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Moving blanket over canopy

ronrapp

ronrapp

Well Known Member
My RV-6 is hangared, but the airplane still gets dusty. I'm of the opinion that the less I clean the my tip-up, the fewer scratches it will get, so I've been draping a cotton bed sheet over the canopy at the end of the day.

Problem is, the sheet is so light that any wind will displace it. I've heard of people using moving blankets to cover various parts of their RVs. Question: will a moving blanket scratch the canopy? I bought one for a few bucks from Harbor Freight, but it doesn't feel that soft.

--Ron
 
Hi Ron, I have dust and birds in my hangar, and I cover everything with cheap moving blankets. I worried about scratching things. Any dust between the canopy or paint and the softest cloth will cause micro-scratches.

I have not seen any issue however, and have been doing it for about 3 years.

Needless to say you have to clean the aircraft and canopy pretty well before putting on the covers. I also always keep a "clean side" and a "dirty side" on the blankets. I take them to a coin laundry from time to time to wash them, and just let them air dry - don't want to lose coverage if they shrink. :)

Here's a recent photo taken by a "spotter" - my new favorite picture of my RV!

IMG_9480 Midden Zeeland 11 juni 2023.jpg
 
Anything will scratch the canopy. If you want to use the sheet, tape down the sheet with blue masking tape to see if it will stay in place.

Don't drag it off to remove it. Pick up the front and fold it towards the back. Install it the same way.
 
Nice picture with a very nice subject aircraft Mickey!

I flew everyday this week, and it seems to have kept most of the dust at bay :D
 
there's a big difference between the harbor frt. blanket and the one the pro. mover puts on the dining room table of the google exec. maybe a moving co. could direct you in the right direction. to answer your question, no a good blanket will do no harm. if you slide it on or off then it will if it has collected any dirt.
i have quality blankets but i use a plastic tablecloth with the fuzzy soft lining on the underside and i have a dowel secured along one edge so i can ''wave'' it over the canopy and then drop it on with no sliding. and yes it will blow off with the hangar door open.
 
Canopy cover for hangar use...

ronrapp said:
My RV-6 is hangared, but the airplane still gets dusty. I'm of the opinion that the less I clean the my tip-up, the fewer scratches it will get, so I've been draping a cotton bed sheet over the canopy at the end of the day.

Problem is, the sheet is so light that any wind will displace it. I've heard of people using moving blankets to cover various parts of their RVs. Question: will a moving blanket scratch the canopy? I bought one for a few bucks from Harbor Freight, but it doesn't feel that soft.
Click to expand...

I use a soft fleece blanket on the canopy itself held on with my usual canopy cover. Works well. Hard to remove anything without pulling it off somewhere. Microscratches are unavoidable. I use Harbor Freight moving blankets for the wings....aka work bench.....;)
 
When I finish building, I will get a Bruce's or equivalent cover.
Fuzzy soft against the canopy, straps that hold it in place.
Works in the hangar, or at a tie down on a cross country.
 
Canotpy cover with Birds in the hangar

Dantilla said:
When I finish building, I will get a Bruce's or equivalent cover. Fuzzy soft against the canopy, straps that hold it in place.
Works in the hangar, or at a tie down on a cross country.
Click to expand...

That will work well. I have one from decades ago when JD Lauritsen from Cleveland Aircraft Tools sewed me up one. It was well-made has functioned well since then. It still looks like it was made last month! They are a small, family-owned company and a great place to get tools. When you pull up canopy covers on their website, the RV-3 and Harmon Rocket are the only ones listed but I'll bet JD would be able to sew you one as well. Contact them through their website www.clevlandtool.com. She also does interiors, I believe.

The problem with that type of cover if you have Birds in the hangar, is that you will be washing it all the time. Better to put that on the canopy and something (like a Harbor Freight blanket) on top of that for the Birds to drop on. Why do they call it bird droppings....?:p
 
michael.
in the falconry world it is called a ''slice'' if it came from a buteo or an accipter.
bird raises his tail, kind a bends over and it shoots straight back 3-5 feet.
 
There's another lengthy thread on this same subject from a few months ago, it had to do with cats climbing on the plane. I clicked on this one thinking it was the same one. Lots of options in that other thread.
 
Roadjunkie1 said:
I use a soft fleece blanket on the canopy itself held on with my usual canopy cover. Works well. Hard to remove anything without pulling it off somewhere. Microscratches are unavoidable. I use Harbor Freight moving blankets for the wings....aka work bench.....;)
Click to expand...

I can't find it again, but one of the better known aircraft cover shops had a similar solution, though more finely engineered. During the Desert Storm period, helicopter canopies were quickly being eroded by the harsh wind, sand, and sun. The covers being used at the time were making the situation even worse as the covers, affected by he wind, ground the sand into the plastic. One of the manufacturers came up with an effective solution which reportedly significantly mitigated the problem. The solution was to use a special (micro-fiber like) soft cushioning material bonded to the underside of the more durable standard cover.
 
Covers

For in the hanger only, I used a flannelette blanket initially over the canopy of my RV 4, then the rest of the plane for almost 12 yrs until I sold it. I never noticed any degradation of the canopy nor of the paint from scratches.

I start the season with a clean plane, clean the bugs off after each flight and cover up. Certally no dust on it after any of the flights to worry about.

My girl friend who had cut the covers and sewn to fit made some bean bags to put on the corners to help on the windy days when the door was open.

Worked perfect and now being modified and used on my 9A.

Tim
 
Opened my hangar and was doing my preflight inspection when I noticed my canopy was dirtier then normal. Attempted to clean off the haze but it was not coming off. I realized it was paint overspray. I looked through the gap in my hangar door to the next door neighbors hangar and saw his newly painted airplane, still taped up in many areas. Getting the overspray off all those airplanes cost my neighbor a significant sum. Now I always put a blanket over my canopy.
 
Thanks for the info, all. I was flying yesterday and just felt like that Harbor Freight moving blanket was too rough. I want to be able to remove it without sliding it at all, but since I've got a -6 it's probably not going to happen perfectly. Maybe with the smaller canopy and narrower fuselage of a 4 or 8, but the -6 tip-ups are pretty wide and those moving blankets are sort of awkward.

I went back to the light cotton sheet and will use the moving blanket for the cowling or wings.

--Ron
 
Hold Down Clips

I found these clips that work extremely well for holding a light weight sheet in place over the canopy. I use two bungee cords with plastic hooks under the belly to hold the sheet in place.

The clips can be placed where you want them and do not require cutting holes in the fabric.
 

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Every airplane deserves a nice canopy cover IMO. A small fraction of the cost of replacing the plexiglass. Certainly your bird must have a *birthday coming up or something.
 
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