Canopy Part 1
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Here are the side rails.
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Notice two things. One the end of the gas strut must be in place
before you fasten it in place. The other is a mistake I made.
The drawing calls for 4 fasteners forward and 3 aft. I didn't
see this till after I had the holes cut. So I put in a couple of #
10 bolts. This should hold it secure. One slight issue.
If using a bolt you don't have a lot of clearance on the canopy rail.
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Here is the canopy rail is in place
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And in the up position.
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I cut the "ears" originally to the plans. But they just didn't
work right. They were just shy and I didn't have good coverage when
the rail moved. I cut them off and added the piece shown. This
worked much better.
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Here you can see how it moves and covers when the canopy rail is in the up
position
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Well it is time to take a look at how this fits. The
instructions that are with my rev of the drawings is kind of hard to
understand. The drawings leave a lot to be desired. There
really isn't any good direction as to placement of the canopy bows or the
canopy it self. The newer instructions are better, but there are
some differences in the design. That being said it looks like it
will fit with out any trimming. We will see how this
goes together.
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Another view from the front
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And the rear. Looks good.
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I used the plywood pattern method to bend and cut the hoops. This
worked well. I have a very constant contact with the canopy.
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The front hoop is a little tougher to locate. I ended up making a
jig to hold and measure the location after I matched the contour.
The location of the hoop to canopy rail is pretty variable. This
helped lock down the location.
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A closer view.
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With the position locked down on the front I was able to locate this
attachment.
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Again good contact with the canopy.
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Starting to look good!
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Starting on the side flashing.
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I really didn't like the old canopy release. I ordered this new one
with a lock from ZAC. I had to make the bracket to support it.
But I think this will work and look better.
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Plus since I am not using a key to start, I will have some way to
lock the aircraft.
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Getting serious now. Found a hangar at Wellington (EGT) .
This will be a great place to do flight test. Long runway and plenty
of options.
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My T hanger is on the right in the middle.
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| I drilled the canopy with a sharp bit. It was also a hot day. So it went pretty nice. I then used a scrap piece of Al to transfer the holes. Then transferred it to the real piece. | |
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I also had to cut out for the canopy handle.
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Here is the bracket I made to support the handle
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Temporary installed
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Another view.
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