Pmoran
Member
I went to the hangar yesterday to take the RV-6A out after a cold winter's rest. After an extensive preflight, I pulled it out of the hangar and climbed in and started it up. As I was getting everything set up and slowly continuing through the checklist, I glanced up and notice a small crack in the windshield that I hadn't noticed before. I almost had a breakdown right then and there. The crack is about two (2) inches and it runs from the top left-center down and it is not noticeable while seated unless you intentionally search for it.
It just so happened that I ran into another RV owner on the airport that night that also experienced a crack in his canopy this cold winter; so I knew I wasn't the first person to experience the bad luck. Thankfully this website provides so much with regards to resources and information that the small donation requested is well worth the investment. I spent a lot of time researching to see if others may have experienced something similar and I wasn't disappointed.
I found a thread from 2014 from Gerry Julian who had a very similar experience. He drilled through his windshield with a 1/16 bit to stop the crack from continuing. Others suggested that one should use a drill bit exclusively for acrylic, however I could only locate a 1/8" bit from a local shop that develops plastic products. The person at the shop suggested that a 1/16 bit won’t grab enough to make a difference at that size.
My questions are: Should I use the 1/8 bit designed for this type of surface? This will create a little larger hole. Will the larger hole be significant enough to notice? Regardless of the size of the bit/hole, will this create a lot of noise and allow cold air to enter at a high rate of speed? Other than drilling a hole to stop the crack from spreading, is there anything else I should do and/or be aware of? Sorry for the big pictures. I'm still learning how to do this.
Any suggestions, advice or words of caution are welcome. Thanks in advance,
Pat Moran
(619) 994-3542
It just so happened that I ran into another RV owner on the airport that night that also experienced a crack in his canopy this cold winter; so I knew I wasn't the first person to experience the bad luck. Thankfully this website provides so much with regards to resources and information that the small donation requested is well worth the investment. I spent a lot of time researching to see if others may have experienced something similar and I wasn't disappointed.
I found a thread from 2014 from Gerry Julian who had a very similar experience. He drilled through his windshield with a 1/16 bit to stop the crack from continuing. Others suggested that one should use a drill bit exclusively for acrylic, however I could only locate a 1/8" bit from a local shop that develops plastic products. The person at the shop suggested that a 1/16 bit won’t grab enough to make a difference at that size.
My questions are: Should I use the 1/8 bit designed for this type of surface? This will create a little larger hole. Will the larger hole be significant enough to notice? Regardless of the size of the bit/hole, will this create a lot of noise and allow cold air to enter at a high rate of speed? Other than drilling a hole to stop the crack from spreading, is there anything else I should do and/or be aware of? Sorry for the big pictures. I'm still learning how to do this.
Any suggestions, advice or words of caution are welcome. Thanks in advance,
Pat Moran
(619) 994-3542
Last edited: