Canopy Supports and Struts...

[idleup]

I am at the stage now ready to cut the plexi. I was reading ahead and do not see any instructions on when to install the canopy frame stiffners or the struts for the canopy. Am I just missing where it is at or is it really not there?

I am just concerned about what else there is left to do that also is not in the instructions, those were just two items that I happened to think about and now I am wondering what else there is that needs to be done that is not in the instructions. Up to this point I have been pretty diligent working point by point in a methodical approach to make sure nothing gets missed...

- Matt

[idleup]

Can someone answer me about the canopy frame stiffners and the support struts? not sure if I should do it before or after fitting the canopy bubble... also, where are the instructions for the stiffners and the struts?

- Matt

[gasman]

Originally Posted by idleup

Can someone answer me about the canopy frame stiffners and the support struts? not sure if I should do it before or after fitting the canopy bubble... also, where are the instructions for the stiffners and the struts?

- Matt

Install the struts and the stiffners before fitting the canopy. Do it even before you rivet the side rails on. It is easy then because you are just working with the weldment hinge and skin.
Instructions are with the struts and the stiffners as sent fron vans.

Remember to remove the strute before fitting the canopy....

Good luck....... have fun

Wait................ You can fit the canopy any time you are ready. Just don't secure it to the frame till you are done with the other steps........

Warren

[idleup]

Thanks Warren, this is never mentioned in the instructions. The struts and supports came standard in my kit but I cannot find the instructions. I will keep looking...

- M att

[gasman]

Originally Posted by idleup

Thanks Warren, this is never mentioned in the instructions. The struts and supports came standard in my kit but I cannot find the instructions. I will keep looking...

- M att

[Gsuit]

Matt,

I'm sure you've read on this forum all the "gotchas" about how the struts move and shift the frame so that the forward canopy skin wants to grab the forward top-deck skin... just watch out there when you open it, so it doesn't reward you with a loud "SNAP" and bend your fwd edge. Also, the fit of the canopy frame to the fuselage will change a bit, and most builders it seems, end up chasing their tail trying to get the gaps to line up. As one builder told me, "Nothing's final 'til you rivet on the forward top skin."

As for the alternate location of the struts - I saw this at on a -7 once and liked how clean it looked. You basically install the canopy frame end per instructions, but instead of making the "dog house" piece for the fuselage end, you drill and mount it right into the canopy side decks. I even used the 1/8" spacer behind the decks to spread the twisting load along the deck. Works great! No twisting, bulging, or distortion of any sort, and the strut does not contact the deck when the canopy is closed (it's close... but absolutely doesn't touch).