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Jims RV-8
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Date:  9-22-2018
Number of Hours:  4.00
Manual Reference:  9-3
Brief Description:  skunkworks - canopy skirt work

Like most, or probably all people, when trying to figure something out or find a better way to do something – the process or problem kind of rolls around in the back part of my brain for days or weeks without me really even noticing it. It’s just more like a thought that keeps coming back to me until one day, seemingly out of the blue, a solution or an understanding just ”happens”. Well, that’s what happened to me regarding the handle on the aft end of the canopy skirt. I have seen many versions of the pull handle from literal drawer handles, pull rings, flange lifts, etc. etc. There are lots of different ways to assist in opening the canopy. One idea I saw at Sun-n-Fun that I thought was fairly elegant was a spring loaded pull handle that was hidden, until you pushed down on one end and rotated the handle up into the “pull” position. I really liked that idea and planned to incorporate it with my build.

The RV-8 canopy and skirt is somewhat like a fingerprint – maybe not that unique, but the canopy is something that is shaped at the manufacturer and then cut by the builder and no two are exactly alike. The skirt is then fit to the canopy based on the builder’s views and preference on aesthetics…so again – it’s a custom fit. My aft canopy skirt is on the small side because I am on the small side of the gap between my aft canopy frame and the slide rail. This smaller gap means that the depth and length of the canopy skirt is less than many others. I found a hidden handle on the web that might just fit my reduced space and I ordered it, but unfortunately it was too deep to fit flush – that was v1.0. As most are aware from reading this log, my next idea was to go with a pull ring (v2.0) – which is a perfectly good and simple alternative that might be what I end up using. For whatever reason, I was hesitant to proceed with to the pull ring until I rolled it around in my head some more. Well, v3.0 came to me as a potential solution and I spent 4 hours today working on it… more to come...
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Intentionally vague picture

Intentionally vague picture

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