I’m pleased that John Evens is sharing his experience. We need first hand input.


I suppose everyone has an opinion on this product, as do I. What follows is my personal observation and it does not reflect the professional position of any manufacturer, mechanic or distributor of Oratex products. My personal experience with Oratex is a close inspection of an aircraft covered with the product. and spending a week at Oshkosh manning the booth with the factory workers that actually installed Oratex fabric on one of the display aircraft..I do not use their name here because I do not speak for the factory.


First the appearance. The display aircraft is covered with Oratex white. The finish is flat, not glossy or semi-gloss. It also has a bit of reflective sheen with certain sun angles. This is not a product that gives a model airplane Topflite Monocote type finish. The material is a bit translucent and resembles a nylon petticoat with a primer coat. The fabric weave is very visible… not partially visible as you might see in more traditional fabric coverings. If this is the type of finish you are looking for, then you will probably love it. I am concerned how the airplane might look after exposure to some Georgia red clay dust. I noticed after a week parked at Oshkosh that it was looking pretty dirty compared to conventional covered aircraft parked next to it. We found it very hard to wipe the morning dew off without smearing the dust and dirt into the weave. We had to use a water bucket brigade to clean it where the other aircraft we simply squeegee and wipe them down.


Next is the weight savings. I had extensive conversations with the factory workers that installed the covering.. This company builds lots of LSA’s so they know what the empty weight should be when the aircraft is covered. They stated the weight saving was between 4 and 6 pounds on a Cub size aircraft. If you are a weight fanatic then this product can save a few pounds over the usual fabric and finish with Polytone or Ranthane. A few pounds, yes. Thirty pounds? No way!


Application. Here is where you get different stories. Oratex says you can do it yourself. The LSA factory people said it took three workers… two stretching clamping and holding while the third was tacking and ironing. The product is not nearly as forgiving when doing compound curves and corners. Because the product is more expensive and the labor is higher, this LSA factory will install Oratext for you; but, it will cost you twice as much. The Oratex cost is compared to conventional covering doing all the steps of Polybrush, Polyspray and Polytone. (It’s just not that difficult to spray an airplane at a factory with a paint booth)



Fumes. No, it doesn’t smell. You can do it in an apartment and the neighbors will never complain.


Longevity. This is one area where I don’t have reliable data. Yes I heard they have been using it in Europe for years. That’s nice. They say the UV protection is in the treated fabric. That’s nice, too. Let’s see how it holds up after a few years of Phoenix sun.


If you are considering this product, I recommend you see an entire aircraft covered in the product prior to making a purchase of materials.. Also attend a session where an aircraft is actually being covered to see any installation problems you might encounter.


I tried to be fair in my evaluation of the product but my bias clearly shows. It is not my choice primarily because of the appearance. The cost for weight savings is not worth it for 4 to 6 pounds. No paint booth or spraying outside is a plus.


What I find is the opinion of the product varies widely. After a week on display I heard lots of comments. Some people love it, and others hate it.
I guess that’s why the make Fords and Chevys. Everyone likes something different.

John P