Day 147

Got the canopy sealed and installed today!

First we got the canopy itself prepped by getting the tape off of the cables from painting and fitting the strengthening stripes that run down the insides of the canopy. We put a little drop of glue in between each rivet hole and Cleco’ed them on and let it dry. We did this so that we wouldn’t need to try and get it set in place with limited access once the canopy was set in place.

We also went around both the canopy and the fuselage and made sure all the necessary surfaces were abraded and thoroughly wiped down. We then went around and put masking tape around all the edges to try and minimize the mess from the sealer.

Once everything was ready we send around once and wiped on Sika Aktivator-205 to all bonding surfaces. Then we brushed on Sika Primer-206 G+P. Once that was all tacked up we caulked on the SikaFlex 295 UV Sealant along the inside track of the fuselage.

We then set the canopy down resting on 2x4’s on the fuselage and ran the parachute cables and wires where they needed to go. Then set about getting the SikaFlex caulked onto the canopy itself.

Once we had the sealer all caulked we then set the canopy in place by removing the 2x4’s and sliding it in. We then Cleco’ed everother hole, starting with the top of the canopy and working our way forward.

Once it was aligned properly we set about we wiped away a large portion of the squeeze out. (Thank goodness for the tape that helped control the mess) We then set about riveting the canopy. We started with the top, riveting down until all the rivets were pulled in that section. Then we riveted down the sides, taking care that the strengthening strip on the inside stayed in places as we went.

When we’re we’re finished we pulled of the remainder of the tape and cleaned all our surfaces. After it dries for a day we will come back and put a small bead along the seams to insure everything is 100% sealed.