RV-9A windshield overlap fiberglass fairing

I laid my first layer of epoxy/cotton flocks mixture at leading edge of the windshield and aluminum deck. My next layers will be fiberglass mat strips over the the epoxy and up the sides of the windshield and over the top.This is called a fairing lip by some builders. The sliding canopy sides under this fiberglass/ lip when in the closed position. My question arose when builder friend somebody makes a AFTER MARKET FIBERGLASS LIP. SO does anybody know who makes the fiberglass lip???? Here's my other option and that is to NOT INSTALL the fiberglass lip, but because the clearance gap between my slider canopy plastic and the windshield plastic varies ONLY .020 to .040" of a inch. With this closeness I was thinking just a rubber gasket along the underside edge of the top of the windshield. I used sikaflex to hold both canopy and windshield to there frames. No rivets, just adhesive. A friend it keeps the rain out when parking on a ramp but if you look, the slider canopy actually slopes forward toward the gap between the two edges right at the top latch area. With these variables, what are your thoughts on the subject?.??? If you have ever used the sekaflex primer it presents itself as a pretty black edge lines from the outside viewing.

Getting closer.
Thanks builders

Ron in Oregon

Ron, I have a 7 slider and did not put a fibreglass lip over the top. Same as you suggest, I have a close fit and used a D section rubber seal just under the windscreen aft edge bonded to a fillet around the rollbar hoop. It looks great, but I have no idea how effective it will be keeping the weather out as the aircraft is not yet flying.

A quick google found this aftermarket fairing:
https://www.pilotlights.net/rv-windscreen-fairing-rv6-rv7-and-rv9

Dose the lip on the windshield help hold the slider canopy down and in? kinda sketchy thinking about those little roller screws on a cantilever being the only thing keeping that slider canopy from coming off at 200 MPH and taking out the VS and rudder.......just a thought

No overhang

My thinking is the gap might need to bigger to allow for expansion on a really hot day.


Don Broussard

RV 9 Rebuild in Progress

Hi John, thanks for website,first time I have seen their work. It sure looks like project that would save time too! I'll have to call them. I'm wondering on the expansion too. I'll have to roll it out in the hot sun to check. 85-90 here is hot. Not sure about sizzling heat. At a earlier post a fella suggested a piece of sandpaper on a Popsicle stick stuck in the gap between the two (canopy & windshield) then you go back and forth in a sawing action to make the gap the same distance all around the gap. Being married I have finger nail files all around and drawers,behind books,who said my wife doesn't have precision building tools for a RV. I think the nail file is a better tool. They come in a variety of grits too!
BRET not sure about that canopy coming off. Looks to be a robust rollar assembly.
John where did you buy that D rubber gasket material.? A friend pointed out that after he installed that fiberglass lip he had to trim the underside of the canopy latch handle so it didn't hit the fiberglass lip,just a thought.

Ron in Oregon 9A

My system is quite a bit different, but perhaps some things to consider. I have a frameless carbon fiber slider, and the lip is carbon, also. The latches (one on each side) are at the bottom of the slider, not the top. If the lip were not there, or if as in my case, someone had hot latched it (oops!) you find out how much pressure there is on this. My slider deformed considerably, at liftoff speed. I feel the lip serves several purposes, and I wouldn't be comfortable without it. Just something to consider, YMMV.

Bob

Thanks Bob, Brett - good points and much appreciated.

The rollers are actually secured with 3/16" and 1/4" bolts but I can see something extra could be needed for security and to keep the frame from moving around. Some locking pins or something. The sliding section of my canopy has an added aluminium strip over the front edge where the perspex rivets to the forward hoop which aids stiffness.

Ron, I purchased the D section from a local rubber / foam supplier - it has 3M adhesive strip, and in fact has a little lip along one side that seats into the gap nicely. Like the one bottom left in this pic:

Here's the response from Van's:

"The fiberglass “targa strip” is optional and we’ve seen several airplanes without it. It is not intended to hold the canopy on. We’ve never seen extra pins used, and would not recommend doing that if it means putting holes in the roll bar."

Thanks Goose and John, yes finished the front layers. ( 5 layers) came out real nice and now the top and down the sides. Should be rather interesting. I see Vans has videos on a craftsman doing the exact process. I think it's in the 14A section.

Cheers, Ron in Oregon

Roll bar fiberglass lip delete

I'm about to paint my fuselage and I realized that my plans to delete the canopy overlap lip may have run into an issue. The delete was planned because of concerns about cracking when people lean on the lip, or thermal differential problems between the perspex and carbon fiber if you choose to use it to make the lip stronger. The Grumman Tiger (at least the one I've flown) doesn't have a lip, just a well fitting seal, so I figured that if I just made a very accurate fit and placed an neoprene seal between the two surfaces I would be ok (in addition I will use a canopy cover if parked outside). My concern is if there is a pressure differential between the inside of the canopy and the outside in flight, which we know exists as air is drawn out through this gap, there could be quite the lift force pulling the canopy up. There appears to be about 1/32" slop in the canopy tracks (i.e. the rollers are smaller than the tracks they ride in) and the flex in the rollers adds another 1/32" to 1/16" movement, allowing the canopy to potentially lift 1/16" or more. Thus my concern is that even though Van's apparently says it is ok to not have this lip, does the lack of the lip result in the canopy pulling up into the airstream. Does anyone without the lip have any experience with this?
Thanks.
Tom.