Category: Canopy (Page 7 of 20)

So, continuing with the canopy reinforcement plates…
Heres a couple of photos, showing where the reinforcements will go, to strengthen the canopy where the weldments attaches to the forward canopy skin.

After deburring all edges, I had to flange the lightening holes, so I made this simple tool..

It is just 2 ball-bearings on a steel bar, but it makes flanging the holes very easy.

Afterwards I made these wooden blocks that matches the forward and aft tabs of the outboard reinforcements, in order to bend them exact.

After a lot of bending and tweaking, the reinforcement plates fit perfectly. I matchdrilled the center plate to the skin, but then installed the canopy frame back onto the fuselage, before matchdrilling the outboard plates to the skin. I did this to make sure the frame wasn’t twisted in any way…

I removed the instrument panel again, to have better access for the last matchdrilling.

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