My 1962 C-180 has some chipping on the yokes. Not enough to remove and refurbish, IMO.

Does anyone have a source for this type of ivory colored paint that I could touch up the yokes with?

Thanks

Are they the aluminum yokes? I just took mine and had them powder coated for $40. Put on some cessna decals and they look better than new.

I know that this will likely not be a popular comment but.....the yokes are part of the primary aircraft control system. Removing, stripping or bead blasting then powder coating is unlikely to be an approved process. I could be wrong here but when I did my Mooney yokes with a bead blast and epoxy my I/A (rightly or wrongly) filed a 337. He said I might be required to replace them with new....I didn't. The major mod passed through FSDO fine. That was in 1991.

Whatever

Mister701 wrote:I know that this will likely not be a popular comment but.....the yokes are part of the primary aircraft control system. Removing, stripping or bead blasting then powder coating is unlikely to be an approved process. I could be wrong here but when I did my Mooney yokes with a bead blast and epoxy my I/A (rightly or wrongly) filed a 337. He said I might be required to replace them with new....I didn't. The major mod passed through FSDO fine. That was in 1991.

Whatever

What a bunch of crap, I'd get a new IA.

eearr... pass the joint man

Restoring coatings even on primary flight controls is hardly a major alteration or repair. Ailerons elevators rudders are all primary flight controls and i have never seen a 337 for painting them.

I have scraped off that old plastic stuff and powder coated them. They turn out pretty nice that way like robs .

Like I said. I performed the work . He objected. The feds thought it was fine. Sorry I brought it up. Flight control surfaces need to be balanced after refinish. Right? Just saying.

Yes flight controls need to be balanced after paint. On all the of the airplanes I've participated in repainting it's been a bit of a formality. If it was in balance when it flew in it takes a hell of a lot of paint to make it unbalanced. This is with Cessnas and deHavillands, pretty big margins with those machines.

Regardless a simple logbook entry detailing the type of coating and reference to the appropriate maintenance manual paragraphs for flight control balancing is all that's required from a record keeping point of view.

Sam

I pulled my yokes on the 1968 Skyhawk this past spring and had them powder coated. Make sure if you have them powder coated that the person doing the work preps them correctly. The pilots side on mine had enough oil in the aluminium (from the hands of pilots from 40+ years of flying) to bubble the finish even after they were stripped, bead blasted and "baked off". I ended up taking this one back to have it redone.

After the summer on floats I noticed that the powder coat was starting to fade ever so slightly. If I remove the PTT the fading becomes apparent. I also chipped the copilot side this summer somehow. I think next time I will base coat/ clear coat with auto paint.

I am sure other people have had better luck.

An alternative to painting: I have leather covers on my yokes, with built in PTT buttons, from this outfit: http://www.warrengregoire.com/aviation- ... covers.htm. I've always liked having covers on my vehicle steering wheels, so this was a natural. They fit well, look good, and they're comfortable to use in either hot or cold weather. A bit pricey, admittedly.

Cary

Mister701 wrote:Flight control surfaces need to be balanced after refinish. Right? Just saying.

In this context, doesn't "flight control surfaces" refer to ailerons, elevators, flaps, and rudders? It must be clearly spelled out in regulation, no?

Zim wrote:

Mister701 wrote:Flight control surfaces need to be balanced after refinish. Right? Just saying.

In this context, doesn't "flight control surfaces" refer to ailerons, elevators, flaps, and rudders? It must be clearly spelled out in regulation, no?

Not flaps, according to my IA.

Cary

I have painted several cessna yokes over the years and have found that a good single stage polyurethane paint held up the best. Powder coating is great when done correctly with good quality products. There seems to be guite a few powder coating businesses that use lower grade products or don't prep and bake stuff correctly. I have seen powder coat stain when sprayed with simple green. It isn't supposed to do that. Just because something has been powder coated doesn't mean it is bullet proof. If you find a good powder coater, his prices may be a little higher than others but, it will be worth it in the long run. For now I will stick with painting, I haven't found a good powder coater in my area.