Alright, probably pretty vanilla question for you folks, but everything I google on it, brings me to replacement carpets. I am the proud new owner of a 1947 Cessna 140. I'm not ready for the adventurous flying many of you do, but this is the first step towards being able to work towards doing it someday.

The carpet in this old bird plain sucks, its ugly and its loose in many spots. I was thinking of just removing it, period... My question though is, is there something I should do to the aluminum underneath? Carpet can't really protect it all that much if at all, but do I just take it out and vacuum out the crud that was under the carpet and fly away, or is there something I should do to the newly naked aluminum?

Ray

Huckster79 wrote:Alright, probably pretty vanilla question for you folks, but everything I google on it, brings me to replacement carpets. I am the proud new owner of a 1947 Cessna 140. I'm not ready for the adventurous flying many of you do, but this is the first step towards being able to work towards doing it someday.

The carpet in this old bird plain sucks, its ugly and its loose in many spots. I was thinking of just removing it, period... My question though is, is there something I should do to the aluminum underneath? Carpet can't really protect it all that much if at all, but do I just take it out and vacuum out the crud that was under the carpet and fly away, or is there something I should do to the newly naked aluminum?

Ray

My cessna 140 has had the carpet removed and my floor is just bare aluminum, no special treatment. Just yank it out and fly the hell out of it! And most importantly, remember to have fun [emoji3]

Sounds like a plan! I'm having a great time so far, we flew her home from Nebraska to Michigan and now my training begins to learn how to fly without a training wheel! I love learning new things so looking very forward to this.

I don’t remember the floor in a 140, (only flew my instructors airplane a couple times before getting into my 185.), but be sure you’re comfortable with how your heels slide on the floor with the texture change. You want to know if your heel catches on any rivets or lap joints. I won’t fly my airplane without the heel plates over the carpet. Also have been warned against diamond tread for heel plates in a taildragger. That advice is what leads me to offer this caution.

I would not operate a Cessna without some sort of floor covering. Bear in mind that floor metal is part of the structure of the airplane.

New carpet is relatively easy to install, and there are other floor coverings that will bipoth protect that metal floor, deaden sound, and give passengers a bit of “grip”.

MTV

mtv wrote:I would not operate a Cessna without some sort of floor covering. Bear in mind that floor metal is part of the structure of the airplane.

New carpet is relatively easy to install, and there are other floor coverings that will bipoth protect that metal floor, deaden sound, and give passengers a bit of “grip”.

MTV

How big of a section of carpet do you need?
I have leftover light weight coin-dot flooring from my 170 project. Nearly enough to do another 170 but more than enough to do a 140.

Just rip the crap out, you’ll save the needless weight.

AKJurnee wrote:

9868A54A-513A-428B-9076-564508AD8E5C.jpeg

Just rip the crap out, you’ll save the needless weight.

I think yours looks great! I could remove it for now, and then next spring paint it up nice like yours. Mines already really loose and just laid in place. I see there is a fuel line that runs along the fusalage wall under there, did you put anything over that or just paint it with everything else? Any guess on how many pounds you shed ? How is the paint holding up on the floor?

I think there is a pretty good list of things I can get rid of to shed some weight that won't be difficult or real pricey.

I painted everything then put Selkirk around some areas after this picture, the floor where your feet go I left plain since it would get scratched up anyways, but had the pedal fairings and yoke tower fairing painted. Pulled headliner and put in Selkirk. I saved almost 20# of junk doing this. Sold plane later on though, but had fun tinkering. Don’t worry about the fuel line it’s mostly guarded by the frame.

BTW, at least pull out the floor carpet now, you don’t need it wading up under feet during landing.

What did others with cessna 140s do with the opening that goes back to the tailcone? The headliner used to cover that hole, but I ditched the headliner and dont want to lose things down the tail.... I thought about doing something similar to the cessna 162 sky catcher in this picture. Thoughts?

Behind the back seat, yes mine has a factory child's seat in back ( hanger decor in the weight loss program soon), behind that seat is a heavy duck cloth type material with buttons blocking off the access back into the tail cone.

Ray

Bagarre wrote:

mtv wrote:I would not operate a Cessna without some sort of floor covering. Bear in mind that floor metal is part of the structure of the airplane.

New carpet is relatively easy to install, and there are other floor coverings that will bipoth protect that metal floor, deaden sound, and give passengers a bit of “grip”.

MTV

How big of a section of carpet do you need?
I have leftover light weight coin-dot flooring from my 170 project. Nearly enough to do another 170 but more than enough to do a 140.

Not much, but I really think I'm going to take her to a naked interior from the discussion here. But thank you. I need to shed some weight before summer so I can keep the tanks full... Can carpet really provide much if any protection to the aluminum?

If AK saved 20lbs stripping the interior I think I will follow suit, Even appearance wise, his with interior door skins off looks better than mine do with gaudy apolstery. If I can dump that much weight I will get rid of the carpet and apolstry, the child's seat, the extra grimes light (mine had the factory option of 2 instead of 1) I can add up 30lbs or better right there without trying real hard nor spending much besides patching the fabric on the wing after removing the grimes...

Carpet does protect the aluminum flooring. You can remove it, and you’ll be dragging all sorts of stuff in with those boots/sneakers, etc. Which stuff will then be griund into the metal, and when it reaches sufficient fineness, it’ll sift down int the belly.

Ever try to clean those twenty pounds of “stuff” out of the belly of a Cessna?

Strip the interior if that’s your thing, but, me, I’d put some sort of floor covering down.

But, it’s your airplane, and you’ll probably never want to sell it anyway.

MTV

mtv wrote:Carpet does protect the aluminum flooring. You can remove it, and you’ll be dragging all sorts of stuff in with those boots/sneakers, etc. Which stuff will then be griund into the metal, and when it reaches sufficient fineness, it’ll sift down int the belly.

Ever try to clean those twenty pounds of “stuff” out of the belly of a Cessna?

Strip the interior if that’s your thing, but, me, I’d put some sort of floor covering down.

But, it’s your airplane, and you’ll probably never want to sell it anyway.

MTV

Yes crap falls into the belly, but it does with carpet to. Every annual I pull the carpets out and vacuum a bunch of sand and dirt off the bare floor before I pull the panels, then vacuum our the belly. Maybe I just have really dirty customers. So yes carpet stops some stuff, but a lot still gets through...

mtv wrote: I would not operate a Cessna without some sort of floor covering. Bear in mind that floor metal is part of the structure of the airplane. New carpet is relatively easy to install, and there are other floor coverings that will bipoth protect that metal floor, deaden sound, and give passengers a bit of “grip”. MTV

My C150TD had extra-thin metal panels that fit into the footwells, that lay on top of the actual structural floorboards.
If your 140 doesn't, you could make some.
Or cut some sturdy corrugated cardboard to fit-- cheap, disposable, and even recyclable!
Carpet is kinda nice because you can wipe off mud or sand off your shoes on it,
so your feet don't slither around on the rudder pedals.
But I would bother getting anything very nice for that purpose-
someone at the airport usually has some scraps laying around.
Or get a bigger "remnant" at the local carpet store,
and use all the excess to upgrade the hangar floor.

AKJurnee wrote:I painted everything then put Selkirk around some areas after this picture, the floor where your feet go I left plain since it would get scratched up anyways, but had the pedal fairings and yoke tower fairing painted. Pulled headliner and put in Selkirk. I saved almost 20# of junk doing this. Sold plane later on though, but had fun tinkering. Don’t worry about the fuel line it’s mostly guarded by the frame.

BTW, at least pull out the floor carpet now, you don’t need it wading up under feet during landing.

What is selkirk, i googled it and all i find are pickleball paddles! Lol

hotrod180 wrote:

mtv wrote: I would not operate a Cessna without some sort of floor covering. Bear in mind that floor metal is part of the structure of the airplane. New carpet is relatively easy to install, and there are other floor coverings that will bipoth protect that metal floor, deaden sound, and give passengers a bit of “grip”. MTV

My C150TD had extra-thin metal panels that fit into the footwells, that lay on top of the actual structural floorboards.
If your 140 doesn't, you could make some.
Or cut some sturdy corrugated cardboard to fit-- cheap, disposable, and even recyclable!
Carpet is kinda nice because you can wipe off mud or sand off your shoes on it,
so your feet don't slither around on the rudder pedals.
But I would bother getting anything very nice for that purpose-
someone at the airport usually has some scraps laying around.
Or get a bigger "remnant" at the local carpet store,
and use all the excess to upgrade the hangar floor.

It does have those plates, i was thinking just a carpet square on those would keep feet from slipping n catch some sand but get rid of rest...

hotrod180 wrote:
Or cut some sturdy corrugated cardboard to fit-- cheap, disposable, and even recyclable!

Where do I source PMA'd cardboard? Can you get it with a burn cert?

Burn cert is not required....the Cessna 150 TCDS was certified under CAR3 this was before Part 23 Certification. You can do seat material or carpet at the local auto upholstery shop. As well as use non TSO radios and even people paying fancy LED landing lights and wing tip lights...all do not have to TSO to install on a CAR3 certified aircraft.