Canopy Frame Alignment

[jte65]

Question for those who have finished their canopy work. I installed the frame yesterday and centered it and clamped it to the roll bar with the spacer blocks just as instructed. The bars that sit on the fuselage canopy deck (the long, square ones) do not align perfectly with the fuselage canopy deck. In some places, they overhang by as much as 1/32" and in others, they are up to 3/32" from the edge. The instructions don't say anything about needing to bend these to achieve perfect alignment and I am not sure how I would do so anyway given it is all welded together and these are pretty strong pieces of aluminum. Did anyone else encounter this and is it an issue or is there enough overhang once the plexiglas and aluminum side sheets are installed that this variation will not matter?

Also, for the round crossbar that the instructions do instruct you to check (for consistent clearance with the panel), how did others bend this? Mine is out about 3/32 more on the right than the left. I tried bending with my hands but was unsuccessful.

Thanks!

 

[Mark Henderson]

I have not totally finished the canopy, but I can tell you that you need to straighten them. If you read ahead, you will see that the canopy skirts fit outside the main skins, and overhang by 1/8". If your canopy frame does not extend to the edge of the skins, and perhaps as much as 1/32-1/16 past, the skirt will not clear the fuselage. I had trouble with this during a test fit. The canopy wouldn't close. It is easy to bend the tubing. Have a helper pull on one side while you do the same on the other. You can fine tune where it bends by where you hold it to pull.

A bigger issue I had was the fit of the canopy frame to the decks. Mine never fit flush on the deck. It sat proud by 3/32". I was told by Van's not to worry about it. I wish I had bent the frame downward so that it started off in the correct position. If it isn't flat on the deck, the skirt will not fit correct. and you will do more trimming on the canopy.

 

[jte65]

Skirt Overhang

Thanks Mark. I knew those skirts hung down over the main fuselage skins so that was my fear. I thought perhaps the thickness of the plexi would move them out enough to clear but it sounds like it will not. I tried bending them yesterday but was doing so without help. Sounds like I need another set of hands for this one!