Definition
Narrow strips of fabric doped to the leading and trailing edges of fabric-covered aircraft surfaces beneath the reinforcing tape, used to prevent rib-stitching cord from cutting through the fabric in areas of high airflow, particularly the propeller slipstream.
Plain English
Extra strips of cloth glued onto a fabric-covered wing or tail surface in places where the airflow is strongest, so the stitching that holds the fabric to the ribs doesn't cut through and tear the covering.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft fabric-covering, wing repair, and inspection procedures.
Derivation
The name describes the function directly: strips of fabric placed to prevent (anti-) tearing. Included here because the term is a maintenance-specific compound a pilot may not immediately recognise as a standard part of fabric covering.
Why Pilots Care
Preserves the structural integrity of fabric surfaces and prevents small damage from becoming a flight hazard.
Analogy
They work like reinforcing tape on a piece of paper before you punch a hole in it: the hole is less likely to rip because the material around it has been strengthened.
Intuition Check
Antitear strips are not mainly patches for fixing a tear after it happens. They are reinforcement added to help prevent tearing in the first place.
Example Sentence 1
Before rib-stitching the new fabric to the wing, the mechanic doped antitear strips along the area in the propeller slipstream.
Example Sentence 2
After a minor puncture, the antitear strips kept the tear from spreading across the wing.