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Best builder site for slider canopy install

nohoflyer

nohoflyer

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I’ve got several bookmarked but most have tip ups. I need a recommendation for a detailed builders log online I can reference.
 
I finished my slider a couple months ago. You can follow along from July 24, 2023 through December 4, 2023 on my build log: https://eaabuilderslog.org/?s=Ken_Bickers.

Wirejocks Kitplanes article is a must read.

Four things I learned, three from other folks and one (the last one) that I realized during the process:

One, make a frame for holding the canopy while doing all cutting and edge finishing.
Two, when cutting canopy, don't cut all the way through on the first pass; instead make a groove so that any crack that propogates will go where you want it to go anyway.
Third, polish, polish, polish all cut surfaces before handling the part; they should be as smooth as ice after a Zamboni.
Fourth, make some indexing lines where canopy pieces are to line up on the canopy frame when doing the Sikaflex attachments.

Cheers, Ken
 
Karetaker Aero on YouTube did a very detailed series of videos on his canopy install which are very informative.
 
Already stumped. I put my roll bar in the correct place and measured my canopy track three times. But when the track in clamped in, it’s too long. Question is do I cut it to match the schematics or leave it? It looks like I have to remove about an inch so that it lines up with correct spot in the aft bulkhead.



 
Good luck. The canopy was the hardest thing on the whole build by far. Getting the frame to fit was an exercise in frustration. Way to springy to bend accurately. I finally had it perfect (as if there could be such a thing) and when I put the plastic part on the frame it expanded more than I had anticipated. Now it rubs a bit but putting paste wax in the tracks makes it bearable. I also found out the fuselage is not symmetrical from left to right. So measuring from the firewall or counting rivets yields different results depending on which side you start on. In the end it turned out OK but it took way too long to get it right.
 
nohoflyer said:
I found my error. My roll bar is too far back. Oh boy.
Click to expand...
Is roll bar drilled to deck already?
It's a bit hard to explain, but the position of the roll bar should be determined by the fit of the slider frame (this is not what the plans say though). It's all inter-related, but essentially the height of the slider hoops at the back need to match to the fuselage so that the skirts fit properly. If the roll bar is too far back then the hoops will be too high and there will be a bad gap between the skirts and the fuselage skins. The T track slopes down at approx 45 degree angle, so if the slider frame moves forward by 1/4" then the hoops will be lower by 1/4" also. So it is important to have the roll bar in the correct position according to the slider frame, rather than according to some measurement.
In my opinion the roll bar and slider frame and tracks should all be clamped in the "correct" position before drilling or cutting anything. There may be a lot of very frustrating bending and tweaking required to get the slider frame right. They are not all made to the same quality and the welding process causes distortion.
 
PaulvS said:
Is roll bar drilled to deck already?
It's a bit hard to explain, but the position of the roll bar should be determined by the fit of the slider frame (this is not what the plans say though). It's all inter-related, but essentially the height of the slider hoops at the back need to match to the fuselage so that the skirts fit properly. If the roll bar is too far back then the hoops will be too high and there will be a bad gap between the skirts and the fuselage skins. The T track slopes down at approx 45 degree angle, so if the slider frame moves forward by 1/4" then the hoops will be lower by 1/4" also. So it is important to have the roll bar in the correct position according to the slider frame, rather than according to some measurement.
In my opinion the roll bar and slider frame and tracks should all be clamped in the "correct" position before drilling or cutting anything. There may be a lot of very frustrating bending and tweaking required to get the slider frame right. They are not all made to the same quality and the welding process causes distortion.
Click to expand...
I think you nailed it. Unfortunately I followed the plans which means it looks like my roll bar might be a bit too far forward. This makes my rear canopy brace sit a bit low.
 
nohoflyer said:
I think you nailed it. Unfortunately I followed the plans which means it looks like my roll bar might be a bit too far forward. This makes my rear canopy brace sit a bit low.
Click to expand...
I think it should be possible to locate the aft "T" track slightly forward to help compensate, e.g. 1/4" forward will raise the frame by 1/4" at the rear.
(I had the opposite problem and the roll bar was too far back and so I ended up needing to use fiberglass for the aft skirts because the canopy was too high for metal skirts to fit properly behind the baggage compartment.)

Also worth checking is the correct inset of the roll bar at the sides as this will ultimately affect how the side skirts fit along the fuselage sides.
 
PaulvS said:
I think it should be possible to locate the aft "T" track slightly forward to help compensate, e.g. 1/4" forward will raise the frame by 1/4" at the rear.
(I had the opposite problem and the roll bar was too far back and so I ended up needing to use fiberglass for the aft skirts because the canopy was too high for metal skirts to fit properly behind the baggage compartment.)

Also worth checking is the correct inset of the roll bar at the sides as this will ultimately affect how the side skirts fit along the fuselage sides.
Click to expand...
The roll bar inset was address earlier. I’ve had to move it a few times!
 
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I think Paul is correct in that you have some wiggle room based on the aft track position. If it's already attached, You can also adjust the height of the back of the frame a bit based on the angle at the forward end of the track that the canopy frame block slides on.

The forward end of that track is captured between two nuts that sandwich it on a piece of allthread. If you run those nuts fwd it makes that angle shallower and the aft canopy will sit higher, if you make it steeper, the aft end will sit lower. There are limits to this though, if you make it too steep, then you'll have to lift up there to help get it started uphill to open.

All things considered, it seems to me that it's easier to deal with a frame thats slightly low in that area where you can shim the canopy up a bit on the frame rather than the other way around where youre trying to hide a transition to a canopy that is sitting high with respect to the aft fuselage skin back there.
 
By the way, I don’t see any cut lines for taking off the excess. I do see some weird 3-track marks along the sides but that’s it.
 
There aren't any cut/scribe lines. It's very much a cut to fit scenario. Those track marks are left by the molding process.
 
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