Slider canopy fiberglass question

[dougmattson]

Does the top fiberglass skirt over the windshield extend back far enough to cover the canopy rivets on the front bow?

 

[Kyle Boatright]

That's up to you. The farther aft you exend it, the more leverage passengers will have to break it loose if they use it as a handhold. The shorter you leave it, the leakier it will be (both wind and rain)...

Choose your poison.

 

[pdecraene7a]

canopy

Yes they do.

 

[newtech]

That's up to you. The farther aft you exend it, the more leverage passengers will have to break it loose if they use it as a handhold. The shorter you leave it, the leakier it will be (both wind and rain)...

Choose your poison.

I made mine out of carbon fiber and it is stiff enough to not pose a problem for those that might use it for a hand hold. You have to be careful to make it thick enough because broken carbon fiber is very sharp. I used carbon fiber for both the hoop over the roll bar and the back skirt. Highly recommend it.

 

[N282S]

I made mine out of carbon fiber and it is stiff enough to not pose a problem for those that might use it for a hand hold. You have to be careful to make it thick enough because broken carbon fiber is very sharp. I used carbon fiber for both the hoop over the roll bar and the back skirt. Highly recommend it.

Steve, I Sikaflexed my canopy and did the same CF thing on the rollover and skirts. My rollover carbonfiber "strap" peeled from the plexiglass. This was not sika'd to the plexi, just epoxied. Clearly, I did not skuff the plexi enough. Other than pro-seal or duct tape or nails, any advice on how to glue it back down?

 

[newtech]

Steve, I Sikaflexed my canopy and did the same CF thing on the rollover and skirts. My rollover carbonfiber "strap" peeled from the plexiglass. This was not sika'd to the plexi, just epoxied. Clearly, I did not skuff the plexi enough. Other than pro-seal or duct tape or nails, any advice on how to glue it back down?

I masked off the area that I didn't want to get scratched with thick stretchy UPS packing tape from Rural King. Then very agressively sanded a cross hatch pattern into the plexiglass. I haven't had any issues with it becoming unbonded. It is thick enough that I don't think I would know if it were unbonding. (Disclaimer mode on) This surely isn't instructions to take any abrasives to your canopy. It is simply a description of how I did mine. (disclaimer mode off)

 

[Kyle Boatright]

I made mine out of carbon fiber and it is stiff enough to not pose a problem for those that might use it for a hand hold. You have to be careful to make it thick enough because broken carbon fiber is very sharp. I used carbon fiber for both the hoop over the roll bar and the back skirt. Highly recommend it.

A passenger would have a hard time breaking the fiberglass, but the bond between the fiberglass and the plexi isn't terribly strong, and besides, you don't want to transfer that force to the windscreen, because plexiglass can be very fragile given cool temps or a stress riser combined with a bit of force.

 

[mike109g6]

Try

These to keep passengers hands off the windshield. http://aircraftextras.com/Handles1.htm

Mike H 9A/8A SOLD

 

[jimski9]

Yes they do.

Doug

DWG 43 Section K-K shows the fiberglass strip short of the rivet line
That's how I did mine

Jim

 

[flyboy1963]

mini-skirt

Mine is also short of the rivet line.
NOTE: seems moisture seeps in thru the pop-rivet, and is rusting the canopy bow!
I'd recommend sealing these with epoxy, caulking, or what have you. I've covered mine with some vinyl striping; kind of cleans up the look when the canopy is open as well.