[Rick6a]

After drilling and clecoing the canopy skirts to the frame, the sides of the skirts fit along the fuselage sides just fine, but as you can see, an unacceptable gap exists at the rear. As a note, both the left and right side skirts have a substantial "wrap around" at the rear and as it happens, the left skirt in the photo conforms to the plexiglas better than the right side skirt.

I've seen many RV-8's with a less than perfectly conforming skirt at the rear. On the other hand, I've seen one or two with a perfect fit back there, the aftmost portion of the skirt even notched to accomodate the track.

What is the best way to fix this condition? Should I slit the skirt in multiple areas in an attempt to get the skirt to rest against the fuselage and then lay in a layer or two of cloth? If so, what type of cloth? A builders link with photos would be helpful. Advice please.

 

[rv8bldr]

Hey Rick,

That looks like one of the old single piece skirts. The new ones come in two pieces. I would split it right at the aft end and make it fit. That is what I had to do.

Cheers

 

[Ironflight]

Rick,

My first glance at the picture was the same as Mark's - it looked like th one piece, but then I looked closer and realized it just has the long overlap. When I did mine, I didn't have as large a gap as you have, but I did have one. I originally installed and rilled it so that the little "break" (where it goes from the canopy line to the fuselage line) was right at the base of the canopy. That gave me a gap at the fuselage. I puzzled over it for a few days and read about people cutting slits and glassing many times. Horrified me!

I then pulled my clecoes and asked myself "OK, so what would it take to fit tighter to the fuselage?" I pulled the back end "up" the canopy, and that sucked the skirt in to the fuselage very nicely. It actually took very little movement to make that happen. I glassed over my previous holes and redrilled this way. A little bit of trimming up at the top (where it meets the canopy), and then some surface glass to blend the lines, and it was done. I never had to cut a single slit in the skirt, and mine fits pretty nice.

When it's done, you'll want some felt on the inside where it meets the fuselage, or it will make a heck of a racket and wear out your paint!

This is a very hard thing to describe in writing - if you want to chat about it, PM me for my cell phone number, and I'd be glad to answer any questions.

Paul

 

[Rick6a]

Hey Rick,

That looks like one of the old single piece skirts. The new ones come in two pieces. I would split it right at the aft end and make it fit. That is what I had to do.

Cheers

Mark,

It IS the left side of a two piece skirt. And my question remains: HOW do I make it fit?

 

[N282RV]

Question:

Did you bend the back of the canopy frame down to get it closer to the turtle deck? It looks to me as though your frame for the canopy may be really high back there.
Once I got mine close to a good fit I mold released my aft deck and layed in Micro and epoxy to build it up for a nice tight fit. I realize you need to get it closer before you do that but that is the reason for my first ?. Unfortunately if it is the frame that is really high it looks like you have done the hard/scary work on the canopy and may be stuck with what you have, and then we will have to get creative.

 

[Rick6a]

..... what would it take to fit tighter to the fuselage?" I pulled the back end "up" the canopy, and that sucked the skirt in to the fuselage very nicely. It actually took very little movement to make that happen......

Paul,

I hear what you are saying and using tape, I positioned and repositioned each skirt many times in an effort to get "the big picture" and seek the best possible overall fit before I finally committed to drilling the holes through them. This was a situation that required compromise. That said, I'm sure I'll have to 'glass the thing but surely there must be some tricks of the trade by those who are far better versed in the ways of fiberglass than I am.

Thanks for the tip about using felt later on.....great idea.

Question:

Did you bend the back of the canopy frame down to get it closer to the turtle deck? It looks to me as though your frame for the canopy may be really high back there.

The DWG calls out a minimum and maximum height of the frame at the turtledeck. I arbitrarily bent the frame to meet the maximum value and in hindsight no doubt contributes to the gap. You are right...I'll have to get creative now!

 

[Ironflight]

I bet Jeremy hit the nail on the head - the fit issue probably goes back to the canopy frame, and of course, that affected how you trimmed the canopy......

Yup, you're going to have to get creative!

Paul

 

[captn kirk]

Heat gun

Get a commercial grade heat gun(elec hot air) and heat the fiberglass and reshape to fit be careful not to burn the fairing and do not get heat on the canopy as it will reform as well

 

[rv8ch]

skirt

I tried the heat gun method for days and weeks, and I could never get it good enough. I finally bit the bullet and cut a lot of the rear skirt away, and just reformed it with fiberglass. It was so much faster and easier. I could have done it 5 times with the amount of time I spent on the heat gun.

Mine's not quite finished, and it won't be an award winner, but I'm really happy with it. I've taken a bunch of pictures, but they didn't seem to make it up to my website (yet).

Here's a useful hint from Scott B. and Dane P. that I copied onto my website:

http://www.rv8.ch/article.php?story=20040405211106947

When working on this, just keep saying to yourself "impatience is the enemy..."

 

[Rick6a]

I tried the heat gun method for days and weeks, and I could never get it good enough. I finally bit the bullet and cut a lot of the rear skirt away, and just reformed it with fiberglass. It was so much faster and easier. I could have done it 5 times with the amount of time I spent on the heat gun.

Thanks Mickey,

My past experience with a heat gun mirrors yours. The heat gun method only works with subtle or minor kinks. This was a major gap. So, short of applicable advice after I posted the query, I followed my own instincts and using a Dremel-like tool, cut a slit below and along the rivet line. The skirt relaxed onto the fuselage. I then applied epoxy and flox (I originally described the mixture as "liquid shim" in a past thread)
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=6750
along the gap generated by the slit and when it set up, layed in a layer of cloth. When I got up this morning, I removed the peel ply and this is how it looks for now. I have a lot of trimming and sanding to do but what the heck...its all good.

 

[Ironflight]

Great solution Rick!

One slit, get a good fit, and then build up epoxy to make it look good. It does look like if the canopy frame was lower, you would have had a better fit, but I don't know how many times during the build I realized that if I'd only done something a little different six steps back, I wouldn't be puzzling over something now.....

I guess that's why there are repeat offenders! (Of course, that only helps if you build the same model twice.. )

Paul