Category: Canopy

Canopy Install Part 2

The canopy installation took about 5 hours to complete, and it was a bit messy. I had flashbacks to building the fuel tanks, with sticky black goop (Sikaflex 295UV) going everywhere, and harsh chemicals (acetone) needed to clean up. I may have applied too much Sikaflex, because it was...

Canopy Headroom Check

Before I attach the canopy for good, I wanted to see how much extra headroom I could squeeze out. I was thinking I could raise up the front edge of the canopy a little bit, as long as there was enough excess material on the windscreen – luckily, the...

Canopy Install Part 1

With the headliner install complete, it’s finally time to attach the canopy! While checking for fit, I had to sand down the port side rear edge of the canopy a bit, but otherwise the composite lined up well with the metal skins. I match drilled all the holes, installed...

Canopy Headliner Installed

It’s a task I’ve put off for a long time, but I finally have a headliner attached to the canopy. I’m super pleased with the results. Although it wasn’t particularly difficult, it was manually-intensive, detailed work and took me most of the day Sunday to complete. First, I had...

Canopy Headliner Install

Quite some time ago I decided to put in a headliner on the canopy, mostly for aesthetic reasons. The material I chose is a foam-backed suede material from Automotive Interiors and Accessories, Inc. This was one of the only vendors I could find that made any statement about flammability;...

Canopy Wiring

Last week I finished the electronics design for the overhead console and sent off the PCB design for manufacture. I’ve already received the parts to stuff the boards, but the boards themselves will take another week. In the meantime, I decided to set up the canopy in my lab...

Canopy Test Fit

Today I unpacked the composite canopy from the shipping crate that’s been sitting in the corner of my garage since the Spring. It took a good hour just to remove all of the protective bubble wrap, shrink wrap, and packing tape for transit. With some help, I placed the...

Sika Supplies

The next big step is to attach the canopy to the fuselage. For that task, I needed some supplies to seal the canopy. The factory recommends products made by Sika, which are a bit hard to find here in the US. I found that they are carried by some...

Finishing Kit Arrived

My finishing kit has arrived! It contains a lot of fiberglass pieces that I don’t really need right now, but it does also include all the pushrods for the elevator and aileron controls that I need now while I’m building the fuselage. After this one, I have three more...