[Steve Sampson]

Is this a common problem?

When the canopy opens, the front right hand canopy skin (on mine) catches on the fuselage. Its the area just in front of where the hinge ends, where the cockpit rail changes angle in both the horizontal and vertical plane. I have been gently shaving it, but worry that if I take this approach any further it will mean the canopy skin no longer overlaps the fuse skin.

It seems to me because of the angle change this is bound to happen since the skin passes through the hinge axis. Is there a trick to solving this in a -4 or am I missing something?

In this picture it is catching towards the rear of the piece of masking tape at the centre of the picture.

Advice please! Steve.

PS And yes, there is now at least one -4 with a glued canopy.

 

[rocketbob]

Cut a notch in the strip that goes between the boot cowl skin and the instrument panel so that the canopy frame skin clears it as it swings in. Its very common on the RV-4's to see this done.

Regards,
Bob Japundza
RV-6 flying F1 under const.

 

[garnt.piper]

Canopy Skin

Hi Steve,

My canopy skirt/skin has ~1/16" clearance on the cockpit side at this location, it doesn't lap the fuse at all. I sealed around the canopy where needed with 3M foam tape ~1/2" thick. It squashes down to seal in this area, all along the LHS, and where the aft canopy skirt closes on the rear fuse.


Grant

 

[Steve Sampson]

Grant/Bob - thanks for your inputs. Sort of confirmed what I thought but needed a confidence boost before I continued cutting! Cheers!

 

[Brian Vickers]

After seeing others I did this..... (photos)

Right or wrong? I don't know.... Works very well

Sincerely,
Brian Vickers, RV4

 

[Brian Vickers]

Missing photo from previous post

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missing photo from Brian Vickers, see previous post

 

[Steve Sampson]

Brian, those pictures were particularly helpful. Thanks.

On a different subject did you ever get resolution to the VS offset issue? You were hoping to get a more definative answer than the suggestion of .25 you had.

Cheers.

 

[Brian Vickers]

Offset

RE: VS offset.... Back when I was calling Van's most of the crew was at Sun & Fun in Florida, and then another EAA event. The RV4 guy they wanted me to talk with was out of the office. I never did get to speak with anyone and then got busy with other stuff. Thanks for reminding me. I will pick it up next week during Van's builder assistance phone hours. Too late today. An offset of .25" seems like a worthy deviation or mod. from published design. I will probably do it when the time comes.

Sincerely, Brian V.