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Jims RV-8
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Date: 9-20-2017
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Number of Hours: 2.10
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Manual Reference: 9-3
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Brief Description: Canopy cutting and sanding #11
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I could have worked in the shop last night (Tues.) but I was up late working non-aviation endeavors on Monday night and didn't get much sleep - so I didn't think it was wise to put in any shop time last night.
Tonight, I placed the canopy back on the frame and started clamping the plexi to the metal frame. I started in the front with my 12 marks in alignment and the rear marks in alignment and then clamped from front to rear. When I got to the aft third of the canopy, the rear plexi was high by about 4 inches from the frame! What the heck is going on?? To make contact at the rear, I would have had to fold the canopy like a taco or else move the plexi forward 2-3 inches. Something was way off!
I undid all of the clamps, re-aligned the canopy to the marks, clamped just a few on the front and then clamped the rear and started moving forward... this time it stayed in much better alignment. The instructions warn that the plexi will have to be pulled in on the sides to contact the frame, which is nerve wracking. The geometry of the canopy changes too as the plexi is pulled in, so for mine at least, it works better for me to clamp the front and then work forward from the rear. Your mileage may vary...
It took a few iterations of putting on/marking/taking off, then rounding relief semi-circles where the plexi was contacting the frame ribs - but eventually I got the canopy clamped in the right place around the perimeter - and if I could have glued it tonight, I would have. But I still have some cuts to make - so I marked the entire bottom for the next cut and unclamped and removed the canopy from the frame.
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view from the rear - a lot to cut off the back
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view from the front - had already taken some clamps off
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blurry pic of the black cut line
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