Work resumes on the canopy

Put the canopy back on the frame and clecoed in place. Peeled back the protective plastic on the forward edge of the canopy. Used a caliper to scribe a line for the aft of the fairing. Laid two layers of electrical tape along the line and put some masking tap above it to make sure the canopy is protected as I work on the fairing. I filed the outboard edge of the canopy to reduce the profile and make for a thinner fairing.

Fabricated a little 2″ straight edge tool and used it to scribe the forward fairing line into the top skin of the canopy frame. I cut out the side templates and used a sharpie to trace the forward outboard fairing line. It didn’t quite match up with the forward line I had scribed. So I split the difference and made a nice curve when I masked off the line with the electrical tape.

Scuffed the scrap out of the masked off skin and canopy with 60 grit sand paper. Went back and did another pass after these pics. It’s scuffed!

Arts and crafts time! I cut out the paper templates for the fiberglass cloth.

Today’s Time (hours):	2.0
Finish Kit (hours):	62.0
Total Time (hours):	792.0

Finished Seat Backs (Section 39)

I bolted together the lower corners of the seat backs. I drilled holes in the top angles using the template provided by FlightLine interiors. I blind riveted the snaps to the angles using those holes. I attached the seat back cushions to the seat backs with the snaps and the velcro provided.

Love the way the seats came out.

I also repainted the aft canopy frame. I wasn’t happy with my first attempt. It was splotchy and had spots of pretty bad orange peel. I wet sanded it and reshot it. It still looked awful. So I ended up stripping it down using acetone and repainting the bare metal. It came out quite a bit better. I’m wondering if the problem is the P60G2 primer. I’m going to shoot the remaining interior parts over bare metal.

Today’s Time (hours):	3.0
Finish Kit (hours):	60.0
Total Time (hours):	790.0

Painted canopy frame and seat backs some more

Flipped em over and shot the other side…

Today’s Time (hours):	1.0
Finish Kit (hours):	57.0
Total Time (hours):	787.0

Painted canopy and seat backs

Masked off the top of the skin and the outboard sides of the side rails. Painted two coats on the the aft canopy frame and the inboard sides of the side rails. Tomorrow night I’ll flip it over and paint the bottom after everything dries.

Scuffed the seat backs and braces. Wiped everything down with solvent and then with a tack rag. Painted tow coats on the forward side. I’ll get the aft side tomorrow night after everything is dry.

Fabricated the hinge pins for the seat backs and braces.

Are we having fun yet?

Today’s Time (hours):	5.0
Finish Kit (hours):	56.0
Total Time (hours):	786.0

Started the Seat Backs (Section 39)

Screen Shot 2020-02-09 at 5.14.16 PM

Picked and inspected all the parts. Peeled off all the blue vinyl and labels.

Cut the corners off the seat back angles.

Separated the parts that needed parting. Deburred everything.

Fabricated the seat back and seat brace hinges. Match drilled the hinges to their corresponding parts. Machine countersunk the brace stiffeners and braces. Riveted the brace assemblies together.

Riveted together the seat backs.

I’ll scuff and paint these along with the canopy.

Today’s Time (hours):	4.0
Finish Kit (hours):	51.0
Total Time (hours):	781.0

Painted the glare shield

I traced the forward edge of the canopy onto the skin with a sharpie. Removed the canopy from the frame and set aside in a safe spot. Removed the frame from the fuselage. Masked off the glare shield, scuffed it, and wiped it down with solvent and a tack cloth. Sprayed it with two coats of Rustoleum Painters Touch flat black.

Next, I’ll mask off the skin and spray the rest of the frame with dark gray to match the rest of the interior.

Today’s Time (hours):	2.0
Finish Kit (hours):	47.0
Total Time (hours):	777.0

Drilled the canopy some more

I removed the canopy side skins. Final drilled them to #27. Clecoed them back on and final drilled all the hole sin the canopy and substructure #27.

Today’s Time (hours):	1.0
Finish Kit (hours):	45.0
Total Time (hours):	775.0

Drilled the canopy

The plans have you tape the template pictured below on to the canopy skin in order to locate the canopy. Rather than ruin the one in the plans I took the time to have a couple copies made when i went out to pick up Sophie from work this morning. When I went to tape it on, I realized that the scale was off. I assumed that it was the copy until I measured the original and found that the scale was not 1:1. Thanks Van’s! Not only is it not 1:1 none of the lines on the drawing that actually matter are dimensioned. I could have gone back and had it printed at 103% but decided the whole thing was a waste of time in the first place. I used the rivet locations on the drawing to draw intersecting lines at the centerline that corresponded to the canopy line on the drawing. Then used that spot to locate the forward edge of the canopy. It worked just fine.

Put the canopy on the frame and fiddled with it to get everything lined up evenly on both sides and aligned with the mark on the skin. Sanded down the edge where it tucks under the skin to help it lay flat. Removed and reinstalled to do the sanding. Took a couple of attempts. Inserted the shims and clecoed on the side skins.

Realized I didn’t have anything to weight down the front of the canopy with. Tried using a ratchet strap but didn’t like the way it looked. I couldn’t get the forward edge to lay flat. So took a ride to Cabela’s and picked up a 25lb bag of lead shot. Made up two ten-pounders and one five and taped them to the canopy. Worked like a charm.

Triple checked that everything was properly situated and drilled all the #40 holes. I used a plexi bit on the aft section. On the sides I used a plexi bit to get through the plexi and then switched to a regular #40 bit in a second drill motor to go through the shim and side frame.

Today’s Time (hours):	3.0
Finish Kit (hours):	44.0
Total Time (hours):	774.0

Riveted the canopy frame

Riveted the skin to the canopy frame assemblies. Riveted in the splice plates. Clecoed the closeout in place. Riveted the skin to the support flanges and riveted the support flange splice plate. Final drilled and then riveted riveted the closeout in place. Riveted the forward rails in place. The plans call for a rivet in every hole and frequently checking to ensure that there is no twist in the structure. So the final drilling and riveting was pretty tedious. But the frame came out laser straight. So I can’t complain too much. The process worked.

Clecoed then riveted the side rails in place.

Riveted the aft canopy frame to the side rails. Riveted the switch mount to the frame. Machine countersunk and screwed the pin blocks to the aft side of the aft frame.

Installed the canopy jettison handle. Placed the assembled frame on the fuselage. In the full open position, it hit the ceiling. I had to lower the tail so that I could lift the canopy enough to engage the hinge pins. But finally managed to get it in place. I carefully closed the canopy while watching to ensure that it didn’t interfere with the forward top skin. It fit perfectly and no filing was necessary.

I shimmed up the side rails so that they are parallel to the side skins. I cut four clamping blocks/spacers and taped them to the aft of the aft frame and clamped it to the roll bar.