So last night I read somewhere that Burt Rutan built an EZ in like 3 months.....My inner child died a little...LOL. Well I hope mine flies better so my gazillion hours will be worth it :) Anyways, tonight was spent cleaning up last nights glass work and re-installing the canopy to locate and install the cam lock pins. I could have done all the layups first but decided that it would be stronger structurally if I made my hardpoint inside all 3 of the remaining plies of Carbon instead of "patching a hole." So I marked where the pins needed to be installed in the canopy, drilled a hole 1/2" and threaded into the hole a brass insert that serves as a good barrier metal for Carbon Fiber. Most of the brass will be imbedded into the oak hardpoint that I will make even further reducing any risk of corrosion. After Installing, I noticed I have very little room for a hardpoint as the pin threads stick out of the canopy a bit. No worries however, enough threads remain that I should be able to cut off the remaining threads and avoid any bumps in the canopy frame. At this point I am thrilled how well this canopy design is working out and can't wait to install the gas springs and watch the canopy come to life in it's full functionality.
side note: I had an aeronautical engineer tell me to avoid designing a new canopy and to stick to the plans as his attempt failed......what are they teaching in college rooms these days? :)
