Brief Description: Fitting the Sliding Frame to the Canopy Bubble
I intentionally cut the front split for the sliding canopy about ¼ inch too big in case I needed to adjust the front frame slightly or I made an error in the cutting process. Once I made the cut, I was able to redraw a 1/16” line for frame overlap and used a belt sander to perfectly sand-down the front plexiglass edge to match the required overlap. Next, I had to remove the plexiglass canopy from the frame to back-drill the C-653 Cover Strip. I also made the side-cuts so they are 1/8” above the frame side-bows, sanding and beveling the plexiglass edges to prevent stress fractures. I also ground-down the front edges of the roller assemblies so the flange wouldn’t ding-up the roll-over bar every time I close the canopy. Additionally, I permanently mounted the roller-tracks to the fuselage and trimmed off the portion of the tracks that extended over the side fuselage so the side skirts can be mounted without interference from the tracks.