Canopy Skirt - Part 2

This blog covers the manufacture of the canopy skirt

Manufacture
After completing the cowl re-work the canopy was closed and re-taped off using brown packing tape with all the skirt lines re-established to allow glassing.

Canopy re-taped

The cloth was cut into panels and laid across the canopy, taped down to prevent unwanted movement. Two separate sheets were requires as the canopy is over 1200 mm over its perimeter at its center.

Laying up two sheets cloth

The epoxy was mixed in small batches in disposable cups then brushed onto the fiberglass cloth starting at the top, allowed to run down the cloth while being squeegeed through the cloth using a soft spatula to create a dry finish with the minimum weight of epoxy. The epoxy was spread to go past the black guidelines on the packaging tape to allow for final hand profiling.

Port/Starboard view of cloth after epoxy has been applied [brown area]

Note: Scrap pieces of 5 mm foam core proved to be ideal squeegees - soft but firm - disposable.

Once the first coat was completed the second layer was applied and the process repeated and then the same for the third.

The completed layup was now allowed to cure for 24 hours.

Skirt Removal
The skirt was now removed by applying a steady pull / lift at one corner allowing the skirt to peel away from the packing tape and was repeated from all for corners until the skirt released. The pliability of the skirt at this point was critical as if it was ridged it may have been impossible to removed.

A Dremal motor tool fitted with a plastic cutting disc was used to trim the waste leaving enough waste for final profiling by hand. Cutting was done on the aircraft very carefully,

The skirt is refitted and tapped back onto the canopy to fully cure over a week. 

Skirt rough trimmed ready to be refitted to canopy
The skirt is floppy but is is anticipated that it will 
stiffen with a application of macro.

Skirt refitted ready to be taped and fully cure
Insert show the profile at the front of canopy

Comment

The finished item is a bit more flexible than was expected but it did allow removal as this was one of the major concerns. I have used this technique before but not on this scale. The skirt may stiffen up when fully cured and macro is applied - standby.

The view from the hangar at Rylstone Airpark
Time for a beer..!