Canopy Skirt - Part 1

Shorts T1 Tucano
The Shorts Tucano has a unique shroud over the once piece canopy though the prototype lacked this feature

Shorts Tucano circa 1991

Model of Shorts Tucano canopy

The white lines represent the explosive charges 

fitted to the prototypes canopy

In service the Tucano gained this feature it was decided to add the feature to the canopy.

Preparation
The canopy frame had a scallop that was noted on the starboard side that need filling before commencing on the shroud. A mix of West System Epoxy and Micro Balloons was mixed and applied. Packaging tap was applied acting as a release system once cured. During the curing phase a piece of garbage bag was applied as it's very thin and flexible and useful to re-shape the fill countering the natural slump that occurs before setup.

Note: All micro balloons must be sieved to remove any lumps to create a smooth paste.

Once cured it was sanded to profile using a 1'' dowel and sanding blocks with aluminium open cut 125 grit.

Shroud Construction
Trill weave glass 285 g.s.m. cloth was chosen because of its ability to confirm to curved shapes. 

West Systems 105 resin and slow cure hardener  was selected as the builder is confident in it's performance and application.

The existing cover that was peeled and taped back in part 1 was now re-positioned and tapped to the side of the canopy frame. Aluminium duct tape 100 wide was applied to approximate the shroud and then covered with duct tape. Finally additional packaging tape was applied to allow for epoxy spread past the shroud boundary during manufacture.

Note: Packaging tape is the easy to use mold release for this type of work.

Laying out shroud profile
When top was finished, packaging tap was applied
over the blue making tape

With the tape positioned, an accurate outline was drawn onto the tape with a heavy felt tip pen to allow it to be transferred to the fiberglass shroud later. Additionally it allowed the builder to step back and confirm the profile was suitable.