Thursday, May 21, 2009

More Canopy





Back to work on the 12 after battling a cold. Checked the curl on the canopy skirt. I formed this curl using a full 12 oz. can of pop.

Removed the canopy from the frame and faricated the canopy latch and handle. Took quite a bit of manual hand sanding to get the rod to fit into the handle. This item took a lot more time than I would have guessed. The screw that is ultimately used to secure the two is a AN509-8R14 (Page 34-10). ONLY 3 threads engage the tapped hole in the handle. The specified screw seems to be TOO short. Passed this information on to Van's support. Have read about many incidents where the canopy has popped open during flight.

The holes in the rear bow and the holes in the interior angles where screws will be used to secure the bubble have to be drilled to #27. This is NOT in the plans (or I missed it).

Countersunk the most forward 5 holes in the frame.

Fabricated and installed the guide blocks and guide plates.

Canopy Hints Link

Time Today - 4 hours