C-621, C-622 canopy release links length gotcha

Wish I would have remembered reading this plans gotcha!

After measuring those tubes down to the 64th inch (as Van's specifies) and cutting them just right, I realized that the measurements are hole-to-hole, not end-to-end. Now I've got a pair of canopy release link tubes that are each 1/2" too short.







No way those are gonna fit!

Does anyone have a spare set of links that they made, but then decided not to go with the canopy release? These steel tubes were a pain to make and ended up wrecking a bandsaw blade and several dremel bits. I'd hate to have to do em over.

I might...let me check at the hangar tomorrow for you.

I ditched the release handle for various reasons and went with quick-release pins from McMaster, so they should be floating around in one of the bins of unused items.

Cutting steel

Unrelated to your search but maybe helpful.
I use an angle grinder with a cut off wheel on steel. Slices right through. Cut outside the line and use a steel grinding wheel to finish. Harbor Fright angle grinder works just fine. Not the smallest one.

RV7A Flyer said:

I might...let me check at the hangar tomorrow for you.

I ditched the release handle for various reasons and went with quick-release pins from McMaster, so they should be floating around in one of the bins of unused items.

Click to expand...

I won't be going to the hangar today...fires are too close to home here in SoCal, gotta stay put in case of evacuation (not to mention, the freeways get all jacked up and getting around becomes nigh on impossible). But I promise I'll get there as soon as possible and look for you...

Sorry for the delay.

wirejock said:

Unrelated to your search but maybe helpful.
I use an angle grinder with a cut off wheel on steel. Slices right through. Cut outside the line and use a steel grinding wheel to finish. Harbor Fright angle grinder works just fine. Not the smallest one.

Click to expand...

If you have access to a mill, IIRC that's how we made a couple of sets for two airplanes. Made slotting the tubes pretty easy.

Thanks RV7A Flyer, no hurry. Plenty of other things to work on at this stage.

I do not have an angle grinder yet. Been putting it off until The Big Cut. Maybe it’s time to start evaluating different models.

Well, bad news...I looked all over and couldn't find them. I'll keep looking, but they may have made their way into the scrap bin (which went to another builder after I was done so he'd have materials to build small parts if he needed to).

Sorry to disappoint. But I'll keep looking. They may be around.

No problem! I've got a replacement tube (I only need one because I can re-use the longer one to make the new shorter one), so it's just a matter of a few hours of re-do.

Thanks anyway for looking!