Section 38: Canopy and Window, Canopy Drilling

RV14 Build October

Canopy and Window

This is the section that never ends lol. Time to do the scary part and mount and drill the canopy. You start off by clamping the canopy frame to the rollover bar. There are 4 pieces of wood between the the bars where each clamp is.

The plans recommend that you put weights strategically on the canopy, but with COVID you can't find 10lbs weights so they say a ratchet strap works well too, so a ratchet strap it is.

Marking the rear edge of the canopy for trimming.

Not a great template photo, but you use it to center the canopy and align the leading edge. The template needs to be printed to scale the one in the plans is the wrong size.

Aligning the edge distance to center the canopy

1/32 gap on the canopy and the roll over bar.

Bill came to help me get the canopy on and off and do the trimming. This thing is really hard to move with one person.

You shave the thickness down in this area to help with the transition between the canopy and the skin. I had to call Vans to get some clarity. They said somewhere between doing nothing and shaving to the minimum thickness. The point is to help with the fiberglass transition.

Picture of the other side.

Bill helping sand the the sand and trim the canopy edges.

Still needed help so talked liz into coming the next day to help!

She's gonna make a great co-pilot! Will also be super mad at me when she finds out these are on the internet and Im sure she will say they are bad pictures.

Made this tool to help look through the canopy for drilling. To line up the holes with the parallax. 

Just line it up till you see light! Works great.

Only locked liz under there for 2 hours while I drilled. What we really learned today is that she can sit in the plane for 2 hours without having to pee.

All the clekos installed and starting to final drill.

The canopy is officially drilled.

I was a little nervous about lifting the canopy to get Liz out, but it looks great!

Time to topcoat the canopy frame.

Looks good!

Next I measured the canopy to get ready for the fiberglass fairing. You put down 2 layers of electrical tape to protect the canopy during sandig.

Then I used the aft tape line and a 2" tool to mark a front tape line on the canopy frame.

After that I masked off the canopy to paint the dash black. Also made a frame and leveled it to hold the canopy so I don't introduce a twist when fiberglassing. In the end I didn't use this. I layed up the fiberglass on the airplane to make sure then took the canopy off for the sanding.

Used another piece of wood to clamp down and hold the canopy during sanding.

I had some Tempo Aircraft Enamel left over from the landing light wing hole, I think it should be good here too.

Nice flat black. 

Frame looks good with the topcoat and the flat black.

Riveted on the canopy frame sides. Time to start the fiberglass.

The plans have turn the canopy upside down to install the rear seal retainers and you really do have to to install the washers.

The rear seal slides in between the 2 pieces when installed.

Riveted in the canopy wear strips.

Section 38 Canopy Window, Canopy Drilling 40.5 Hours

Section 38: Canopy and Window, Canopy Frame

RV14 Build September  & October

Canopy and Window

Before the frame the plans have you made the canopy latch.

Making the stiffener angles for the side skin

This required some trimming of the canopy. Not in the plans but...

Getting these pop rivets in was a little tricky. Very tight space.

Installing the locking pin mounts.

Making the push rod. Dont both torquing it now, you will need to adjust it to contact the micro switch potentially later.

I primed and top coated the handles with the cover panels and the seats.

Doesn't quite close flush, so I will shave it down in the future.

Open, view from the inside.

Open, view from outside.

I had some trouble when I made the roll bar and it came back to bite me. My holes weren't aligned well so I can the reamer through the one side and all is well now.

Getting the canopy frame parts to start.

Test fitting the canopy frame

Marking and flutting the areas where needed. It ended up being the same 2 flanges and all 4 parts.

Another view of the flutted flange.

Getting ready to prime. Dont mind the tagging in the background, my girlfriend painted a bookshelf in the shop and well...

Primed.

Canopy hinge assembly.

Installing the frame to the hinges. These are harder than the should be to set. Very close to the hinge assemble so you can't squeeze them and have to use and offset rivet set. Got this set up from Smash's RV-14 Build. Really good site. Check it out!

View after.

More of the assemble coming together.

Yo udo have to make sure your installing the correct pieces, because they have slightly different angles for left and right.

The alignment bars Vans uses are really nice to keep everything straight.

I had a really hard time figuring out which way I wanted this to be level. So I tried to level it in every way I could think of.

I think leveling this way down below on the 2X4 the part is sitting on is what the plans mean after messing with it for ever. Then comparing these angles side to side.

Almost there. Turns out my digital level was more consistent upside down because of the shape of the bottom. Once i figure this out I was able to repeatedly get angles.

Making the side rails.

You can see in the bottom left the flutting. This is way more important than I realized. I would use the side deck of the fuselage to compare the flutes to make these level to. It is those after all that the rails will be sitting on so, might as well make them as close t parallel as possible. Didn't realize till after. Caused a few headaches.

Pre bend the angle with the side of the fuselage. Again be as accurate as you can with this. Once you drill everything in place that Locks in the shape of the canopy frame side.

After priming. Thesy have you rivet these but with the shop head in the countersink to make them flush on the bottom and have a nice round manufactured head on top.

How I really flattened them out when the squeezer wouldn't.

Flush!

Match drilling the aft canopy rail. This is were a really started to notice how important it was to get the flutting and bend angles correct.

Match drilling the side skins.

Making the canopy handles.

One of the few raw parts you make in this kit.

Match drilling

The aft canopy frame and handle. Again Vans uses a jig to make sure correct alignment.

Just wanted to see how it all went together.

Match and final drilling the aft canopy from adn handle.

Aligning and drilling the frame splice.

That always feels good when its done!

I moved the canopy frame to my stand because I knew i could level that easier so I could make sure the frame was then level threw out the drilling.

Lots of clekos in and out during this part. Lots of drilling.

Match drilling the top skin.

More match drilling with the side rails.

Then take everything aparts and debur.

Put it back together, hopefully for the last time.

Rivet

More Rivet progress.

Now for the underside. This is where you have to be careful and check level a lot. Every 4th rivet.

Making slow progress, but I really dont want a bend canopy frame

Adding on the side rails.

Riveting on the aft roll over.

Couldn't help myself had to put it on the plane!

This is where I noticed the side gap wasn't even and wondered it my previous flutting was at fault.

Side to side it 1/32 different...Maybe im being too picky.

Small gap left with the side skins on. I could make new ones, but decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Section 38 Canopy Window, Canopy Frame 61.5 Hours