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Marlins Web Site
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Date: 4-13-2020
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Number of Hours: 10.00
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Manual Reference: Sec 9; DWGs 41-43
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Brief Description: Started C-666 Aft Canopy Skirts
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It’s been a long time since I updated my kitlog. Today I started the formidable task of fabricating the rear canopy skirts. I have avoided this for months because my instructions and every other builder I have talked to said this is the most difficult thing to do in the entire RV construction process. There are two separate skirts that are riveted along with the canopy, to the rear bows of the canopy frame. The trick is in attaching the skirt so that its unsupported rear edge contacts the rear top fuselage skin when the canopy is closed. The problem is there are multiple angles and curves to the aft fuselage, the canopy is dropped down on a rail that I already know is not perfectly centered, and it all depends upon how well I bent and shaped the frame before riveting the plexiglass. Add to this, VANs plans instructions are crappy, at best, and the skirts are not even roughly cut out when delivered. All the builder has is a 4’ x’3’ sheet of Alclad aluminum with a poorly marked cutout template and instructions that say,” Cut the aft skirts generously oversized. trim, bend, fit and drill as you go…good luck!’ Yeh, I can tell this is gonna be about as fun as having hemorrhoids! Well, here goes…The first step is to cut the skirts out as big as possible using the faded Sharpie Pen lines (see 1st pic). Next, even though the instructions said nothing about this, a friend of mine told me to bend the skirts into a U-Shape and twist the skin as much as it will bend or coil. The right side is ‘twisted’ counter-clockwise and the left side is ‘twisted’ clockwise. I did the U-shape thingy over my knee (See Pic #2). Then, the idea is to start at the top, drill the first hole, cleko and pull down as tight as you can at the bottom. Oh, and the plans do say to open the canopy about 1” so it is slightly raised and the skirt will fit tighter when drilling. As it turns out, this is not a good idea but you will see why in later postings. Drill and pull HARD forward and down…had to improvise using Duct Tape.
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Skirts cut out using "template"
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Skirt "bent" and "twisted"
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Duct Tape imrovision for pulling
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