Fiberglass or aluminum rear canopy skirt?

[Rick_A]

It seems that quite a few people of opted to make the rear canopy skirt on the -7 out of fiberglass. Should I just skip trying to make them out of aluminum and go straight to fiberglass? What's the best way to attach the fiberglass rear skirt to the aluminum side skirts - rivet, epoxy or both?

 

[pierre smith]

Rivets

Rick,
We opted to make our skirts from aluminum and had to do it twice. If you're pretty good with 'glass, I'd go that route. We enjoy metalwork so we went with alum after making templates out of sheet poster paper. In either case, they usually get rivetted to the side skirts.

Be sure and slide the canopy back about 1/2" and put spacer blocks between the front frame and the rollbar while you make the skirts (either 'glass or alum) so that when you're done and slide the canopy forward, that 1/2" will make the skirts pull down tight against the fuselage. (assuming it's a slider you're building).

 

[sf3543]

I did a fiberglass skirt and just formed it to the Plexi and to the side skirts, feathering it in smoothly, as I did with the windscreen fairing. Worked fine with no problems over time.
I have seen where some folks actually laid up a skirt and created a separate piece and then attached it to the canopy.

 

[newtech]

I am going straight for the fiberglass skirt. Not even going to try an aluminum one.

Steve Eberhart
RV-7A slider, just flipped the canoe today so I am officially 50% finished. Got roped into projecting a date for the first flight.. I know, stupid. Anyway, the official first flight will be February 22, 2008. Now lets see how close I can come to that.

 

[NeilMcLeod]

I tried the aluminum ones twice and then laid up some glass ones that came out nice. I do it out of glass again in a heartbeat.

Neil
7 slider

 

[Steve A]

Fiberglass Rear Panel

I am almost finished with the fiberglass rear panel. I am pleased with how well it fits. I did have a problem as I started it before I had the plexi completely cut down to size. This caused my fiberglass to have a slight kink in it. I should have waited to begin when I had the plexi cut and clecoed to the frame. Anyway I had to modify the fiberglass by cutting out the offending kink and fiberglassing in an insert. A little more work but what else is new. Moral: do the fiberglass piece last, put down duct tape, put on wax and it will be a perfect fit for the contour of the fuselage. Good luck.

 

[RV7Guy]

Aluminum

I love fiberglass work and chose to do an aluminum. I was fortunate to use a pattern that was pain stakingly made by fellow RV builder Greg Carnforth. The pattern was perfect.

He actually made a ONE piece strip along the sides and over the canopy. I chose to do it in two pieces. I secured the piece with Sika Flex glue. It looks good and is probably more durable than fiberglass. Definitely less time consuming.

 

[JordanGrant]

Aluminum

FWIW, I did mine in aluminum. Keep in mind the fiberglass ones usually come out much heavier. How much? I don't know - maybe a pound or two?? It was a bit of a struggle to fight those things in place, but you make the time back again when its time to paint - much less finish work to do on aluminum.