wing walk replacement

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smoss
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wing walk replacement

Post by smoss »

2006 DA40 XL with about 700 hours on it, and the leading edges of my wing walk areas are flaking off and lifting up. There is a post in the DA42 forum regarding similar, with some pics. Has anyone replaced theirs with the same sticker style OEM ones, or put on the new optional service bulletin paint on epoxy ones? I was also thinking of replacing them with generic wing walk tape--Aircraft Spruce sells a variety of choices for obviously much less money than the Diamond ones will cost, and seem to be nearly identical to what I have now.
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Re: wing walk replacement

Post by Antoine »

Mine have just gone off completely. I intend to experiment with rubber matts placed on the wing as needed. No formal testing done as set, but I expect this to reduce drag...
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Re: wing walk replacement

Post by smoss »

the adhesive layer is still stuck on my wing, any luck getting that off?
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gsontheimer
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Re: wing walk replacement

Post by gsontheimer »

My walks were damaged due to delamination within the warranty period and one replaced after a few months with the original design and both walks were again replaced by DAI Germany after 2 years with the "stripe design" used on many European DA40s.
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smoss
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Re: wing walk replacement

Post by smoss »

just got a cost estimate- over $400 for both sides original sticker type, $350+ for paint-on kit, not including shipping or labor! Aircraft spruce sells a variety of stick-on and paint-on wing walk materials for like $30... Think I may give one a try.
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GLDAS
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Re: wing walk replacement

Post by GLDAS »

smoss wrote:just got a cost estimate- over $400 for both sides original sticker type, $350+ for paint-on kit, not including shipping or labor! Aircraft spruce sells a variety of stick-on and paint-on wing walk materials for like $30... Think I may give one a try.
That quote sounds about right for the stickers. I would recommend you purchase them or have your service center purchase them directly from Diamond if you choose to go with the original style. The adhesive has a limited shelf life, so expect poor durability from old stickers. Labor on one we had done recently was six hours. I suspect that much of that time is removal of old adhesive, which would have to be done whichever way you go.

As for which to choose, that's a tough call. New planes are all coming with the new style (painted stripes of wing-walk material). The old style may protect the aircraft finish better, but they are not forever. Since it's not really a safety-of-flight issue, it's probably best to choose whichever you think looks better. PM me for a close-up photo of either.
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smoss
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Re: wing walk replacement

Post by smoss »

Dan,
Any idea what they used to get the old adhesive off? Also, I currently have the light grey, rough sticker type, which I like the look of, but most of the planes newer than mine have a darker grey smooth type sticker that I'm not too fond of. Do you know if both types are still available or not?
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Re: wing walk replacement

Post by Lance Murray »

Buy a can of 3M general purpose adhesive remover available from your local automotive paint store. Spray it on. Let it sit for a few moments and the adhesive will come right off without harming your paint.
Removal of my wing walks and putting the new ones back on took me no more than 1 hour. Also prep the area with wax and grease remover. Also available from your auto supply.
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Re: wing walk replacement

Post by Lance Murray »

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Re: wing walk replacement

Post by Lance Murray »

Also use a plastic hotel room key or credit card to scrape off the residue. It is a sticky mess so use some newspaper and lots of disposable rags. Then polish the area around the walk with a high speed buffer and some compound if you have it.
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