Author Archives: Michael

Time: 4 Hours

I didn’t take any photos of this process as it was pretty boring. I cut the canopy closet to the final line with the cutting disc. Then I used a belt sander to remove the rest of the material down to the line giving me a nice straight line. Once that was all done and I cleaned up the mess I grabbed several grades of sand paper and a plexiglass scraper to clean the edges. The scraper has several different shapes allowing you to get the rounded shape you want. After scrapping I used the sandpaper to smooth the edge and remove any nicks I could feel. I ended with 600 grit to make a really smooth surface. After I was happy with the edges I countersunk the 15 “keeper” rivet holes that will temporarily hold the canopy to the frame as you fit the skirts. 

Time: 3 Hours

Now that I had the jig built it was time to get the canopy drilled. First up was to clamp the canopy down to check the fit and alignment. 

I was happy with the fit so far and removed the clamps and the canopy from the frame. I needed to mark the frame for all the hole positions. Before I did that I placed a layer of white electrical tape along the frame where the canopy comes in contact with the frame. What this does is allows me to see right where the canopy touches the frame and that’s where I need to drill. 

Then I carefully laid out the drill marks on the frame/tape. 

With all the marks on the tape I returned the canopy to the frame. As you squeeze the canopy to the frame you can see the thin line that is created between the canopy and tape. 

So now the fun part…drilling this expensive fragile peice of plastic. I grabbed a few new #40 drill bits and my drill and started at the aft end working my way forward on both sides. I drilled through the canopy and into the frame below. These hole will later get enlarged to a #30 hole for the skirt fitting. I clecko’ed every hole as I went along. I just took a deep breathe and took my time. It really wasn’t too bad just stressful. 

Whew another big step on the canopy done. Now I could final trim the canopy since I had the holes drilled. I borrowed Glenn’s canopy cradles, they allow the canopy to rest upside down on the work bench, so that I could trim it. With the canopy removed and placed in the cradle I drew a few 1/4″ around several of the rivet holes. The reason for the 1/4″ holes is that I plan on using, as many builders have, surgical tubing sliced the thickness of the canopy as a shock absorber for the rivets. The rivet will fit inside the tubing and the tubing inside the 1/4″ hole which allows for expansion and contraction reducing the chance of cracks. So now that I have the outline of the final holes I could draw a line, 5/16″ from the hole edge, for the final cut line. 

Next up the last cut and finishing edges. 

Time: 1 Hour
My buddy Glenn has been using a jig he made for his first RV-8 and I decided that it was an awesome idea that made working on the canopy much easier. I ran to Home Depot and picked up the parts I needed and got to building. 
This will allow me to remove the frame from the rollers and put it on the jig and work away from the fuselage at a good height. So now I have a much better work platform to get the canopy to fit the frame. 

Time: 2 Hours

My girl and I took this last weekend off went camping in northern Wisconsin to see the fall colors and relax. So I was excited to get back to build this morning refreshed after a great weekend. The big task at hand was to get the canopy cut since I received the back ordered parts from Vans. The parts that were in play for today was the two front rollers and the aft pin retention block. The rollers were easy to assemble and I put them in place pretty fast. 

The retention block was a little bit of work as you need to measure and drill for the two holes that will allow it to be screwed to the bulkhead. I used the pin to align the block as needed. 

After the block is in position with the frame all the way forward you make a couple measurements and drill aft from the bulkhead. Since the space in this area is pretty tight the plans call for you to counter bore the block on the aft side for two nuts to be pressed into. This will hold the nuts in place and you can screw from the front side. 

Now that I had these parts in place I could move on with the canopy. That means the big cut, separating the mind screen from the slider canopy. I used a cardboard cut out, slid between the roll bar and the frame, to help define the line that needs to be cut. 

So I sat and stared at the line for almost an hour double checking all the marks and measurements. Then I took a deep breath and started the cut. Like most things that seem extreamly scary ended up being not so. It took just a couple of minutes to make the two sided cut. It went perfect and was pretty easy. 

Wow now I have a slider! This was a big day!