[SeanB]

Well, crud! Was being very careful not to open the canopy while fitting the upper forward skin. Spent several hours making a gap between the skins. Decided to open in up a little extra (nearly 1/8”). Looked good and decided to open the canopy. Still got pinched, then bent. Grrrrr! What do I do now? I’ll relieve the bend, then is fiberglass to make it look better. Open that gap even more? What’s the trick? Thanks.

 

[rockwoodrv9]

Sean,
I made the mistake of opening my canopy when the foreskin was still clecoed on and bent the canopy skin. I ended up taking the front piece off and making a new one and then making a fiberglass shield to go over the repair. I have a bunch of pictures so let me know if you want to see them and I can email them to you. I was really freaked out at first, but it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be.

 

[bjdecker]

1/8” is more than enough. The “trick” is to ensure the canopy front skin and the cowling skin are at the same height; lay a straight edge across the gap in several places. I needed a shim of .056” between the skin and frame in the middle, diminishing to .016” at the sides outboard of the hinge “ears”.

 

[SeanB]

Thanks Rock and Brian. Good info from you both.