To mark the passage of the 1000th working hour, we decided to get the canopy out of its storage in our neighbours garage. Antoine gave a hand and Sabine did the photo report.













Our neighbour Michel is monitoring our actions.

I was not very happy with the left forward skin position. Today's investigations showed that the gap between the siderail and the canopy deck whiich is supposed to be 1/8, closed completely after riveting and forced the forward frame upward. The closed gap can be seen on the picture forward of the green adhesive.



On this picture the postion is correct, but the 1/8 spacer had to be forced into position. So I drilled out some rivets I thought my cause the problem and this proved correct. The two upper left rivets and the forward rivets on the splice plate where causing some tension on the parts. The small wedge proved also to be not thick enough.



So I fabricated a new wedge, reamed some holes that were slightly misaligned and all looks better now if id the gap is a it less than 1/8.

Today I work on a small modification of the part joining the rear fuselage and the roll bar. I fabricate a cover for the part and tap a delrin bloc to accept the tie down rings. This will allow the rings to be stored during flight. They will also double as coat hangers.



Here the parts installed in the fuselage. I may install a dome light forward of the rings.



As the weather is sunny, I begin painting the interior parts. I use Rustoleom paint available at Weber Materiaux in Paris.

Today's afternoon I installed the lifting struts on the canopy. Here the forward support is bolted to the frame.



As the screws are countersunk, the skin needs to be dimpled (the two big holes on the right) and the frame countersunk. The countersink being quite deep, I used the forward support bloc as a guide and screwed it as shown.



Then the rear mount is installed in the fuselage. To get it to the correct position, I make a template of the closed strut with some aluminium laying around.



The mount is to be bolted to the canopy deck, but acces to the bolts (and washers) is marginal. So I stole the idea of other builders and made a platenut plate that also acts as an antirotation device.



An here the strut is fully installed.

First the workshop gets a spring clean-up. Then I rivet the clips to canopy reinforcing braces.



I cleco again all the skins to try to find where my small problems might be. I have a small problem with the right hinge binding a bit. Then I simulated the shims needed to raise the skin at the center, still quite thick. I'll fabricate them later as the frame is supposed to move during the installation of the struts and of the canopy.