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What to use to seal out air coming in front of canopy?

G

GyroRon

Active Member
MY RV-4 has alot of wind that comes from under the canopy in the front, it hits the square canopy support and then bounces into the instrument panel and then bounces off that onto my hands...... In the summer, it is great cause any extra air inside is a blessing, but in the winter it is not so good as I got to wear thick gloves to keep my hands warm. Is this just a problem with my plane or anyone else having this problem? Anyone else with this problem do anything to successfully fix this, and if so would you mind sharing it?

Thanks,


And how do I post a picture here?
 
Canopy seal

Ron,

I used Pro seal (fuel tank sealer) to seal all of my small cracks around the canopy or rear windown on my -7A. The stuff is paintable and basically bullet proof unlike some caulks out there.

Jeff
 
I don't think it is a crack problem, but thanks for the hint.

On the RV-4 the front of the canopy assembly sits on top of the cover of the instrument panel, when the canopy is closed. When flying the prop blast and air in general that rushes by the canopy, a small amount is able to get between the instrument cover and the bottom of the canopy. This is what is blowing onto the canopy structure and then bouncing onto the panel and then bouncing back down right towards the control stick area, freezing my hands.

I figure that this has to be a common problem with RV-4's but probably not with the other type of RV airplanes. I am thinking that some kind of weatherstripping would do the trick, but not sure, and want to see what others here have used before I waste alot of time " experimenting" ;)

Anyone out there care to chime in? Thanks
 
Front canopy seal

Greetings all:

Go to the Tower Hobby website and track down RC aircraft wing saddle foam. It is a 1/4" wide, 1/8" thick white high density foam weather strip that is sticky on one side. I stick it on the instrument panel "lip" and it seals perfectly as the front canopy frame sits on it. Let me know if you would like photos (email to [email protected])
 
A friend gave me a strip of rubber seal he got from Vans to seal up the same area on his RV-4. It works perfect, except it is now too tight of a seal and makes it hard to close the canopy.....
 
My gap is too thin to put any kind of seal without making the canopy hard or impossible to close. I've got a small gap between the panel and the square tube along the front. I was thinking of putting something between there but haven't got around to it. In the mean time, I just put a map across my lap.
 
This is just a thought and I have no idea if it would work but how about a thin layer of silicone with wax paper on top, close the lid and let it dry in place. Wouldn't this form a pretty good seal and be of minimal thickness?

Steve Zicree
RV4 finishing
 
Canopy seal

Yep, that's what I did. Got the idea as it was used in the RAAF to seal Macchi canopies, they used fuel tank sealant/goop and gladwrap or similar. Anything more permanent keeps the lid from shutting.
 
drathbun, thats because your an idiot:)

If you go the the hardware store and do a little shopping, they have some low density weatherstrip that is 1/4 inch thick, but will squeeze down to almost nothing.

The canopy closes easy and the wind is kept out.

I just did a 2:45 hour trip at 11,500 without it, NEVER forget to leave the gloves in the plane!
 
Ron-I may be off base here (it's been a while since I looked closely at that part of an RV-4) but could you add a small strip to the fuse just in front of the canopy?

IIRC the front of the canopy rests on the top of the fuse, just forward of the instrument panel, on a removable panel that allows access tp the instruments and forward fuse area. If I understand your problem, wind is blowing throught the slot.

If you were to rivet a curved piece of aluminum maybe 1/2" wide and .032" tall just in front of the canopy, or make a small ramp of micro/epoxy on the fuse skin, you could block the incoming airflow. It only has to be tall enough to block the slot, and wouldn't add any drag that isn't already there.

James Freeman
 
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