Cabin Door Hinges

[carllee]

Re: Cabin Door Hinges

3-Holes: For aircraft that had a 4th screw installed previously by field alteration. The 4th hole will be match drilled at time of installation of the new hinge to match the 4th hole already in your door.

4-Holes: To be used on aircraft that have never had a 4th screw, and to replace worn 4-hole hinges that were factory installed.

I'm just going to touch on this one last time then I promise I will leave it alone.

I would NOT add that 4th screw to any doors that don't have the gas springs installed on them. To do this places your very expensive doors at tremendous risk. Your 35-year-old door stays offer no resistance to the wind. If a gust of wind catches your door, or your passengers door (when you aren't looking), and you have that 4th screw securing the hinge to the door you will bend the door, not the hinge. As I said before, there are many examples of Commander doors that are irreparably damaged as a result of this. At the next fly-in look for yourself – you wont have to look too far.

 

[nruzic]

Re: Cabin Door Hinges

Kelly purchase larse scree smart phone like iPhone or Samsyung Android.
Hold inclined poking out of side window and it will scoop in enough prop wash to ventilate - have passenger do same on other side.

 

[Lenholli]

Re: Cabin Door Hinges

I am also interested in having a spare or two around.

 

[DKrueger]

Re: Cabin Door Hinges

Can anyone tell me if the cabin doors have any adjustment? My pilot side door is difficult to close and has been since I purchased 61W. The door doesn't seem to grab the receiver on the vertical part of the jam. I am trying not to damage anything. I knew the door had been caught by the wind during refueling by the prior owner, could this be a hinge issue?

 

[FS]

Re: Cabin Door Hinges

Can anyone tell me if the cabin doors have any adjustment? ... I knew the door had been caught by the wind during refueling by the prior owner, could this be a hinge issue?

Yes, to all the above.

There are a number of adjustments to the door latch system. It is a lengthy description of how to get it right. So let's not do that just yet.

Jim Richards posted a PDF file a few posts above which shows a bad hinge and good hinge. The good hinge should sit flush to the door and fuselage, the bad hinge will have a gap (small to large, depending on how bad).

Start by looking at the hinges. If there's a visible gap between the back of the hinge and the sheetmetal (door or fuselage skin) then that should be corrected.

FYI: I had one hinge which was eased off the sheetmetal about 1/32" and there is some chafing on the door frame as shown in Jim's PDF file. I placed the hinge in a bench vise and lightly tapped at it with a rubber mallet, testing each time on a flat surface to see if it came back flush. I made it a little better, but I was to reluctant to really work the hinge out of fear of snapping it off. To test the result I placed a piece of paper in the area of the chafed door frame and the door did not bind on the paper as I swung it on the hinge, so I figure the clearance is okay.

 

[klevins]

Re: Cabin Door Hinges

Hi there,
Are new hinges available for sale at this point?

Thanks
Ken

 

[klevins]

Re: Cabin Door Hinges

Hi Jim,
I believe I will need a set of cabin door hinges to pass annual next year- do you have some for sale?

Thanks
Ken

Hi there,
Are new hinges available for sale at this point?

Thanks
Ken

 

[jrichards]

Re: Cabin Door Hinges

Hi Ken,

We definitely have the lower hinges available at this time. We can provide both halves of each hinge if you need that, but it may only be necessary to replace the halves attached to the doors.

I am traveling today, but can check our status on the upper hinges for you after I get back to Vermont if you think those will be needed also.

Thanks,
Jim