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canopy rear lifting inflt

E

edwclg

I'm New Here
I have been trying to find posts on canopy problems, specifically lifting in flight.
Mine lifts at the very rear propotional to speed. That is the faster I go the greater it rises to about 3/8 of an inch opening, bringing in lots of cold air.

Any and all suggestions as to a fix is appreciated.

I would like to latch it some how back there but have no good ideas yet.
Thanks
Ed Clegg
N542E
 
canopy lifting

I have been flying an 8a for a year now and the canopy does not lift at all check your latching and be sure the pin seats in the plastic block that is what stops it lifting. post pics.

cyril
 
My canopy behaves the same

The canopy on my RV-8 behaves the same as yours; it lifts during flight, the amount depending upon airspeed. My canopy fits tight on the ground, but there is substantial lift generated by the shape of the canopy. Cold air leaks in through the crack at the back of the canopy and blows on the back of the neck of both passenger and pilot. When flying in heavy rain, I have actually gotten wet on the back of my neck and head. I solved the problem by installing some self-adhesive rubber moulding that I purchased from Lowes Hardware. The moulding is about 3/8" thick and I mounted about a 15 inch strip to the canopy skirt on either side of the rear canopy track. as well as some in the notch above the track itself. This solution has worked well and made it much more comfortable in my 8. The moulding strip that I used is shaped like two letter P's connected together. I cut it in half and used only half of the strip, shaped like the letter P on its back, mounted to the lower surface of the skirt. I believe that the product that I used is Lowes: ThermalBlend All-Climate Silicone and EPDM Thermalblend® Weatherstrip Item #: 161695, Model: 43848. Hope that this helps.

Dan
RV-8 530+ hours
 
Last edited:
Almost everyone has their own method of trying to stop air from coming in the back of the -8 canopy in flight - I have several of the usual mods, and yes, you still get some rain on the back of the neck if the weather is ugly. Have your passenger stuff a towel back behind their head if you have one (a passenger - every good traveler should always know where his towel is...). If you're solo, raise your jacket collar! ;)

Seriously though - if your canopy FRAME is lifting in flight, then you need to check what';s loose - that should be locked in tight by the pin in the block. If it's the skirt, well....see the above posts and ideas.....

Paul
 
I sealed the back edge of my -9 with common vinyl upholstery material and it works very well. I glued it to the slider top, all except the back 1/2" or so of the vinyl isn't stuck down. As air tries to come in, it gets between the vinyl and the slider, pressing it down on the rear deck. It makes a perfect pressure seal, regardless of the distance. It is thin, so it doesn't raise the canopy or make it hard to close.

I also did something I doubt if you could do, but it works on the side by sides. I put two latches in at the lower corners or the front of the slider, rather than one at the top. They tend to pull the rear down as they are latched. That minimizes canopy lift in the rear.

Bob Kelly
 
cdmiller said:
The canopy on my RV-8 behaves the same as yours; it lifts during flight, the amount depending upon airspeed. My canopy fits tight on the ground, but there is substantial lift generated by the shape of the canopy. Cold air leaks in through the crack at the back of the canopy and blows on the back of the neck of both passenger and pilot. When flying in heavy rain, I have actually gotten wet on the back of my neck and head. I solved the problem by installing some self-adhesive rubber moulding that I purchased from Lowes Hardware. The moulding is about 3/8" thick and I mounted about a 15 inch strip to the canopy skirt on either side of the rear canopy track. as well as some in the notch above the track itself. This solution has worked well and made it much more comfortable in my 8. The moulding strip that I used is shaped like two letter P's connected together. I cut it in half and used only half of the strip, shaped like the letter P on its back, mounted to the lower surface of the skirt. I believe that the product that I used is Lowes: ThermalBlend All-Climate Silicone and EPDM Thermalblend® Weatherstrip Item #: 161695, Model: 43848. Hope that this helps.

Dan
RV-8 530+ hours
Click to expand...
If you have some pictures would you send a couple to?
Thanks.
Ed Clegg
N542E
[email protected]
 
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