Another RV-8 cracked canopy question... .

[spatsch]

Couple of weeks ago when I walked in the hanger I had a crack at the back of my canopy (about 12 inches from the back) on my RV-8. It's about 3 inches long. That night was pretty cold so I would think that was the cause (standard Van's, standard riveted)... . I stop drilled it and fixed it using the approach shown here:

http://www.urethanesupply.com/pfxcanopy.php-1

Have been flying like that for a couple of weeks and it seems to be holding up. Now it still looks ugly though which brings me to my question.

Instead of replacing it which costs $$ and time I was considering putting a layer of fiberglass on the back portion of the canopy so it will basically extend the skirt enough to cover the fixed crack.

Did anybody ever do that?

Any concerns doing that?

Line of sight is not an issue as it's so far back that even if you turn your head you would have a hard time even looking that way... .

Thanks

Oliver

 

[brad walton]

Sorry to hear it cracked. I am sure it is disheartening because its more fun to fly than to fix.

Along the lines of your idea of covering it with epoxy, if the patch will hold, what about just painting over it. Extend the paint line from its current position on the fiberglass skirt up and over so the skirt appears to be wider in that area. Of course it would have to be symmetrical to look right. But it might involve less work than glassing it over, smoothing and painting. Just an armchair mechanics idea.

 

[spatsch]

Along the lines of your idea of covering it with epoxy, if the patch will hold, what about just painting over it. Extend the paint line from its current position on the fiberglass skirt up and over so the skirt appears to be wider in that area.

Well my thought was that the fiberglass would reduce the likelihood that the canopy would develop other cracks in that area or that the existing crack continues and as my RV isn't painted yet it's still relatively easy to do.

Oliver

 

[petersb]

Well my thought was that the fiberglass would reduce the likelihood that the canopy would develop other cracks in that area or that the existing crack continues and as my RV isn't painted yet it's still relatively easy to do.

Oliver

From what i have read on the forum this is the normal place for the RV8 to crack, next to the rear bow.

My RV7 slider cracked across the top in two places either side of the top bow, cracks at least 12 inches long. I used the same system you did and so far after one year and 150 hours its holding tight.

Peter

 

[claycookiemonster]

Tip overs too?

I'm not sure there are enough out there for a valid comparison, but does the RV-8 tip-over canopy (like the Show Planes Fastback) have the same crack issues? Is this a factor of being mated to a metal frame versus the fiberglass base of the FB? Could the shortened FB canopy (since some is cut off, replaced by the heightened turtledeck) leave less plexi to expand/contract?

Any tip-over canopy guys out there have crack issues?