South Texas has a breeze out of the S-SE most of the year. This brings in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico where it will inevitably try and cause airframe corrosion. The humidity is so bad here that during the summer months it feels hot all the time, even in the early morning. A low layer of broken-overcast clouds frequently greets us in the morning that will often continue to persist hours past forecast times.
In choosing the quickbuild wing option, we noticed bare aluminum on the inside of the completed wings. Although a corrosion protection compound is applied to the quickbuild wings during assembly at the factory, it probably isn't as robust as an epoxy primer, especially in our climate!
Since priming was no longer an option however, we sprayed a layer of Zip-Chem CorBan 23 inside the wings for additional protection. This is an aerosol corrosion inhibiting compound that sprays on tacky but then dries to a long lasting protective film. It comes with a long application wand that sprays in a fan pattern that reaches deep inside the wing through the rib lightening holes and access panels.
The airframe is not the only corrosion-prone system on our -7A in our coastal location. Our avionics systems provides primary flight instruments, communication, navigation and engine monitoring, so we have decided to protect our avionics system connectors and terminals, using Zip-Chem's D5015NS Avionics Corrosion Preventive Compound. We used the sprayable version (Class 2) which is QPL listed meeting the requirements for MIL-C-81309G, Type III (solid film, avionics grade). Shake will and spray connectors and terminals before installation and we can have confidence in our electrical and avionics system.
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