Wool headliners, Opinions?

Bartman

Bartman

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Hi all,

Was asking Dale at ACA about lowering the weight of the interior and he suggested a wool headliner. I actually was asking about omitting the interior but he said it's technically required equipment so it can't be omitted even though some people have.

Anyone have any pros/cons about wool headliners? I kind of like the idea myself.

Thanks,
Bart
 
Have it in the J4. Seems to be ok, except my hands are always dirty, and if I get near it I leave a black smudge. What are you saving - six ounces?

As to required equipment, look up the definition of minor alteration. Removing a headliner surely fits that description. Unless you find a statement in the TC - "Must have headliner for airworthiness" or something like that.
 
No reason to not have an interior. Side panels and headliners don't weigh enough to affect performance in these draggy old airframes.
And when time comes to sell, a finished interior might just be worth it to a perspective buyer.
I like wool over vinyl for headliners myself but as Bob said they do seem to attract their fair share of dirt and grime.
JMPO

Chris
 
The only difficult part about the side panels is the lower attach - stapled to floorboards is less than elegant. Dream up a nice trim piece, glue it to the fabric, and screw it to the floor. Also the left side is really long - mine is in two pieces, with an unobtrusive overlap.
Agree - don't leave your masterpiece looking like a war fugitive.
 
Instead of staples when I redid my interior twenty years ago I used hot melt glue to attach Velcro strips to the floor and side fabric. Still in great shape and allows easy access.
 
Old Blue said:
Instead of staples when I redid my interior twenty years ago I used hot melt glue to attach Velcro strips to the floor and side fabric. Still in great shape and allows easy access.
Click to expand...

thanks for that, it's certainly something to consider.

on wool headliners, would they catch debris and get messy looking from dirt and stuff that gets knocked around when inverted?
 
Not if you roll inverted once a week. For me it is the water bottle if I forget to cinch the string, or my map. I have lost granny glasses, but always find them on top of the speaker box.
 
Bartman said:
thanks for that, it's certainly something to consider.

on wool headliners, would they catch debris and get messy looking from dirt and stuff that gets knocked around when inverted?
Click to expand...
No, they don't get any dirtier than any other fabric if we're talking about DRY dirt, sand, pollen and the like...a simple hand vacuuming of it cures all ills.

As I wore contacts or glasses when I flew I was always careful about keeping the interior clean so as to not FOD myself during acro...
I remember Marion Cole exiting a borrowed Super D in front of his hangar one sunny afternoon...mad as a wet hen! Now Marion dressed nicely at all times, usually in Tan Dockers and a white Cole Brothers Airshow Polo...he had Class...
Anyway; he pops out of this SD looking for all the world like he'd been out digging a ditch all afternoon and begins to dust himself off and mutter to himself.
Turns out the owner of the borrowed airplane flew it a lot. But never did any acro in it over the years...
So during Marions flight all the accumulated filth, dirt and grime laying in the plane just WAITING for that negative G push came up in a cloud and covered Marion...making him a sorry sight indeed...🤭
The only person at the hangar that dared laugh was his wife Charlene.

At the time anyway.
To the rest of us, another lesson on what to look for during preflight!

Chris
 
Old Blue said:
Instead of staples when I redid my interior twenty years ago I used hot melt glue to attach Velcro strips to the floor and side fabric. Still in great shape and allows easy access.
Click to expand...

speaking of installation, is it just as easy to staple the wool during installation or will I have to glue it also?

need to get this moving so we can start planning fabric. Thanks!
 
Use caution when you glue it. The wool is (of course) porous and thin cement or glue will soak right thru. I use 3M 88 spray adhesive where I glue and staples when they don't show.
Chris
 
Spent some time fitting the wool headliner to see what's involved and decided to switch to the standard ivory vinyl headliner. I wanted to love the wool but it just didn't hit me the way I was hoping so I'll take this one as a lesson learned.

I've got a brand new wool headliner for a 7/8 series with skylight for sale if anyone wants it cheap!
 
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