Years ago, I decided to not use the cut-off piece from my canopy as my front windshield. I decided to have Airplane Plastics make me a slightly thicker, more bird-resistant windshield. It also has a slightly different, flatter profile. I think it looks lightly racier and more aerodynamic than Van's stock canopy profile. As an added bonus, the windshield and canopy are also slightly tinted and more UV-resistant than the stock ones. 1. Today, I began prepping for the initial cuts to get the windshield to lay down in position on the airplane. It has quite a bit of extra material around the edges, just like the canopy did. I laid the original windshield on top of the new one and made a line approximately where the aft cut will be. I'll plan to cut outside this line by 1/4" first. I turned up the heat in the hangar so I can get the place up to about 75+ degrees for the cutting process. 2. I also removed all the tape residue and Sharpie marks from the top skin.