Yesterday I worked on the release mechanism for the canopy. I was not satisfied with the slots I cut into the two steel tubes, so I worked on them for about an hour. In order for the longer steel tube to reach the hinge pin you have to cut a hole in one rib. The plans don't tell you anything about this, but it does show the hole. The size of the hole is driven by the rotation within the release mechanism. So drilling a hole a little larger than the tube doesn't solve the problem. I went through several iterations of sanding the sides of the hole larger, assembling the mechanism, checking the rotation, disassembling and repeat. I ended with an oblong opening that allows the tube to pivot without striking the rib. It may need to be slightly larger, but I won;t know until everything is in the plane. I will double check the size before riveting.
Today I took the flaps off and removed all the wing bolts in order to remove the wings. My wife is coming to the hangar tomorrow to help remove the wings. Everything is ready except two bolts.
