Hallelujah! My canopy fits!

A belated thanks to all who responded to my previous posts on an ill-fitting canopy.

After several months of frustration in working with the plexi - that turns out was faulty, Vans graciously supplied a replacement.

After the initial trimming, it fit better than the first one ever did! I had it bonded in place with Sika 295 UV within the week.

The back window is also in - a relatively simple installation with 2 people.

A question - has anyone used the 295 UV as the plexi to 702 fairing?
- how was it to sand?
- have there been any issues with paint cracking, etc.?
- is there anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks.
Cliff
RV9A, tip up
Chase, BC

dr cooper said:

A question - has anyone used the 295 UV as the plexi to 702 fairing?
- how was it to sand?
- have there been any issues with paint cracking, etc.?
- is there anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks.
Cliff
RV9A, tip up
Chase, BC

Click to expand...

Cliff,

I used Sika exclusively for all my canopy bonding, with excellent results, including bonding the front of the canopy to the 702, as you asked. I detailed how it was done in my web pages, you can see it all by following this link. I did some tests with Sika, that are also in my web pages. It sands very well, but the sanded surface is kind of rough. I didn't leave it as the finished fairing surface. Turns out, fiberglass and epoxy adhere to the sanded Sika extremely well (I did some tests), so the normal layups over the front of the canopy to form your fairing are no problem at all. My plane isn't quite finished yet so I don't have it painted, but I did paint it with primer, etc. after all the finishing work. No issues whatsoever with cracking or anything. I love this material! Here's the link, and a picture of my finished canopy fairing. Just follow to the next page, and the next, to see all of my work:

Bonding the Canopy with SikaFlex

Good job!, looks great!