Notch or No Notch that is the question-Tip-up canopy

[Pmerems]

For those who have passed this way before me..........

I want to find out those with tip-up canopies notched the rear of the Plexiglass to clear the rear side skin near the roll frame. If you follow the plans the main canopy glass slides under the sideskin at the roll frame location.

When I looked at Van's RV-7A a week or so ago I saw that it was notched to so that the glass didn't slide under the sideskin. It also had a targa strip covering this area up.

Has anyone had any issues closing the canopy (damage) if the hadn't notched the glass. I am using guide blocks to guide the canopy into final position so side to side movement shouldn't be an issue.

Any help would be appreciated.

Paul
RV-7A

 

[dan]

Has anyone had any issues closing the canopy (damage) if the hadn't notched the glass. I am using guide blocks to guide the canopy into final position so side to side movement shouldn't be an issue.

No guide blocks, no notches, no problems. My canopy slides right in between the skin & frame. Per-plans, and not oblivious when closing the canopy.

 

[mburch]

Another two cents

I agree with Dan that if you are careful closing the lid, it should be no problem. However, you can't guarantee that it will always be you handling the canopy! When I had my tip-up in a community hangar, I used to leave it standing open so I could get in quicker - no clearance issues with other aircraft, no wind, and nothing in it worth taking, so why not. Then one day a well-meaning person came along, thought I'd forgotten to close the canopy, and decided to shut it for me. Unfortunately he didn't know the procedure and bam, a four-inch piece of one corner got broken off. He felt really bad about it but the canopy was still broken. Even if your canopy is closed this could happen to you, say if somebody decides they want a better look at your panel when you're not around... not everybody is shy about messing with other folks' aircraft!

If you insist on building a tip-up... I'd suggest you look into guide blocks like these at a minimum. In my case, since I already had one of the canopy corners broken off for me, I cut off the other corner to match (now nothing more to break!) and covered the whole thing with a fiberglass targa strip so you couldn't see it.

mcb
Used to have a 9A tip-up
Building a 7 now, working on the slider frame

 

[frankh]

And mine doesn't

It knocked a chunk of fresh paint off the when I was doing final fit up.

Right now I m being very careful but intend to install guide blocks when I get a minute.

I probably would not notch the canopy though unless the guide blocks don't work

Frank.

 

[robertahegy]

No notch, no targa strip, no damage in almost 3 years of operating it. The corners slide past the roll bar and slip right into the skins. Obviously if someone would let the thing slam shut, it could be damaged. I exclusively open and close my canopy, because I know the care and patience that went into building it. Don't want to murder anyone.

Roberta

 

[hevansrv7a]

No notch, but..

I don't have the notch, but I do have two Delrin blocks guiding the canopy frame at the end of the drop. I am not as good a builder as Dan and Roberta and the blocks clean up any minor misalignment. I found the misalignment was not even consistent. It probably depended on wind and user-handling. Once the blocks are protecting you, you should not need the notch. I saw the notch on the factory -7A and I suspect they came after construction. They also have evidence of some bending of the corner of the skin there. I've caught my clothes on that corner at least twice and now I advise all passengers about being careful with it.

My blocks are shorter, fatter, rounded at the top and outboard. I copied them from someone on this VAF forum and then modified them a little. I like having them outboard, but I think inboard as illustrated in the above post will work just as well.

 

[dan]

I am not as good a builder as Dan and Roberta and the blocks clean up any minor misalignment.

Flattering, but you obviously haven't seen my canopy up close. It's pretty bad.

 

[RV7Guy]

Notch and block

I'd highly recommend notching it and putting some Delrin blocks in there for the canopy to rest on. Although many have not had problems, there is great potential for damage. I discovered this after looking at many tip ups at flyins. I was surprised at how many had the corners broken.

Do it now and avoid fixing later!!

 

[az_gila]

Rest on

I'd highly recommend notching it and putting some Delrin blocks in there for the canopy to rest on. Although many have not had problems, there is great potential for damage. I discovered this after looking at many tip ups at flyins. I was surprised at how many had the corners broken.

Do it now and avoid fixing later!!

Darwin .. do you mean "guide in", not "rest on"?

gil in Tucson

 

[RV_7A]

No Notching Needed...

If you install a guide that aligns the canopy both left and right on each side. Much less care is needed when closing. It basically guarantees if someone other than yourself decides to open or close the canopy, it will close perfectly every single time without damage.

-Jeff

http://www.jeffsrv-7a.com/CANOPY/06-05-22.htm

 

[Mel]

We have the early tip-up canopy without any reinforcement up front. I also refuse to use the struts that come standard now because I like the jettison feature. So far (13.5 years) we haven't had a problem at all. Ann & I are always careful opening and closing. We do have a few scratches on the roll bar, but that's all. My plans are to add the delrin blocks, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Oh, and we did not notch anything.

 

[RV7Guy]

Fill the gap

Darwin .. do you mean "guide in", not "rest on"?

gil in Tucson

You can set them up so that they fill the channel that the canopy would have otherwise went in. It would actually rest on. I think the point was understood.

Delrin can be used as illustrated as a guide for the canopy fingers.

 

[hevansrv7a]

Thanks to Jeff

I copied Jeff's design for the Delrin blocks, modified it:
-fastened with single AN-3 bolt.
-rounded the top where his is pointy.

Thanks, Jeff, for a very helpful original post.

 

[az_gila]

Still confused

You can set them up so that they fill the channel that the canopy would have otherwise went in. It would actually rest on. I think the point was understood.

Delrin can be used as illustrated as a guide for the canopy fingers.

Darwin.. I must be getting old....

I'm still confused.... which part is "resting" on which other part?

The "down stop" for the canopy is usually the forward part of the plexi resting on the top portion of the roll bar.... are you using something else as a stop? ... or is it a case of two items simultaneously resting on something solid?

I understand this bit.... Delrin can be used as illustrated as a guide for the canopy fingers..... but when the canopy is closed, the delrin fingers should not be touching anything

gil in Tucson

 

[Norman CYYJ]

No notches and no problems, except that one persons jacket snagged the side skin and bent it.