fiberglass side skirt question

[BGordon]

Good afternoon everyone,
I have given up trying to use metal to form the side/rear skirts for the canopy of my 7. I was taping the area off yesterday when i noticed that the sides of my canopy flex in when a little pressure is applied. My question is, will this affect my fiberglass lay up at all, or do i need to find some way to secure the canopy in its final position first? Right now the only thing I think will work would just lay it up and use a heat gun to massage to the final shape.

thanks for the help and input,

Brandon

[wirejock]

Originally Posted by BGordon

Good afternoon everyone,
I have given up trying to use metal to form the side/rear skirts for the canopy of my 7. I was taping the area off yesterday when i noticed that the sides of my canopy flex in when a little pressure is applied. My question is, will this affect my fiberglass lay up at all, or do i need to find some way to secure the canopy in its final position first? Right now the only thing I think will work would just lay it up and use a heat gun to massage to the final shape.

thanks for the help and input,

Brandon

Brandon
Slider?
Is the canopy attached to the bow?
Is the rear track installed?
Are the side tracks and rollers installed?
Are the delrin blicks installed?
If the answer to all the above is "yes", the canopy should be pretty solid.
I wrote a series of articles on the subject published in Kitplanes. Links on my blog (below).

[Ralph Inkster]

Sometimes there is some side play between the rollers & the channel. Just shim them up as best as you can to stabilize things while you are glassing the skirt panels. Easy to do if your windshield isn't installed yet - otherwise you might have to convince your wife to stay in the cockpit over night...

[wirejock]

Actually, the skirt brace will pull it inward depending on how you proceed. I elected to Sika the skirt. No fasteners.
When it was time I made sure the skirt brace was just slightly in tension when drilled to the skirt. When the Sika and clekos were done it pulled the skirt inboard. It fits snug both sides and around the deck.
Lots of photos in the articles.