Canopy Cutout

We originally cut the canopy frame off using the dimensions in the manual but could not get it to swing properly. After seeing both Performance Aircraft and John Cook's Legends at Oshkosh, we bonded the aft section of the canopy back in place and re-cut it as shown.

The hinge had to be modified a bit to clear the aft deck, but it works great now with only an 1/8" gap at the rear. The outer cut is 4" aft of the canopy mounting flange forward edge.

These images illustrate how we reinforced the canopy bow with carbon fiber strands. We used a router to remove the foam core to a depth of 1/4". Then saturated the foam with resin and applied approximately 50 resin soaked strands of carbon fiber. The canopy cutout was then potted with flox and finished with two layers of glass. The canopy frame was done the same way.