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Canopy film sun-shade

born2fly

Active Member
Just an FYI for everyone:

I've had Gila static-cling film on the inside of my canopy for about 2 months now, with very good results. I did have to cut 6" V-slices in it for the compound-curved section, it's not quite flexible enough to fit smoothly in that area. But it installed well, stays in place, and looks and works very well. I used the "black privacy" style, which you can see through but is a very good sun block. Advantages:
- no adhesive, no apparent effect on the canopy
- specified to work with plexiglas
- as effective as my Kroger shade, but takes zero space/weight
- don't have to try to move it back and forth like the Kroger
- see-through even at night
- windy taxiing does not loosen it
- costs about $40 for a full-canopy-length installation
- easily removable (although I'm not sure how easy to re-install)
I haven't yet tried it in the brutal heat of mid-summer low-altitude flying, but I think it will equal the effectiveness of the Kroger. Here's where I got it, but there are other sources as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Privacy...ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1244759270&sr=1-5

I also bought some Gila static-cling reflective/mirrored stuff, but it does NOT look like the black-privacy super-flexible, and I don't think it will install as well; haven't tried to use it yet.

G.
 
Pictures of the film installed

Great report for those of s too cheap for the Kruger shade. For awhile, I have been interested in trying something like this and would love to see how you did it. I don't know how much of the canopy to cover..about as much as the K. shade?

I was interested in the stuff in the auto section of Walmart because it was even cheaper!;). Anyone use it?
Cleve
 
Beware of Canopy Heat Damage

I just got these photos yesterday. This was a Citation parked on the ramp all day somewhere in Texas. Apparently they had applied some kind of tinting shield on the inside which absorbed the sun's heat and melted the inside windshield. Wow. I have used the static cling heat shields before and I made a mental note to be sure and use my canopy cover if I'm ever parked outside with the heat shield material on the inside of the canopy. Hope this prevents a disaster someday!

WindshieldDamage4.jpg


WindshieldDamage1.jpg
 
more info

There are a LOT of products out there that are designed only for glass windows. The Gila product that I used is specifically okay'ed for use on plexiglas windows. That said, I'll use my canopy cover in any kind of warm weather for a stay longer than a half hour.

The Gila instructions say to install only on flat surfaces. In fact, the film is somewhat flexible, and I had no problem on the rear section of my canopy. On the front, however, I had some buckling, so I cut long slits every 6" or so, and allowed the material to overlap slightly. It's not a perfect fit, but the cut placement is uniform and the result - while slightly visually imperfect - is functionally very satisfactory to me.

I had some issues with the Kroger - - firstly, I was very dissapointed that it did not cover the rear section of the canopy. I installed it and used it for a week and found that the rear section would heat up like an oven, making the front of the cockpit very uncomfortable. I finally bought a SECOND Kroger, and modified it so that it would work as an extension to the first one, covering the entire cockpit.

This made a HUGE difference, and I flew the airplane for more than a year this way. But there were other, more minor gripes. The velcro attachment kept peeling off the canopy frame. The left side of the Kroger caught on my headset. I couldn't see through the Kroger, and it was always a bit of trouble to slide back and forth (just the front portion) because the slides were kind of catchy. And if I did want to see through it, but it was a hot day, well too bad.

I looked for months for a plastic-friendly film or spray or something, no luck until I found the Gila stuff. It imparts a very slight blurriness to things looked at through it - not good for small details. But it's great for cloud-dancing, spotting aircraft and land features, watching traffic in the pattern, etc.

Hope that helps,

G.
 
Anyone have any long term experience with the Gila static cling film that they can share? In thinking that the heat reflective 20% might be the shot. I was about to install a Kroger sun shade but didn't want to sacrifice head space.
Cheers.
Tom.
 
Thread drift alternative

Go to a Lowe?s/Menard/ Home Depot and get the bubble foil insulation. Go to Hobby Lobby and get suction cups. Cut the foil to shape you like and hold it in place with the suction cups. THEN, remove for winter and enjoy !
 
I currently use static cling shades from autozone on the top portion of canopy. I can see through them but not as well as I'd like.

Recently started looking for a static cling film that blocks all of the UVA and UVB wavelengths, even if only partially. Have yet to find a preferred solution.

How well does this product block UV?
 
This guy seems pretty happy with it after 7 years of use in aircraft.

http://csobeech.com/windowtint.html

Pity I can't find any of the 35% VLT. It's still listed on the manufacturers website, however every distributer I check says it's out of stock. I think the 20% may just be too dark, considering our canopies already have a 76% VLT tint, at least according to posts I've found on the forum.

Tom.
 
"99% UV blocking". Yes, 99%. But of which wavelengths?

UVB ranges from about 280-320nm.
UVA from from 320-400nm.

I've found one that blocks 99% of 300-400nm.
That covers UVA, but not all of UVB.

Maybe I'm being picky, but is that the best one can expect?
 
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