Keep water out with Tip-Up?????

[jclark]

For those of you with the RV6 or7 "Tip-Up" Canopy, how do you keep rain water from running into your avionics etc.?



This is assuming the plane is OUTSIDE and UNCOVERED. A scenario for this is when you are at an Airshow like Sun-n-Fun or AirVenture and a surprise shower comes up OR when you are taxiing in and get caught by a shower.



The last scenario is particularly bad when you go to open the canopy and all of the water from the canopy drains inside (unless you have someone meet you to remove the water first.



Did you build a seal/ditch using just silicone or did you use water repellent cloth? Or did you put a metal cover over everything??



Any ideas from someone who has "been there" will be REALLY appreciated. I am heading toward OSH real soon and need to fix this somehow over the next few days.



Thanks,



James

 

[Mel]

If you are very concerned about this, the easiest thing to do is to put a sheet metal cover over the avionics stack while building. I have not done anything other than the stock weatherstrip that Van recommends and I've been flying my -6 T.U. for over 12 years without a problem. And I have attended a lot of airshows. I do use a canopy cover when left out overnight.
Mel...DAR

 

[hngrflyr]

For a temporary fix, I covered my radios with a plastic bag. I situated the bag so any water would run off onto the floor. I flew through heavy rain without probems. Some water did come in, but didn't hurt anything. I'm planning on improving the weatherstripping and building a metal cover for the radios. Even if water does not come in during flight, it is likely to do so when the canopy is opened. I will install a computer fan to move more air though the radio stack for cooling.

Bob S