pretty good storm came thru n. little rock ar some months back. have lots on dents on the winds and tail section. i missed the tornado, but not this one. to me it is quite extensive.

Jay

Bummed to hear about the hail damage to your Comanche. Since I just went through some sheet metal repair for the twin, a couple of thoughts on how to find a shop.

Your insurance adjuster may have some thoughts, I don't know where you are located, that may influence a shop selection. Also, most good paint shops have sheet metal contacts. Whatever path you take, check their references, see their work before you make a choice. It made a dramatic difference in the path I chose.

That being said, it does depend upon what level of damage you have. At the Dayton convention, Dick Guenther, ICS member A&P/IA and 180 owner talked about hail damage repair. He owns DESAPI in Cadiz, OH. www.desapi.com He did the paint for the twin last year and the paint repair after the sheet metal work last month - the Twin won a shared Best Twin trophy at the convention so I stand as a reference for the shop. See http://www.comancheflyer.com/forum/view ... paitn+blog for more details.

If you can take the plane to Cadiz, 8G6, unless the winds prevent it, I'd suggest landing uphill to the northwest - saves the brakes.

Hope this helps - there are some regional shops that may be appropriate so if you post where you are located, others may chime in with some good advice.

Have seen minor hail damage removed with dry ice. Was on my dad's metalized TriPacer. Find an A&P that knows the technique.

Chris

Some years back I bought a 182 that had hail rash. Hundreds of very tiny dings. The plane needed a paint job so very little bondo was able to take care of the cosmetic issue. It added maybe $500.00 to the cost of the paint job. All rivit lines had to be taped to assure sanding did not get to the rivits. The hail was light enough that the reinforced areas where rivits were present did not suffer any damage.

Not sure if this helps or applys to your situation, but wanted to mention since the plane looks flawless after five years since the paint/repair job.

A good friend about a yr ago got caught in a hail storm of 1/4-1/2" hail at Lake Tahoe which caused significant damage including destruction of the spinner. Atleast with a 182 there are criteria based on the depth of the dent for whether bondo can be used or whether the skin needs to be replaced. It also depends on whether its a wing or a control surface. The ins co sent his plane to Chino to the same place I believe Pat had her twinco fixed.

The a/c is now beautiful and all went well except they didn't get the ailerons balanced very well so the a/c was turning right all the way home. About an hour after we got home that was fixed.

Good luck, Don