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RV-8 canopy skirts...

n2prise

n2prise

Well Known Member
I am coaching an RV-8 builder on his project. The canopy skirt on the RV-8 is completely different from my RV-9A slider. I looked over the prints and the instructions and cannot find a reference to the two sides overlapping at the back or NOT. What have you guys done who have been there, done that?

Paul Dye: What did you do?

Anybody else? Jay Pratt?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Jerry K. Thorne
RV-9A - - N2PZ
 
skirt overlap

Hi Jerry,

This is what I did:

There is excess material all around on the parts when they come out of the mold. After I got the top and bottom trimmed close (1/4" extra) and mounted to the frame/canopy, I trimmed the ends so the butt joint was centered over the rail. I cut a piece of aluminum about an inch wide and clamped in place on the underside spanning the joint. Drilled for 3/32 clecos, three on each side. Next I ground about half the skirt away on the top. Cleco the aluminum back in place and glass the top with two or three layers. Once it cures remove the skirt, remove the aluminum strip and glass the inside. Makes a nice strong joint.

John Barker
N819WB
Getting ready to SikaFlex my skirt...
 
I Started up Front...

My skirts fit very well, after I figured them out - a lot of folks have had to do a lot of cutting and re-work, but I think Van finally figured the dang things out by the time I got mine. I fit from the front to the back, and didn't worry about the overlap until I got all the way back there. Basically, drill and cleco as you you move aft. Make sure that you pull the skirt "up" on the canopy if you are getting a poor (loose) fit against the fuselage. When you get to the very back, arbitrarily decide which skirt to cut off on the centerline. Cut it off, and finish fitting it to fuse/canopy. Then finish fitting the overlapping one, and cut it off on the centerline as well. Don't worry if they don't match - you're going to glass them together, and glass covers all sins!

Remove them, cover the canopy with plastic and vinyl tape, make a temporary aluminum splice plate to join the two sides of the skirt in back, and drill for clecos. Mix up the epoxy and fasten them together. After that cures, remove the splice plate and cover the joint with some glass cloth and epoxy and then finish with all the usual goop.

At least that's how I did it....

Paul
 
Thanks!

We were coming to that conclusion as well. The same metal tab inside under the butt ends of the skirts, the glass layers, etc. Thanks for the tip about the fuselage fit and the position of the skirt on the frame, Paul.

John, Sikaflex is what was used to put the canopy on the frame. Wendell wants to use it on the canopy skirts as well. We have drilled just a few holes in the frame and clecoed the two skirts in place to hold them when it is time to put them on with the adhesive.

Jerry K. Thorne
East Ridge, TN
 
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sika flex on the skirt

That's what I did. I used just a few holes to hold the canopy to the frame while I applied the Sika Flex and used those same holes to hold the skirt. Tape the lower edge to the fuse and use Sika Flex to attach to the frame and canopy.

Oh, one last tip; Make sure you remove your masking tape within 10 minutes of applying the Sika Flex. If you wait longer than that it skins over and then when you pull the tape off it pulls the skin with it and makes a BIG mess. Very hard to clean up AND it ruins the nice fillet you created with your soapy finger. If you let the Sika dry you won't be able to get you tape off.

Best of luck,

John
 
Sika on the canopy and skirt

Greetings
I used Sika-flex on the canopy and skirt with no problems and it is bulletproof at 150 hrs in all weather extremes. I drilled the canopy per Vans plans but used spacers and Sika instead of pop-rivets. When I attached the skirt, I pumped the Sika into the holes instead of rivets - through the skirt, canopy and into the frame. No cracks, no leaks and no problems. I am very happy with the results and feel my canopy is safe from cracks in all the weather extremes I fly into.
My opinion only.

Bruce "FM" Edwards
Rv-8, flying, 150 hrs
 
Josh

Yes they are standard Grove legs with paint. I got tired of fiberglass!
no regrets, and I do like the gear.

Thanks for the nice write up Jerry
 
rv8guy said:
Josh

Yes they are standard Grove legs with paint. I got tired of fiberglass!
no regrets, and I do like the gear.

Thanks for the nice write up Jerry
Click to expand...

They are not the airfoiled legs? but you don't have fairings on them? I really like the standard Grove legs because they are LIGHT!!! But unless you want to buck the trend, as it seems you have, you either put the standard ones on and get the most weight benefit, or you put the still lighter than factory airfoiled legs on and get to do away with the fairings.

Sorry I didn't reconize that you were in the thread or I'd have asked you personally about your plane. I love the paint scheme. I'm thinking if I ever start building my dream -8 I'd love a scheme like that. I'm also thinking anbout polishing the vast majority of the plane with partial paint. (in a military scheme like yours)

Josh
 
Hey, I wasn't in the thread until you asked--no problem.

Yup, I bucked the trend, and it seems fine, but I will probably never know. I did talk to a guy at Sun-N-Fun a few years back that had the standard with no fairings, that had taken the fairings off, and was really happy, but no numbers.

I really did just get tired of messing with it, but I really like the way it looks now, and probably will leave it that way.

What I do know, is that with those gear, a whirlwind 151, and a small battery on the firewall, I can three point and more solo all day long. If I go past 245 in the back seat, however, I have to put weight up front.

My need for the ?? speed I am missing, just isn't there
 
Marshall,

I had to go back and look again. I do believe I like the looks of those gear better than the stock fairings as well. They look just as good as the airfoiled ones to me. (and cheaper) And they are the lightest of the lot. How much of a speed penality are we talking about by not having airfoils on the gear legs, really....:confused: I think that the weight savings more than outweighs the speed penality up to a certain point. And the more I think about building an -8, the more I think about how light I can make it.

On that note, Is your prop a C/S or fixed? I'm prone to go with Hartzell because, well.... it's Hartzell. But they are HEAVY. Haven't really compared props that much. I mean after all, I just ordered my preview plans last night... :)

Opinions????
 
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That is a Whirlwind-151 CS, working great with good support from the factory on recent events. Great takeoff and landing options with the constant speed

I really have no way to estimate the speed loss, but I did pick up 5-7 kts when I put the upper fairings and wheel Pants on, so I think I got most of the speed, but certainly, not all. The front of those gear are nicely roundeded, but so is the aft edge.

I need new weight and balance since paint, but my empty weight prior was 1062, which is pretty good with all the stuff I have in there.
 
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