2NinerRomeo
I'm New Here
So there I was, with my 5 year old in the back seat, barreling down the runway on a takeoff roll when suddenly I was back to open cockpit flying. I got the -4 settled down.
Some Background:
I am not the original builder of this aircraft, most of my work has been on a wood & fabric bird. I am going to need help identifying the parts and assembling a bill of materials for the repair. I am also not the owner of this aircraft, the owner is not the builder either. The owner has the plans and logs, and fortunately does not seem to be interested in drawing blood.
The Damage:
There is a "rib" like structure to which attaches a scissor-like hinge mechanism which holds the canopy when it is open. As the canopy opened in takeoff propwash, the scissor extended all the way and yanked on a cantilevered bolt which went through the rib-like crossing structure. This structure had flanges on top and bottom, but unfortunatly these flanges are not continuous across across the pit, being interrupted in the center, where the structure bent. The rib structure pulled the rivets out of the right hand canopy skin and puckered the skin on the left.
How I think this might have happened:
This canopy has a safety latch. The spring pushing forward on this latch appears to have gotten stuck on the side (flat), rather than the back (edge) of the latch which aparently caused it to jam backward and not close. Second, After this incident and surveying the damage with the owner, he got in and closed the canopy. The scissor mechanism and bent cross-structure take a little pushing to close the canopy, but with him in the airpane, and the lever in the closed position, I observed that the front rod engaged, but the back rod did not, leaving the back end of the canopy opened enough for me to slip my fingers in. This might have happened to me on that flight, with a half secured canopy twisting and allowing the front rod to pull out.
Now for the repair questions:
Does someone know the name, and perhaps part numbers that I am talking about? Do you know offhand what size rivets I will need to make the repair? With the rivets on the right pulled out, I don't think I want to re-use the same holes. I'd probably be better off massaging the skins flat and filling in the holes and making new ones. Bondo I suppose. It appears the original structure was welded to a tube that runs around the canopy. I may need to tig that, which means I'll need to drill out the rivets holding the polycarb canopy in place, fix the weld, then replace the rivets.
I think I'll change the washer on the saftey latch
Needless to say, I'll be religiously checking the engagement on the front AND back rods in the future.
Vans will be available after the weekend. Am I on the right track here? Any advice appreciated.
Some Background:
I am not the original builder of this aircraft, most of my work has been on a wood & fabric bird. I am going to need help identifying the parts and assembling a bill of materials for the repair. I am also not the owner of this aircraft, the owner is not the builder either. The owner has the plans and logs, and fortunately does not seem to be interested in drawing blood.
The Damage:
There is a "rib" like structure to which attaches a scissor-like hinge mechanism which holds the canopy when it is open. As the canopy opened in takeoff propwash, the scissor extended all the way and yanked on a cantilevered bolt which went through the rib-like crossing structure. This structure had flanges on top and bottom, but unfortunatly these flanges are not continuous across across the pit, being interrupted in the center, where the structure bent. The rib structure pulled the rivets out of the right hand canopy skin and puckered the skin on the left.
How I think this might have happened:
This canopy has a safety latch. The spring pushing forward on this latch appears to have gotten stuck on the side (flat), rather than the back (edge) of the latch which aparently caused it to jam backward and not close. Second, After this incident and surveying the damage with the owner, he got in and closed the canopy. The scissor mechanism and bent cross-structure take a little pushing to close the canopy, but with him in the airpane, and the lever in the closed position, I observed that the front rod engaged, but the back rod did not, leaving the back end of the canopy opened enough for me to slip my fingers in. This might have happened to me on that flight, with a half secured canopy twisting and allowing the front rod to pull out.
Now for the repair questions:
Does someone know the name, and perhaps part numbers that I am talking about? Do you know offhand what size rivets I will need to make the repair? With the rivets on the right pulled out, I don't think I want to re-use the same holes. I'd probably be better off massaging the skins flat and filling in the holes and making new ones. Bondo I suppose. It appears the original structure was welded to a tube that runs around the canopy. I may need to tig that, which means I'll need to drill out the rivets holding the polycarb canopy in place, fix the weld, then replace the rivets.
I think I'll change the washer on the saftey latch
Needless to say, I'll be religiously checking the engagement on the front AND back rods in the future.
Vans will be available after the weekend. Am I on the right track here? Any advice appreciated.
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