Canopy frame ..

Got to the canopy frame today. It was a ton of fun getting it togethor and watching it take shape on the airplane. 

3/8" x .035 tube, and the hardware you see in the pics for the latching mechanics is all cheap, mock up stuff. 

I have to make a disclaimer first ... I was told by another Sonerai 1 builder, who has a wonderfully built airplane, that the fuel tank that I am able to buy prefabricated is of different dimensions than the plans, and therefore interferes with the guage bow .. which is what the front canopy bow is based off of. Apparently it is longer .. which means different placement of the gauge bow than plans call for. After pondering this for a few days ... I decided to go ahead with the plans, and move forward. After ordering a cowl, money for a tank isnt available, nor do I want to have a tank sit around for 2 years. Gamble?? Yea, maybe .. but we will see in that stage of the game. 

So after a few hours of work, we got a working canopy frame. Spent some time on the latch's on each horizontal ... you can see the silver 2 bolts in the pics. I chose to put latches on both sides, as it will swing up, or easily come completely off. 

It is tougher than you think to make the curves match up ... I used the same technique on all four bows I bent up .. no heat, just a nice steady pull on each side and had great results. 

First thing, was to use some short 3/8 tube on each end to capture the inner sliding tube of the latch . Got them cut and formed and fitted. 

After that, I started fitting the bows, rear first. A little trimming and notching out, and tack it in. Then the front bow got the same treatment. 

The challenge tonight was the welding .. seems my Victor junior handle was having a hard time keeping a setting. Very irritating. And as a fairly inexperienced gas welder, I started with too little heat .. again a bit frustrating. But all worked out, and we were rolling. 

Example of the hinge setup .. this is front, left corner .. if you were in the cockpit. Not the prettiest welds, but they are plenty strong. 

So this is the setup I used at all for corners of the canopy. 

And the canopy opens, closes, and latch's very well. I have a safety lock device in mind, as I have heard of canopies coming open .. and I am not real excited about experiencing that.