Ever since i started flying, there has been the issue of passenger comfort (especially my fiancée, so rather important… 
) being affected by, besides turbulence, the quality of my flying and passenger lenght, needing a seat-cushion to see over the dashboard, mainly by bad smell in the cabin. Together these factors combine to make a rather unpleasant passenger experience.
As far as I can tell, it is mainly a combination of old, cigarette smoke- and sweat exposed upholstery and “engine smell” (hopefully old/dried oil spills and such rather than exhaust, or we’d have CO-poisoning problem) coming in through the cabin wents.
Since I’m looking to upgrade (from my current two-place experimental) into a four-place 160—180 hp plane, and on a bit of a budget (with mostly 1975—late 1980s planes being viable), I’m wondering if this is simply an “age” thing or if it depends just as much on the individual design and how the aircraft has been maintained/treated? Any opinions on this would be appreciated before I spend time and money traveling to check-out individual aircraft being offered for sale. 
Most of my (and our) time up to this date has been in the local aeroclub’s PA-28s which are mainly late 1980s Cadet and Archer IIs. Those have probably never had their upholstery done since the days when smoking onboard was deemed fully normal. Our new-ish Archer III (maybe a 2004 model or something) as well as our DA-20 are both significantly better.
How do for an example the Socata TB-series, Grumman AA-5, Beech Musketeer compare?
When we acquired our 40YO aircraft the cabin was smell-free, so age does not seem to matter so much.
After that we have been using it significantly in warm weather with a full cabin (which may add smell) for four years, sometimes long flights with kids&food, but have also cleaned carpet and leather seats regularly so we have not sensed personal smell in any significant way. The brand and regularity of use of leather cleaner & moisturizer does affect the cabin smell but mostly in a positive way.
There is also some cabin smell now as a result of CIC (Corrosion Inhibiting Compound) and ACF-50 applications on the structure. I personally do not dislike it but one of my regular pax does. I also do not know how to fully address it although silica gel and a particular closet deodorizer cartridge brand seem to help.
I am thinking on using carbon cartridges also but do not know the result yet.
My impression is that this is mostly type-independent.
Some complains of fuel smell in the cabin on specific types should be addressed by corrective maintenance action. Some types with fuel vent pipes (C177) or aux fuel tank hoses (C210) going through the cabin have been reported to smell. IN both cases easily addressed by replacing affected pipes (known to corrode and pin-hole over time) -or hoses. There should be zero fuel leaks in the cabin, the good+bad news is that even the slightest seep will cause a strong smell. I personally like the smell of avgas, tolerate Jet-A, but hate mogas.
In short: for your own airplane, in my view, strict cleanliness does the trick. Any spilt contaminants must be dealt with immediately.
In Mooneys, usually vintage ones operated on rough surface, it’s usually about the right time to reseal your “wet fuel tanks” before you have to change your interior as well, after that it’s matter of cleaning
Mine smells like a Morris Minor inside (one of these)
In my plane smell in the cabin seems to come from anticorrosion finish – the good old green one – and from different oils and greases which have to be applied on rollers and a lot of moving parts every 100 hours. It is the same smell I recognize from any plane made in the last century. As I put the oils and greases this time I actually know which oil is the most intensive smelling one in my cockpit.
Dimme wrote:
These do wonders in old cars.
I would use them with caution rather than regularly on aircraft since ozone accelerates aging of rubbers and plastics, and increases corrosion in moist environments.
Interesting – I was going to start a thread on this, too.
I find in our plane that not the smell “in flight” is the biggest problem. But all items, clothes worn etc that spend some time in the cabin take up that very particular smell and that is actually a bit of a concern because depending on what kind of social thing you want to do at the destination (let alone work events in business atire) requires either a change of clothes or intermediate washing.
I know what you mean for sure, and my wife used to say I came home smelling “like airplane”. Scores of 70’s era 172’s and Cherokees (among others) I rented all seemed to have the same smell. I’m also not exactly sure of the source, as I only equate it to the smell of that era airplane. Maybe some material used in the interior that was prevalent in common GA aircraft from that time? But my recently acquired TB-10 (1980 vintage) does not have this same smell, and I’m not sure what the difference is.
In my plane it is the Aeroshell 3 fluid to be used to oil all these bushings and slides, which is most prominent in the cockpit. The same smell as in all club planes…
