Corrosion Inhibitor Application Service

Corrosion and its affects on the aging aircraft you fly has become a huge concern at all levels & sizes of the aviation fleet. Obvious structural integrity compromise due to corrosion can destroy an aircraft or … worst, … kill people as a result of an aircraft crash due to structural integrity compromised caused by corrosion.

Corrosion Inhibitor Application has several advantages to consider, and that is why I sell this service. Corrosion not only erodes the strength of the airframe, but it will obviously decrease the retail value of your aircraft as well. When I perform a pre-purchase inspection, corrosion inhibitor application is one of the items I look for in the aircraft maintenance records.

Compare two aircraft for purchase/sale; one is hangared in Arizona and the other is tied down outside on a Miami ramp. The Arizona aircraft is already assumed to be corrosion free because of the dry environment it lives in. The same assumption can not be made for the Miami machine because of the humid climate and living in a coastal region.

Let us continue our story to say that (during a pre-purchase inspection) the Arizona aircraft does check out clean, with no visible signs of exterior corrosion, and removing some necessary access panels verifies that the interior structure looks the same. Not surprising for a plane that has spent its entire life, hangared in a dry climate. Our story continues …

Our Miami machine has complete maintenance records indicating corrosion inhibitor application every 3 - 4 years for the entire life of the aircraft while being tied down outside near the sea shore. During a pre-purchase inspection of this machine, I wasn’t surprised to see any visible signs of corrosion on the exterior & interior structure of the airframe. Clean airframe due to good preventative maintenance.

Still, a visible inspection is needed and strongly advised prior to buying an aircraft.

I use CorrosionX corrosion inhibitor with the necessary wands and nozzles to properly apply the inhibitor medium in an atomized fog throughout the interior airframe structure, following all the manufacturers’ guideline and recommendations to minimize slippage to servo actuation and damage to electrical circuit components.

Please feel free to check out the CorrosionX website listed below.

I have also included some letters of inquiry sent to me by some of my customers about common issues concerning the application of corrosion inhibitors and the treatment of corrosion found on their aircraft.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about this service.

CorrosionX Aviation
http://www.corrosionx.com/av_use.html
http://www.corrosionx.com/aviation.html

FLUID THIN FILM COATING (FTFC) TECHNOLOGY
http://www.corrosionx.com/tech.html

Adam,

I own a C182L. The paint job is almost new (only 5 years old with airplane always hangared). My mechanic suggests that I have the aircraft treated with CorrosionX. I have heard that using CorrosionX on an older plane causes any corrosion which might be present around rivets and screws to dissolve creating loose rivets and screws. The treatment can create more problems than any benefit which might be received. Do you have information or advice on this subject?

Ed

Dear Ed,

Corrosion X does not dissolve the corrosion; the corrosion process is stopped from advancing when using this product. Corrosion X will stop any corrosion that is present and prevent any new corrosion from forming. Corrosion X does have a very high penetrating value and will get between lap seams and around rivets. Sometimes when this happens black streaking will occur in these areas. However, the protections I believe outweigh the streaking (this can be cleaned off). If the aircraft is in a high corrosion environment then the only way to protect the metal is to perform some type of treatment. Go to the Corrosion X web site http://www.corrosionx.com/tech.html and read up on what it does and how it works.

Adam Halop

Adam,

I have a 1979 TR182 I am currently assisting in the middle of this year's annual and I aggressively removed every cover, inspection plate, wing tip, and piece of insulation to see what was underneath or inside.

I found a number of these presumably glued down vinyl pads on the inside skins with a fair amount of powdery white stuff underneath. Some pads are easy to remove because there is so much, but others are still mostly stuck down. I presume this is corrosion that will need to be cleaned up and treated. Two questions. How to remove the pads that are partially stuck down. Scraping, solvent, etc? And second, we plan to clean up this corrosion with Scotch Brite. Then what? Is CorrosionX application enough? Or do we need to go through the etch, alodine, and chromate ritual each time?

Joseph

Dear Joe,

This is a common problem for the all the Single Engine Cessna aircraft. An interesting note about the glue and vinyl panels is when the glue has not been compromised by hydroscopic moisture, the glue will adhere the vinyl panels to the metal very well and will be extremely hard to remove. During the annual inspection these vinyl panels need to be inspected as you are doing, to locate and treat any corrosion.

Here is what I recommend to my clients:

With the panels that are starting to come off, I suggest to peel as much of the panels off as possible and remove the corrosion accordingly. With the panels that are still glued down, I suggest to leave these panels in place, because more damage can be done to the aircraft skin by trying to remove the panels. These panels should be inspected at every annual inspection for additional corrosion and treated as necessary.

I then treat the affected metal in accordance with Cessna Service Newsletter SNL93-3 titled "CABIN SKIN PANEL CORROSION INSPECTION AND REPAIR" by removing the corrosion with scotch-brite pads, etching the bare metal with aluminum cleaner, alodined treatment and then painting the affected area with zinc chromate.

Now, if you want to reduce the chances of this "ritual" occurring or having to be performed, then I would suggest an application of a corrosion inhibitor medium.

Adam Halop

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