holey vertical fin skin from Cessna ($576), and plan on reskinning my vertical stabilizer this spring, as it has a bunch of leading edge dents/microballoon epoxy filler. It appears that this is a common problem, as all the fins I've seen on ebay and the one I tried to buy were all beat up in similar fashion. I'm thinking I might like to put an abrasion boot on the leading edge, using the same material that's on the horizontal stabilizer. Are there any FAA problems with this, and is it likely to provide some protection?

Thanks, Ron

I can't say that ive ever seen a 180 or 185 with an abrasion boot on the vertical. I also can't imagine how you'd do much damage to one that's bolted to an airplane......I've seen damage from people pushing on the fin, but rock damage? Not so much.

As to the FAA, yes, if you ask the FAA they're probably going to tell you that's going to require an approval. Good luck.

I'd leave well enough alone and just do the re-skin and install it.

MTV

Here's the dents on a replacement fin I looked at:





My fin was worse before I aviation bondo'ed

I guess I'll call the duty FSDO maintenance inspector when the time comes, and get a read on it.

Thanks

JRC

Again I tend to agree with MTV. Can not recall any "rock" damage on any vertical. Not to say it is not possible. Been in and out of half of Idaho strips since 83 with several models including a 180 with NO damage to the Vertical.

My view of the dent in your "replacement" unit is that it was struck by another object.
Clue is to look at the black {missing paint} on each side of the dent.

In my early days of being a ramp monkey at Palo Alto a/p I saw a fair amount of it happen when the earlier hires would cram planes into the big hanger at close of shift when they just wanted to get home rather than take care of the Customers' planes.

When I moved up to running the ramp on weekends I always had two people move each plane with one on each end. One Sunday night, just for the challenge, I plus one other managed to stuff in a record 23 planes and left it to the weekdays - daytime crew to figure out the puzzle on Monday.

For those that worry about the front edge of their horizontal they might want to take a look at the horizontal of the Dorri's' 54-170B which had been in fairly constant commercial use since 1954.
It is probably at Cascade last I heard.

MY 2c
Trim