Slider vs. tip up

[Mel]

I don't get water in mine while tied down. You must wipe off the water before opening. That's when it will run in.
When I park outside overnight, I always use a canopy cover.
And like Larry says, a little electrical tape will work fine.

[Neal@F14]

The glider supply websites (e.g. http://www.wingsandwheels.com/page28.htm) sell wider vinyl tape (1" and wider) for gap seals that might work better than regular electrical tape for sealing the canopy seam while parked.

A buddy of mine even used this tape for gap seals on his Glasair and it sticks pretty good.

I used some of this wider white vinyl tape on my friends RV-8 front baggage door to keep the rain out when I flew it up to Oshkosh during the "Sloshkosh" rainy year.

[Ironflight]

Originally Posted by FORANE

..... intended use will be all weather IFR with ice as about the only exception.

I'd respectfully suggest that you might want to stay out of significant convective activity as well....

Oh, when it comes to sealing it on the ground, Home Depot sells a 2" vinyl "bundling tape" in the electrical department - big rolls, cheap, and very good at creating a seal. Our -6 is a very early model with the exposed hinges, and once we learned the tape trick, it has stayed quite dry through years of coastal thunderstorms - tied down safely on the ground, of course.

[grayforge]

Slider, because it has the classic WWII Fighter feel.

Plus, like others said, you can add a tip up mechanism for accessibility.

[N64GH]

After seeing a few pictures of some upside down RV's I went with the slider for safety. I know one guy that built a tip up and unfortunately at one point ended up upside down. When he rebuilt it was a slider. Obviously no one plans on having the shiny side down and the dirty side up but "S" happens and I prefer a little less view (which is better than the majority of planes out there any way) for more safety.

I have seen a few pictures of birds through the windscreen. It is probably more subjective than fact but it appears the slider wind screen holds up slightly better. Still a mess but there looked a little wind screen left.

Probably because of my job and seeing a lot of messed up folks but the short answer is Slider for a little more safety (perceived or real).

As far as cooling goes. I am not sure on that. Went flying yesterday in SoCal slider open (on the ground that is) and it was HOT. These little guys are fish bowls no matter how you open them.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by N64GH

After seeing a few pictures of some upside down RV's I went with the slider for safety. I know one guy that built a tip up and unfortunately at one point ended up upside down. When he rebuilt it was a slider. Obviously no one plans on having the shiny side down and the dirty side up but "S" happens and I prefer a little less view (which is better than the majority of planes out there any way) for more safety.

Don't get lulled into any delusions that the slider can be opened when the aircraft is inverted on the ground. Neither canopy will move when the aircraft is on its back, as the canopy will be hard against the ground with the weight of the aircraft on it. Your only way out is to smash the canopy.

[N64GH]

Originally Posted by Snowflake

Don't get lulled into any delusions that the slider can be opened when the aircraft is inverted on the ground. Neither canopy will move when the aircraft is on its back, as the canopy will be hard against the ground with the weight of the aircraft on it. Your only way out is to smash the canopy.

No illusion that you can get the slider open. However the roll bar in front and the bulkhead behind may (not saying it will) have a higher probability of providing space so you can self extricate and or give you space to survive so others can get you out. The tip up with no roll bar will probably collapse completely to the instrument panel in which case you are completely dependent on someone from the outside digging you out (most likely). I talked personally to a pilot that this happened to. He flipped his tip up. After things stopped moving he was (and pax I believe) relatively OK but could not self extricate. When he rebuilt it was a slider.

Hay they are both great. They both have pros and cons. The question was which one did you choose and why. Not saying my choice was better. Just saying my choice was "slider for safety".

[sprucemoose]

Originally Posted by N64GH

Not saying my choice was better. Just saying my choice was "slider for safety".

Mike,

As the saying goes, "I ain't sayin', I'm just sayin'." You clearly feel that the slider is somehow "safer" when there is really no objective evidence of that. Since others will read this thread now and in the future when making this decision for themselves, I think it is important to correct the record. The tip-up does have a roll bar, a very beefy one, right behind the pilot/ pax's head, and this roll bar stands up as well during roll-overs as does the slider. In the event one has to chip ones way out, there is less metal in the way in a tip-up.

The tip-up has greater visibility making it easier to spot traffic, which clearly gives it the safety advantage there.

The choice is very much a personal one and both are great, but anyone making a decision should do so based on facts, and "slider is safer" is not objectively true.

PS- that's why we call these never ending debates. Fire away!

[Sam Buchanan]

Originally Posted by N64GH

No illusion that you can get the slider open. However the roll bar in front and the bulkhead behind may (not saying it will) have a higher probability of providing space so you can self extricate and or give you space to survive so others can get you out. The tip up with no roll bar will probably collapse completely to the instrument panel

The tipup has a substantial rollbar immediately behind the occupants' heads.

The slider has no aft bulkhead, only the rollbar at the windshield. Both models have a bulkhead where the turtledeck begins.

There are esthetic reasons to prefer one type of canopy over the other, but in my opinion a case can't be made (based on actual field history) that one is easier to egress from than the other. It's a bad deal either way, and escape is primarily dependent on soil type, athleticism of the occupants, and extent of injuries.

[BillL]

and look at the fitting in detail of the two options. I am building a tipper, and after considerable wrestling with a precision fit, I remain unsure that it is going to turn out as wanted. Admittedly, this is my first build and don't have experience with sliders.

Also, talk to Jay Pratt (RV Central) or others that have multiple builds to get their experience on final precision of the fit of tippers vs sliders.

All the other differences are posted here. . somewhere. Happy decision making, there are thousands to go! Fun and education!