Brief Description: Drilled Canopy Latch Hole and Made 2nd Cuts
The sliding canopy is held closed with an over-center spring-loaded hook latch operated by an internal/external handle. The handle is also used for sliding the canopy open or closed. There are two pins at the rear base of the canopy just aft of the canopy track which engage nylon blocks mounted on the fuselage. The front of the sliding canopy is held down by a molded fiberglass lip on the windscreen. The pins and lip serve as passive hold-downs, so operating the sliding canopy requires just one latch and one hand. Once I found the best fit for the canopy frame in the canopy bubble and used a Unibit to drill a 5/8” hole in the canopy bubble for the latch handle tube; deburring the hole and sanding the edges of the hole with 220 grit sandpaper, then 400 grit sandpaper. With the frame laid inside the canopy, I placed masking tape 1” past the bottom of the canopy frame side bows and drew a line even with the bottom of the frame on both sides. I removed the frame and made cuts on the lines a so I could clamp the plexiglass to the frame. I also made blocks to support the frame at the proper height (fore and aft) so I didn’t have to mess with the wheels in the slider-tracks.