[Wing] RV-7 sliding canopy

[Dennis Voth]

We are having trouble fitting the rear skirts onto our sliding canopy and are wondering whether anyone else has had this problem.  I am not sure whether the 6 has this same curve in the canopy, but the nine likely would.  So, for any 7 or 9 builders:  HELP!

The problem is in the fact that the canopy does a concave curve at the rear.  This has created quite a "ducktail" just at the rivet line where we have to rivet the rear skirt through the plexiglass into the rear tube of the canopy frame.  This "ducktail" wants to throw the skirt up into the air (how indecent!), rather than it sitting nice and flat, so as to make connection with the rear fuselage skin when closed.

How do we get the skirt to come down to make this contact?  We have thought of putting a spacer along the forward edge of the skirt, from the rivet line forward, in order to bring up the front edge of the skirt, and thus lower the rear edge.  But this leaves a rather large lip.  We did try sanding off some of that "ducktail", but to get it all the way off would leave the rear edge of the plexi quite thin.  Would we run the risk of cracks developing from the rivet holes to the rear?

Any suggestions welcome!

Dennis Voth, Calgary
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