Slider vs Tip-up: A Compilation of Advantages/Disadvantages (Long)

As stated in the many, many discussion on this topic, picking the type of canopy you want to install in your side-by-side RV is a personal choice. You need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each type and determine which are more important to you.

So here is my attempt to put together a collection of the advantages and disadvantages of each to help in making your choice. I have tried my best to be as objective as possible, so please don?t be too hard on me if you disagree. Whenever possible, where there were conflicting opinions, I chose to use the preponderance of opinion as interpreted by me. I purposely only included the factory canopies, and did not include other custom applications.

In my opinion you really can?t go ?wrong? with either choice...

Slider
Advantages:
? Subjective: Looks ?cooler? on the ground and while taxiing with canopy open
? Less susceptible to wind damage on the ground when open
? More ventilation while on ground and while taxiing with canopy open
? Roll bar (especially with handles added, or using canopy brace as a hand hold) allows easier ingress/egress, especially for us ?older? folks
? Less susceptible to water ingress to area behind instrument panel
? Slightly better accessibility to baggage compartment with canopy open (not quantified)
? Can be unlatched and opened from either pilot or passenger side from either inside or outside of aircraft
? Allows slightly more instrument panel real estate
? Possibly better protection from bird strikes due to forward roll bar?

Disadvantages:
? Roll bar causes poorer forward visibility
? More weight than Tip-up (not quantified)
? More expensive than Tip-up ($100)
? Poorer maintenance access behind instrument panel
? Less space on turtle deck available to use for antenna installation
? Ferrous roll bar more likely to cause interference with magnetic instruments mounted in instrument panel
? Ferrous canopy frame more likely to cause interference with magnetometer (depending where mounted) in open vs. closed position
? Tall folks need to ?duck? slightly while closing canopy
? More susceptible to ?drafts? in flight?
? More difficult installation?

Tip-Up
Advantages:
? Subjective: Looks ?cooler? in flight, and on ground with canopy closed
? Better forward visibility
? Less weight than Slider (not quantified)
? Less expensive than slider ($100)
? Better maintenance access behind instrument panel
? More space on turtle deck available to use for antenna installation
? Unlikely to cause magnetic interference with magnetic instruments/magnetometer
? Less susceptible to ?drafts? in flight?
? Easier installation?

Disadvantages:
? More susceptible to wind damage on the ground when open
? More susceptible to water ingress to area behind instrument panel
? Slightly poorer accessibility to baggage compartment with canopy open (not quantified)
? Less ventilation while taxiing with canopy ?cracked? open (although adequate in most opinions)
? More difficult ingress/egress, especially for us ?older? folks
? When open, allows visibility of ?clutter? behind instrument panel
? Can be unlatched and opened from only pilot side from outside the aircraft, and slightly more difficult to unlatch and open from passenger side from inside the aircraft
? Allows slightly less instrument panel real estate (right and left sides, canopy eject handle area)
? While building, depending on garage ceiling height, (especially with ?A? models) care must be taken to prevent striking ceiling, lights, garage door opener, open garage door, etc, when open
? Need to be slightly more careful while closing to avoid damage?
? When in open position, has been reported in a couple of instances to possibly focus sunlight and cause overheating of interior items?
? Possibly less protection from bird strikes due to no forward roll bar?

Because these are MY interpretations, I certainly invite anyone reading this to perform your own search to get more information and the detailed opinions/arguments to form your own interpretations.


Hopefully, this will be helpful to someone trying to make the choice of Slider vs. Tip-up...

Bird Strikes and Windshields

Paul, I appreciate the time and effort for you to compose this list.

I think you have succeeded in capturing the most significant pro's and con's for the never-ending debate on Tip-up vs. Slider.

The only comment I have is on the statements about the resistance to bird strikes. I believe RV pilots have had several bird strikes where birds have gone through the canopies of both tip-ups and sliders. (In fact, Doug showed on his front page where someone had reported a bird through the windshield of an RV-8 this week.)

To me, the statement that a slider windshield being more resistant than a tip-up to a bird strike is highly subjective. Because birds come in all shapes, speeds and sizes, I don't think we can say either windshield is more resistant.

I will share what a cop told me after a thief broke the small side window of my son's Honda CRX several years ago. "A thief will always break the smallest car window because it is easier to break through." She went on to say that a larger window has more "give" than a smaller window and thus requires more force to break. Hmmm...

Based on that statement about car windows, I lean toward the tip-up being more resistant to a bird impact. I will admit that a flat surface versus a curved one may be a factor. Perhaps there are others, as well.

Sounds like a good topic for MythBusters or Rocket City Rednecks to me.

P.S. As is my usual method, I re-read your post again and now believe that your comments about protection from bird strikes has nothing to do with whether or not the windshield is more or less resistant to breaking. Rather you have captured the sentiment that there is more protection because there is more roll bar up front. You also indicate some subjectivity with the question marks.

Again, a good list and thanks for capturing it.

rv7boy said:

Based on that statement about car windows, I lean toward the tip-up being more resistant to a bird impact. I will admit that a flat surface versus a curved one may be a factor. Perhaps there are others, as well.

Click to expand...

I've only seen "one" real live RV, that suffered a bird strike right through the canopy. It was a tip up. Perhaps the birds know they don't stand a chance, if they see a big heavy duty roll bar up front......and do more to avoid it. Anyway........that's how I figure it..

L.Adamson --- slider

Don,

I agree with you completely regarding bird strikes. That is why I included the qualifier "possibly" and the the question mark (signifying "questionable"). I only included this because there is some speculation that the forward roll bar could provide some additional protection (given the right circumstances). Without actual testing (IE: shooting frozen chickens from air cannons at some perfectly good canopies) there is no way to know for sure.

Until substantiated, I would give this factor little credence.

Tip-up vs Slider weight

Thanks for pulling this list together Paul.
I'm battling with a heavier than standard engine weight, so saving weight where ever I can is key. Has anyone been able to quantify the difference in weight between the tip-up and the slider? I was about to order the slider today with my finish kit when I noticed in the weights and dimensions document that the tipup kit was 310lbs and the slider was 330lbs. Can anyone confirm that this 20lbs is airframe weight, or is it just a difference in packing weight?

https://www.vansaircraft.com/pdf/weights.pdf

Regards,
Tom.

Sparky said:

More difficult ingress/egress, especially for us “older” folks

Click to expand...

I know that this is subjective, but I strongly disagree with the idea that a tip up is harder to get in and out of than a slider. Particularly on a taildragger, the ability to put one's entire weight against the roll bar, plus the added room aft of the seat back, makes the tip up easier, at least in my experience. I've had several very elderly, frail gentlemen in my -6 that I don't think could have gotten in a slider without removing the canopy first.

Again, this is subjective, but I would caution anyone reading this before making a decision to not take it as fact, but find an example of each to try out for yourself.

Back when I was trying to answer the tip-up vs. slider question for my self, I called Van's. Althoi don't recall who I spoke withn I was told that lightest combination was a tip-up taildragger. Since I wss already knew my -9 would be a taildragger, I ordered the tip-up.

One thing I remember from my first flight with my wife was pointing to something off in the distance and smashing my finger and hand against the canopy. It was just like there was nothing in front of us, only without the wind.

One thing I remember from my first flight with my wife was pointing to something off in the distance and smashing my finger and hand against the canopy. ]

One more reason to go with a slider!

sprucemoose said:

I know that this is subjective, but I strongly disagree with the idea that a tip up is harder to get in and out of than a slider. Particularly on a taildragger, the ability to put one's entire weight against the roll bar, plus the added room aft of the seat back, makes the tip up easier, at least in my experience. I've had several very elderly, frail gentlemen in my -6 that I don't think could have gotten in a slider without removing the canopy first.

Again, this is subjective, but I would caution anyone reading this before making a decision to not take it as fact, but find an example of each to try out for yourself.

Click to expand...

+1..........

Tip Up- Wonderful View
Slider- everything else

I like my slider now that Ive got it together. (Not flying yet so my opinion probably will not count for much). One of my main concerns was panel access with the slider. With the dual 10" Dynons though, it is a non issue. Since I have riveted on my top forward skin, I have removed the screens several times to make wiring changes and such. Now I can remove one (leaving the wiring connected) in about 5 minutes. Just be sure to leave a little service loop so you can pull it out a little ways. I thought I had enough but wish I had a few more inches. I was worried that I would have trouble servicing my Vertical Power here but I'm thrilled that I do anything to it by just pulling the screen out of the way.

I agree with earlier poster, look at them and fly with them before you decide. I bought a kit in progress and it became a tip-up.

FIT: I am particular and at least try to get a nice tight fit. Having trouble with the fit, I called a well known operator of a builder center with multi builds of his own. " I have never been able to build a tip-up that I was happy with" was his comment.

Avionics: I am not so sure that the slider is that much of a problem. 1. The glass panels over a 4 screw provide access to a big hole. 2. I located many items under the forward skin to keep water out. All but one item can be accessed sitting in the seat. All can be accessed from below, but the provision has to be built in.

I have NO flight experience with the tip up and took transition training with a slider, The bar was nice to help in the egress.

TBD: If it (I) is aligned around that long perimeter, made leak free, and draft free when flying. It will be a success and worth the trouble.

Probably like a number of things, "it was the most difficult part of the project" until the next one was tackled and the same comment was made.

So again, try before you buy.

Van's Response

Hi All,

I spoke with Van's Aircraft today about the 20lb difference between the tip-up and the slider published on the weights and dimensions sheet. They said that this is a combined weight of packing and airframe, but they couldn't say how much was allocated to what. It was an average of a number of both tip-up and slider crates that were weighed. So I guess this really doesn't get me much closer to determining specific numbers. The quest for hard data continues.

Tom.