Sep 21, 2020     Canopy and cowl... making progress       Category: Canopy

Painted canopy fairing interior to match the cockpit interior. Finished drilling all cowl hinges. Removed the cowl, deburred all hinge holes and remounted hinges. Added nut plates per KAI. Countersunk holes and riveted hinges to the cowling. Looks good!

  Sep 20, 2020     Canopy prep (again)       Category: Canopy

Sanded and primed interior of canopy fairing.

  Sep 15, 2020     Prepping for paint       Category: Canopy

Sanded, filled and sanded again underside of canopy fairing. Coated with a slightly thickened resin/micro balloon mixture in preparation for primer. Took a break from sanding and installed the oil access door in the cowl. Began assembly of the oil cooler and radiator.

  Sep 10, 2020     Pivot bolt access hole       Category: Canopy

Used a heavily waxed 1/2 inch tube and a micro balloon resin mixture to clean up the canopy pivot bolt access hole. Once sanded looked pretty good. Will need a coat of clear resin prior to painting.

  Sep 08, 2020     Finishing       Category: Canopy

The epoxy resin coat was sanded and after completely masking the canopy, sprayed with a filler primer. Low spots were then filled. These will be sanded again, and resprayed with filler primer.... Getting close!

  Sep 07, 2020     Sanding and filling       Category: Canopy

Sanded canopy and added additional filler to several low spots. Removed one of the two layers of electrical tape that define the aft boundary of the fiberglass and sanded the fairing flush with the single layer of tape. Then added a coat of resin (tinted with gray) to the entire fairing. There are still several low areas that will need filling, hopefully for the last time!

  Sep 04, 2020     Rinse and repeat       Category: Canopy

Sanded fiberglass/filler. Trimmed edges to final shape. Cleaned and added filler to low spots, as well as area in front of canopy. Sealed firewall pass throughs with tank sealant per KAI. Reinstalled all avionics in preparation for beginning work on the cowl.

  Sep 03, 2020     Finishing       Category: Canopy

Cut canopy fairing to almost final size and sanded to identify low spots. Added filler and took a break from sanding...

  Sep 02, 2020     Removed canopy       Category: Canopy

Removed canopy for final filling and sanding (repeat until done). Used a magnet to find the hinge screw and removed the fiberglass in this area with a rotary grinder. The template was used to transfer the final fiberglass outline onto the canopy. The canopy was then broken free from the fuselage using a chip chaser to separate the two. The canopy was moved to a table where the final fiberglass work will be completed. All masking materials were removed from the fuselage.

  Sep 01, 2020     Fiberglass       Category: Canopy

Completed initial fiberglassing of the canopy. The initial layers used gray tinted resin. Subsequent layers used clear resin to better identify and correct any air pockets between layers. After all fiberglass was layed up, a few low spots were filled with resin/microballoon mixture and the entire fiberglass area received a thick coat of tinted resin. After sanding, will fill low areas, cover with another coat of resin and repeat the process until ready to paint. Much as working with fiberglass is messy, it is easy to fix areas that need fixing!

  Aug 29, 2020     Prepping for fiberglass       Category: Canopy

Added electrical tape to define the edge of the fiberglass on the canopy/skirt. Sanded to roughen plexiglass and aluminum surfaces where fiberglass will attach. Completed masking with mylar packing tape. Cut all side fiberglass using templates.

  Aug 22, 2020     Foam final shape       Category: Canopy

The canopy foam blocks were sanded to final shape. The top 1/8 inch of foam was removed. This will be filled with an epoxy/flox mixture prior to laying up the canopy fiberglass. Unable to find the fiberglass template, I continued routing the engine wiring. Will need to order a new template from Van's.

  Aug 20, 2020     Foam blocks       Category: Canopy

Cut fairing foam blocks to shape. Used an epoxy/flox mixture to attach the blocks to the canopy frame.

  Aug 19, 2020     Masking       Category: Canopy

Began masking the upper/forward fuselage in preparation for laying up the canopy fairing. Lots of multilayer duct tape spacers. In addition, there is a 0.025 in (also layered with duct tape to increase size to 0.075in) spacer to allow for a rubber seal under the fiberglass. This is new since my 2016 build, where there was no space for a rubber seal under the fiberglass.

  Aug 11, 2020     Mounting canopy       Category: Canopy

Performed a final fit of the canopy/frame assembly to the fuselage, and screwed/riveted together. Assembled seat backs and trial fitted in place. Sat in plane and made engine sounds (sorry, no picture).

  Aug 01, 2020     Top coat canopy frame       Category: Canopy

Final coat of paint applied to the canopy frame. As with my previous build, I'm using Rustoleum products. Getting good results with spray cans is an art, one I'm still learning! Next will be painting the seats, turtle deck, myriad small parts, and the exposed interior.

  Jul 31, 2020     Painting the frame       Category: Canopy

All holes in the canopy were with a #27 plexiglass drill. Canopy frame holes, other than those in the front bow, were also drill out with a #27 bit. The front bow canopy holes were countersunk per KAI. A final fit of the canopy to the frame confirmed all holes aligned and an adequate gap between the canopy and frame was present on both sides. The canopy was removed for (hopefully) the final time and the hangar rearranged, converting the rear area into a paint booth. The frame was then primed.

  Jul 30, 2020     Tweaking       Category: Canopy

The canopy skirts were bent at the forward end to achieve a continuous curve from the canopy to the bottom of the canopy frame. The frame was then removed and placed back on the fuselage. A 3/32-1/8 inch gap was noted between the canopy skirt and fuselage on the right side towards the front. The forward bow was bent ever so slightly to reduce the gap. Now both sides have clearance gaps of < or = to 1/16 inch.

  Jul 29, 2020     Drilling the canopy       Category: Canopy

After a few more frame adjustments, there canopy skirt was drilled and clecoed to the canopy frame. I then elicited help (per the KAI "You will need to have a non-claustrophobic friend/spouse/child/leprechaun/goblin or hobbit help you with this step"... thanks Tim) and drilled the skirt/canopy/frame. This completed drilling all holes attaching the canopy to the frame. The latch was inserted and function checked. The frame was then removed and the rear edge sanded to achieve a constant distance between the rear window and canopy.

  Jul 28, 2020     Mounting the canopy       Category: Canopy

After adjusting the canopy frame for best fit, the interior canopy frame flanges were installed. These required fluting to conform to the curved canopy frame. Next, the latch was fabricated by drilling and taping the handle. After taping the screw head was filed to match the handle curve. I'm sure there was a knot or two gained by doing this. The canopy was then prepped by removing the protective coating around the interior and exterior surfaces and placed on the frame.

Fit was close, but required elongating the latch hole and sanding several edges. After several on/off/on iterations, the canopy was ready to be drilled and clecoed to the frame.

  Jul 23, 2020     Rear window and initial fitting of canopy frame       Category: Canopy

Removed rear window and cut forward edge to tape line. Sanded smooth. Final drilled all holes in window and forward turtle deck with #27 drill. Reinstalled window. Prepped canopy frame for installation. Initial fit showed the frame to be too wide, and hit on the top edge of the G3X displays. Encouraged to fit better with ratcheting straps. Encouragement accepted.

  Jul 22, 2020     Rear window       Category: Canopy

Continued rear window installation. Drilled all attach holes (#30 and #40). Enlarged all #40 holes to #36 and tapped for 6-32 screws. Marked forward edge of rear window with masking tape in preparation for final cutting/sanding to shape.

  Jul 21, 2020     Rear Window       Category: Canopy

Began fitting the rear window in place. The aft edge had to be trimmed to accommodate the F-1232B center brackets. Once this was completed the window was clamped in place, checked, reclamped, and rechecked several times. After achieving the best fit I could, I began drilling the mounting holes. Don't even want to think what shipping a new window would cost (worse for the canopy, I'm sure). Fortunately it's quite warm outside, and the plexiglass is quite soft. In the meanwhile, the annual condition inspection and all service bulletins were completed on my RV12ULS N12BB, in preparation for sale.