The International Cessna 170 Association

So my 170A is in a shared hangar with 4 other planes, hangars are very difficult to find here so I’m probably lucky to have this one. However someone was moving my 170 around and hit the wing multiple times and hasn’t fessed up to it. Can this be repaired or do I need a new aileron?

I think a good sheet metal man could work the bashed aileron back into shape and fab a small patch.

Determine (as far as possible) the date/time the damage was incurred.

Buy a case of beer and invite the hangar-keeper/FBO and ALL your hangar-neighbors for a drink, and while they’re all together, tell them they will either ALL pay for the repair together.... or their airplane will be continuing to share a hangar with the guy who did this to yours....and who knows what kind of damage might occur later on.

Be silent and see if they can figure it out. I’ll bet the culprit will be come out. It might take a day or so, but I’ll bet the hangarkeeper/FBO will find the solution.

But you’ll have to have that aileron re-skinned, repainted, balance-checked. If you look you will likely discover a mid-span overlap where the repair can be spliced-in. (A short-patch is not something I’d want and would more likely affect balance. Also check that control-circuit, and the rear spar and attach although I doubt such small damage would have caused further damage. You might be surprised to find what little impact waay out there on the wing places such large forces at the wing root, but think about a lever-and-fulcrum.)

Unfortunate as your aileron will have a small blemish:... what Richard said to restore the T/E profile. A bit of garbage that whomever did it couldn’t man up.

With shop rates being $70 and up per hour now it is probably less costly to replace the upper and lower outboard aileron skins. It will require repainting and balancing regardless of skin replacement or repair.

Tim

I feel your pain , my left hand aileron looks like a dog has chewed it and really it should be replaced completely . BUT the dammed aircraft flies beautiful , extremely stabile and no vices at any speed.[the balance was checked and found perfect ] . I own the hangar and still get hangar rash from tenants . The funny part about it is no one sees any thing . With your aileron I would be stop drilling the end of the tear and maybe straightening the bent piece . There are damage limits published but if every body checked their aircraft I am sure that 70% would not pass. I have been looking for a “good” l/h aileron and the number of damaged ones on the market is amazing .

I once discovered some relatively minor damage on my employer’s airplane from hangar rash generated by an unknown. I first asked the hangar keeper (FBO who was notorious for hangar rash) to repair it and got no favorable response, instead receiving a reply that implicated my own pilots. That angered me, so I called our insurance company (USAIG). Since it was “not in motion” it had a Zero-deductible.

Took it to a large repair facility who ordered the part from the OEM and was informed of a several week delay to mfr the part. When the repair was ultimately completed, USAIG contacted me and inquired as to who our underwriter was. I told the caller it was USAIG themselves.

Turns out, USAIG was also the insurer for the FBO and the caller didn’t realize they were also OURS.... and they made the hangar-keeper/FBO pay for the damages.

Amazingly, the incidents of hangar rash plummeted thereafter at that FBO.

I cannot fathom such acts wherein the instigator won’t stand up for the results of their actions. When years earlier, I arrived at the hangar to get the Hawker ready for a flight, I was approached by a local pilot who apologized for some damage he’d caused to the airplane when no one was around. (He’d pushed a Bonanza into the trailing edge of the jet which left a small cut in the trailing edge extrusion smaller than the one depicted in this thread. It was small but he wanted to own up and pay for it out of his pocket.)
I appreciated his honesty over the matter and I refused to accept any payment from him over it. But six-months later, when I needed a first officer on that airplane he was given the job offer first.

You might look at your insurance policy to see if your “not in motion” coverage might take care of this for you. You might also consult with your hangar-keeper and see if their insurance will cover it.

c170b53 wrote:A bit of garbage that whomever did it couldn’t man up.

I fully expect that they don't push THEIR airplane so tightly into corners.

I was able to get a quote to repair it correctly, which is to re-skin it. $1,150.. Ouch!

I am 99% sure I know the culprit. When I confronted him, he said "I don't think I hit your wing".. Hmmmm