monerai
Member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2011
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 0
<!--[if gte mso 9]><>
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
</><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><>
</><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
<![endif]-->
Not sure what is correct procedure regarding "follow-up"
posts. I'm gonna do a new thread instead of just posting a response.
I had a response to
my post yesterday which included a request for photo's of the different canopy
configurations I have tried on the Acrosport.
Unfortunately, other than one poor view of the first two place canopy I
tried, any other photos must be BD (before digital) - although I'll look and
scan some if I have decent ones.
I did find this composite photo I sent to someone in answer
to a modification I highly recommend, and thought I'd pass it along.
My first cowling cracked at the lower corners, where it
curved around the bottom of the firewall. Additionally, I was never completely
satisfied with the non-symmetrical curve of the open cowl cheeks. Rebuilt the
engine cowl and added thin (.025) steel gussets
at the lower corners, pre-curving them to
the proper shape. You may be able to see them in the photos, riveted in just
where the cowl opens into the curved air outlet at the bottom. Additionally,
you will see the cheek-piece braces that I added (stolen from the Christen
Eagle design.) These stop any cowl vibration, give a uniform curve to both sides
and add a lot of rigidity with little weight expense. I added a phone jack type
plug there for a battery tender - before I started using the gel-cell batteries
which seem to hold a charge forever.
I have no idea why the panel view is included in the
composite - I assume it answered some question the person I made it for had
asked. Well, it does show the rubber band safety "locks."
Back to canopies - I originally flew the plane with open
cockpit and discovered a bit of buffeting that blew my headset off, taking my sunglasses
with them. Made for an interesting first flight. Added the single place canopy
from Wag-Aero and found it was actually noisier than without the canopy. Long
period working with Dave Clark engineers - I bought the very first active noise
cancelling headset they made - the design, not the actual first headset. They
built me a special amplifier to work with it and gave me a cloth helmet (for my field testing) which
holds the earpieces a little tighter. I wear the helmet even with the canopy,
as I can hear radio traffic much better with it than without.
I was reluctant to drill the windshield and canopy plastic
to mount the "over center" jewelry box latch that came with the canopy
kit, so used the hack-sawed slot in the canopy rails and bent spring steel type
latch suggested in one of the newsletters. Ended up having to use heavy rubber bands
hooked over some knobs as a safety device as the canopy would pop the latch if
you got the plane a little sideways in a botched aerobatic maneuver - or whatever.
Next I tried a two place Pitts canopy,
copying the Pitts mounting, which made for a rather ugly - cobbled together and
stuck-on-top look. This was followed
with cutting the cockpit cowlings down, rebuilding the instrument panel to a
low, low design and fiber-glassing the canopy to fair in flush. Very close to
the Christen Eagle design. The canopy had to slide rearward 9 inches (to clear
the top wing) and then open to the right. Unfortunately, my poor latch design
failed it's latching duties on the test flight and "BANG" - no more two place canopy and a few months
work down the drain.
Rebuilt the cowling and
panel to original design specs and gritted my teeth to drill and install the jewelry
box latch - which has been working well since.
Unfortunately, the windshield was cut down to
fit the two-place canopy and now has a "less than streamlined" shape
when fitted back to the single place.
There are still a lot of things I don't like about the canopy and mount,
and if I were still in the building process, I'd fit a single piece canopy and
carbon-fiber or fiberglass a complete cowl on it and hinge it as one piece.
Similar to the One Design - and I'm sure others.
Sorry 'bout the long post. If there is any interest, I might
do a "20 years with an Acrosport" type article on my website that
would detail most of the things I've found that work - or don't. Much too lengthy for a post on the forum.
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
</><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><>
</><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
<![endif]-->
Not sure what is correct procedure regarding "follow-up"
posts. I'm gonna do a new thread instead of just posting a response.
I had a response to
my post yesterday which included a request for photo's of the different canopy
configurations I have tried on the Acrosport.
Unfortunately, other than one poor view of the first two place canopy I
tried, any other photos must be BD (before digital) - although I'll look and
scan some if I have decent ones.
I did find this composite photo I sent to someone in answer
to a modification I highly recommend, and thought I'd pass it along.
My first cowling cracked at the lower corners, where it
curved around the bottom of the firewall. Additionally, I was never completely
satisfied with the non-symmetrical curve of the open cowl cheeks. Rebuilt the
engine cowl and added thin (.025) steel gussets
at the lower corners, pre-curving them to
the proper shape. You may be able to see them in the photos, riveted in just
where the cowl opens into the curved air outlet at the bottom. Additionally,
you will see the cheek-piece braces that I added (stolen from the Christen
Eagle design.) These stop any cowl vibration, give a uniform curve to both sides
and add a lot of rigidity with little weight expense. I added a phone jack type
plug there for a battery tender - before I started using the gel-cell batteries
which seem to hold a charge forever.
I have no idea why the panel view is included in the
composite - I assume it answered some question the person I made it for had
asked. Well, it does show the rubber band safety "locks."
Back to canopies - I originally flew the plane with open
cockpit and discovered a bit of buffeting that blew my headset off, taking my sunglasses
with them. Made for an interesting first flight. Added the single place canopy
from Wag-Aero and found it was actually noisier than without the canopy. Long
period working with Dave Clark engineers - I bought the very first active noise
cancelling headset they made - the design, not the actual first headset. They
built me a special amplifier to work with it and gave me a cloth helmet (for my field testing) which
holds the earpieces a little tighter. I wear the helmet even with the canopy,
as I can hear radio traffic much better with it than without.
I was reluctant to drill the windshield and canopy plastic
to mount the "over center" jewelry box latch that came with the canopy
kit, so used the hack-sawed slot in the canopy rails and bent spring steel type
latch suggested in one of the newsletters. Ended up having to use heavy rubber bands
hooked over some knobs as a safety device as the canopy would pop the latch if
you got the plane a little sideways in a botched aerobatic maneuver - or whatever.
Next I tried a two place Pitts canopy,
copying the Pitts mounting, which made for a rather ugly - cobbled together and
stuck-on-top look. This was followed
with cutting the cockpit cowlings down, rebuilding the instrument panel to a
low, low design and fiber-glassing the canopy to fair in flush. Very close to
the Christen Eagle design. The canopy had to slide rearward 9 inches (to clear
the top wing) and then open to the right. Unfortunately, my poor latch design
failed it's latching duties on the test flight and "BANG" - no more two place canopy and a few months
work down the drain.
Rebuilt the cowling and
panel to original design specs and gritted my teeth to drill and install the jewelry
box latch - which has been working well since.
Unfortunately, the windshield was cut down to
fit the two-place canopy and now has a "less than streamlined" shape
when fitted back to the single place.
There are still a lot of things I don't like about the canopy and mount,
and if I were still in the building process, I'd fit a single piece canopy and
carbon-fiber or fiberglass a complete cowl on it and hinge it as one piece.
Similar to the One Design - and I'm sure others.
Sorry 'bout the long post. If there is any interest, I might
do a "20 years with an Acrosport" type article on my website that
would detail most of the things I've found that work - or don't. Much too lengthy for a post on the forum.
