tip up canopy forward fairing

[OneCharlieKilo]

I drilled my tip up canopy to the canopy frame and thought I had a fair fit up front prior to drilling. But now that it's cleco'd in place, I ended up with well over the 3/8 inch gap that the manual says is "ok" to take care of with epoxy filler while building the forward canopy fairing. I've got a pretty long stretch across the front where I've got a 5/8 to 3/4 inch gap to fill when making my fairing for the front of the canopy.
Could fabricate a 0.63 hold-down angle or two and rivet in place at front of canopy as I've seen suggested in the past - might cut my gap to 3/8 or 1/2 inch. Then would have to cover the angle with the fairing later.

How big a gap have the rest of you had to cover? Anybody covered a gap that big and got it to come out looking alright?

I can't see going backwards on the canopy at this point so intend to make the fairing as best I can with what I've got, but any advice is appreciated!

Thanks,
Chris Hand
RV-6A, N731CK (reserved)

[scard]

Bummer. My gap (intentional) was about 1/16 or so before fairing. A 3/4" gap is pretty big, but you already knew that . I think you can pull it off though. You'll just have a little more fairing than most. No big deal. Scuff well and make it a strong layup.

[az_gila]

Chris,
I think happened to several others.... it certainly happened on mine - though perhaps 1/2 inch.
The fix is relatively simple... rivet a small bent piece of 0.032 or 0.025 to the glareshield on the inside of the canopy and use a #6 screw and platenut to pull in the center of the canopy. I think you will find very little force is required.
I used a metal trim strip, so I just dimpled that and drilled an oversized hole for the screw.
If you glass it, you will need a temporary method of holding the canopy against the bent bracket while you glass the trim.... perhaps a nylon screw that you could simply drill out after the fibreglass sets??

Though if you are glassing, the bracket could be on the outside, and you could just glass right over it.... if you can keep the bracket much lower that the height of the glass up the canopy...

gil in Tucson

[hevansrv7a]

I have the same problem at the forward end of the TU plexiglass because when I pull in the sides to put them inside the aluminum sandwich, that puckers the whole thing upward in front. Van's said it was ok even if you could get your finger under it. Their criteria are (paraphrased from memory)
1. reasonable structurally
2. reasonable aerodynamically.
I think the earlier posts are essentially correct: use the clips and the cloth layup, fillet it and go flying. That's what I'll be doing (the work part) in the next week or two.

[Finley Atherton]

Not quite sure from your post if you have riveted the canopy skin to the frame yet. Just about every time the next stage in the construction of the tip up canopy is completed the structure usually changes shape a little. It may be an idea to wait till you rivet the skin to the frame and then see what sort of a gap you have.
Fin
9A Australia

[OneCharlieKilo]

Yes, canopy front skin is already riveted so shape is what it is.
I made two small angles from .063 sheet and drilled those to the skin at the front of the canopy, one each side of centerline. That has reduced the gap to the 3/8 inch or less that the manual says is easily bridged with filler before laying up the fairing. The hold down clips should be easily covered with the fiberglass fairing once I lay it up, so I think this will look and work fine.
I'll try to get a digital pic to post so the description makes sense.

The canopy is done with the exception of the fairing and seems to fit ok as is - and most importantly, no cracks (yet)!

Chris Hand
RV-6A tip-up, #23559

[Norman CYYJ]

When you mix up your filler put black dye in it. Otherwise you will see white filler on the inside. This will cause it to blend in better and nobody but you will know how much filler was used.

Norman RV-6, RV-7, RV-7, F1 Rocket, RV9a