The yokes on the 1956 C-172 I bought could use some painting but I'm not sure how to best go about that. Am I allowed to remove them to paint them? Should I try to strip the existing paint? Prime before painting? Or just paint over what is already there?
Painting a yoke?
- Thread starter Jim Logajan
- Start date
After a quick search around the net I'm thinking maybe not paint but cover with foam like this guy did from this thread:
backcountrypilot.org
Material:
www.mcmaster.com
Picture of results (presumably taken 7 years after application):
photos.google.com
Coating or covering yokes? - Backcountry Pilot
I am trying to figure out a way to clean up the yokes in my 180. The coating is all chipped and there are no emblems on them. They are the square older yokes, not sure what they are out of.Last year at a flyin, I saw a set that were leather wrapped t…
McMaster-Carr
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rotorwrench
Active member
No. That will require a mechanic but you can legally repaint them as preventative maintenance. If I recall correctly yours are riveted on, so perhaps ask your mechanic at the next annual to pop them off and you take care of them then?
FYI: if you use "control wheel" vs "yoke" when you search on the internet you may get more examples. Most OEMs, but not all, call those wheels and not yokes. A quick check in the parts manual will give you the correct term to use. The "yoke" is usually reserved for the control system behind the instrument panel. Minor technicality but can get you the wrong info or part if not careful.
As to painting, if you're not familiar with the painting process (prep, prime, finish) and want a long lasting result get some help or have someone do it for you. I would usually send my customers to a local auto body shop to have the wheels refinished. Power coat is also an option provided those wheels are not magnesium. In my experience, wrapping them with any type of "tape" is merely temporary in nature and can lead to other issues especially in a hot climate. Or if you want to go 1st class have some custom leather covers stitched.
Thanks for all that info! You made me curious about leather covers and found one place that shows an example of a leather covered 1956 C-172 style control wheel that looks simple to install (scroll down):
Leather Yoke Covers Easy Install
Luxurious leather control yoke covers come with an unconditional 30-day money back guaranty. These are painstakingly hand crafted for a tight stretch fit that can transform a beat up old airplane yoke into a beautiful and functional piloting tool. Optionally, pilot and or copilot leather...
controlyokecovers.com
Looks like around $320 plus shipping to have leather covers for both control wheels/yokes - or $400 if a PTT switch is built in to each. (The currently installed red Velcroed buttons look a bit tacky.)
It is a low-priority cosmetic desire that I may implement at a later date.
Last edited:
Just a followup:
I've got several changes in the works for the plane now and decided to order leather covers with PTT buttons stitched in. I need to have the PTT wired into the system but while waiting to have that done I took a try at attaching one of the covers to the copilot side to see how it looked and felt. The covers are Velcroed onto the controls so can be easily removed. They stay in place and I think they look good, though that is a matter of taste. (The pilot side PTT button is on the left side of the control wheel.) The last photo is from the vendor's web site and shows roughly what the cover should look like when attached. Mine still needs a bit of adjusting in spots to match that look, but this was a trial run.
Finished wrapping the control wheels a couple weeks ago. This is what the final result looks like.
