13th August 2010

Canopy frame assembly!

Hours: 4.6 | Posted in Canopy & Frame

The night that the last few weeks have been building up to (no pun intended…) finally arrived.  The primer and paint were dry, and canopy frame is now riveted. Not a bad job overall; before riveting, I had to back-drill the holes for the screws that hold the lift strut blocks through the skin, and dimple.  The frame skeleton was riveted first, then the spacer strips attached (there are 5 keeper rivets per side).  The aft bow was riveted together, after checking for fit against the roll bar and clamping to the table to hold it in position.  Then the bow and the frame were joined, and the top skin added.  For ease of riveting, I lifted up the aft end of the frame by suspending it from the garage door track.  Once everything was together, I riveted the aft edge of the stiffeners to the skin, then clamped the frame flat to the table to cleco and rivet the forward edge of the stiffeners to the weldment.

Checking fit on the rear bow Rear bow splice plate rivets Forward splice plate riveting Splice plate riveting

Assembling the frame structure Adding spacer strips to side rails Riveting the front skin Adding the stiffeners

Checking fit on the fuselage Canopy frame test fitting

True to the tales, it shifted a little during riveting — the aft width is nearly perfect, but the front sides near the splice plates had narrowed a bit, and the skin seems to have shifted forward, as it catches the forward top skin now.  A couple strategic pulls took out most of the side gap, and the forward skin can be filed down a touch.  The numerous on-off cycles have broken in the hinge blocks, so the hinge goosenecks slide in easily now.  I won’t worry about perfecting the fit until the next time, when I rivet the forward stop brackets and fit the struts, so I can correct for any flex added by the struts at the same time.

Punch list before fitting the bubble:

  • File forward edge of canopy skin
  • Fabricate and install (6) straps on stiffeners
  • Install stop brackets and lift struts
  • Drill hole and install bushing for wiring passage to roll bar brace…install tie-wrap bases on vertical cable path
  • Run extra coax aft for GPS antenna?
  • Rivet aft top skins
  • Read up on fitting process and where/what to cut

Allison has discovered the joy of paint schemes, so I gave her the JetGlo color chip booklet…a side trip yesterday to a beach just a few dozen yards’ walk from an airport (KDYT [airnav]) was good inspiration, I think.  Three hours in the car, just an hour by plane.

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