Van's Air Force Western Canada Wing

Members Only ------------ Membership List Listserver Archive Listserver Archive (pre Sep. 17, 2001) Revise Member Info Join Our Email Group Revise Your Listserver Settings Everything Else --------------- Home Site Map Make a Donation Articles on Building and Flying Austin Tinckler's Stories Builder's Tips Flight Test Log Cards Guest Book (Sign) Guest Book (View) Join Western Canada Wing Langley Fly-in Links - add your own! Members' Airplanes Members' Projects Miscellaneous Items Newsletter Back Issues Operating and Maintenance Procedures for RVs Regulatory Matters Social Events Tools - build your own! Please make only one selection at a time. Support this site with a donation...

Leaky RVs

Tail-dragging RV-6s with the tip-up canopy are notorious for water leakage.  Every year on my trek to or from Oshkosh I get to see how my expensive electronics in the panel stand up to moisture.

The problem with the tip-up is the exposed area between the panel and sub-panel.  The hinges make this a difficult area to seal.  As well, the very nature of the tail dragger is that the forward top fuselage skin slopes back toward the cockpit when parked.  And, of course, when you lift the canopy during a downpour, great sheets of water flow off the bubble onto the forward skin.  All that water then flows straight back toward your lap.

In my case, the radio trays bridge the gap between the panel and sub-panel.  They make a perfect channel for the rain to flow along.  My Terra radios have always worked perfectly even when they get doused.  First indication of moisture is the plasma display gets scrambled.  I turn the unit off until I feel they have dried out.

Of course, this is not a situation I particularly relish.  So I have finally fashioned a fix that seems to work.  I took some soft vinyl and sewed a Velcro strip to each end.  The vinyl is slightly wider than the gap between the panel and sub-panel.  The vinyl must be loose, so the forward canopy frame can still move freely through its range.  I glued some more Velcro under the weather strip mount on the sub-panel, and under the main panel reinforcing angle.  The vinyl is just long enough to fit between the canopy hinges.  The idea is to catch the water and channel it off to the sides.  All the electronic gear is under this umbrella.  In extreme cases, some of the cheaper (and, hopefully, more robust) instruments might get wet.

I am considering underlapping a piece on each side to complete the protection.  From there it would be an easy task to route the water to a drain.  I am hopeful that this simple fix will allow my radios to live a long and healthy life.

A member of the Web Standards Project	Support free speech.	Built on... ...FreeBSD
Van's Air Force Western Canada Wing is not affiliated in any way with Van's Aircraft Incorporated. Western Canada RVator is not a publication of Van's Aircraft or any other corporation. All products reviewed or mentioned are not necessarily recommended for use by RV builders, but are described for information only. All builder's tips are presented only as a source of information and a forum for exchange and the sharing of ideas and construction methods. No responsibility is assumed, expressed, or implied as to the suitability, accuracy, safety, or approval thereof. Any party using the suggestions, ideas, or examples does so at his or her own risk and discretion and without recourse against anyone. The members of Van's Air Force Western Canada Wing, the editor of the Western Canada RVator, and all authors and contributors are not responsible for any product or builder's tips misuse, incorrect construction, or design failure, nor any other peril. All material on this web site is copyright Van's Air Force Western Canada Wing, or copyright the attributed author, unless otherwise noted.