KitLog pro

Powered By Kitlog Pro v2.0

Dave's RV-7A Builder's Log
' style=
Date:  10-11-2013
Number of Hours:  2.50
Manual Reference:  
Brief Description:  Drilled canopy to frame

Temps in the hangar were up in the mid-70s so I decided to go ahead and drill. By the time I got around to this it was pretty late in the evening, but having nothing better to do--and with the risk of colder weather on the way it was possibly now or never.

The process for drilling is pretty simple, but the preparations took a little time. First I had to remove the canopy from the frame and trim back the protective plastic along the top and sides. Once this was done I taped everything back down to make sure the drilling debris didn't get under the plastic and scratch the canopy. Finally I applied tape to the frame to help find the centerline when drilling (the canopy presses against the tape and a line appears where they contact) and marked two inch intervals.

With a #40 bit and a little heat going to keep the temps up, I started drilling. Like most of the things I've done on this project, drilling the canopy turned out to be no big deal. I did my best to keep the holes truly perpendicular and in the center of the frame (I had one very minor "miss") and clecoed as I went. The plans call for opening the holes in the canopy to 1/8" to relieve stress on the plastic, but by the time I finished it was after 1:00 am so that task will have to wait until tomorrow.
' style=

Canopy drilling underway

Canopy drilling underway

' style=

Initial drilling complete

Initial drilling complete

' style=










Copyright © 2001-2024 Matronics. All Rights Reserved.