38 - Canopy and Window (finished canopy assembly; drilled canopy to canopy assembly)

This section is taking forever; but, a shout-out to Van's for such excellent engineering - the canopy frame is light as can be, and very strong. Once the canopy was match- and final-drilled, and clecoed to the canopy frame, it became even sturdier.  Note to other builders:  take your time drilling and use proper plexi bits (I purchased from Abbeon) until you hit metal, and then switch over to jobbers for the aluminum.  Here are the main details for the past couple of weeks (thanks to my wife for helping me mount and remove the canopy and canopy frame multiple times this session):

- clecoed and final-drilled canopy assembly; removed all clecos; riveted canopy handle assembly together and to the aft canopy frame (after deburring edges of all parts)
- countersunk canopy rail assemblies, canopy handles, and forward canopy rails; dimpled canopy side skin and main canopy skin; dimpled support flange; deburred all holes that were drilled; clecoed main canopy skin and forward canopy rails to the canopy frame assembly
- riveted canopy assembly and canopy frame closeout making sure to check each side is level every FOUR rivets
- riveted canopy rail assemblies to canopy assembly
- riveted canopy frame assembly to canopy assembly; attached switched brackets and canopy pin blocks to canopy assembly; installed canopy assembly on fuselage
- removed plastic covering on edges of plexi canopy; first fitting of plexi canopy on canopy frame assembly; marked aft edge for trimming with painter’s tape
- trimmed aft edge using small pneumatic belt sander, sharp file, ceramic scraper, and 80-220grit sanding blocks; started chamfering of forward edge with ceramic scraper
- chamfered forward edge, re-fit and re-trimmed aft edge (was a little under 1/32” away from window shim), filed and scraped canopy contact areas
- filed forward canopy to contact canopy skin as much as possible; trimmed inside of canopy side edges to fit against side rails; weighed down canopy with two 10lb and one 5lb weights; final and match drilled #40 canopy to canopy assembly; marked forward of canopy onto skin to demarcate area to paint matte black

Clecoed and final-drilled canopy rails to canopy assembly:

Another view:

Drilling canopy handle assembly to aft canopy frame:

Riveted canopy handle assembly to aft canopy frame:

Riveted canopy skin (not shown) and closeout section:

Starting to rivet canopy rails to canopy assembly:

Riveting bottom rivets of canopy rails to canopy assembly:

Riveting aft canopy frame to canopy rails:

Attaching wooden spacers to aft canopy frame:

Canopy assembly installed on fuselage:

Another view:

Canopy frame assembly, closed on fuselage:

My wife, helping position canopy on canopy assembly:

Marking area of aft canopy to trim (approx. 5/32"):

Second or third fitting of canopy, with wife inside, using the feeler gauge to determine how much to file down the forward sections of the canopy:

Marking areas to be filed/trimmed:

Other side:

Filing down those areas on canopy:

Done filing/shaping/trimming/sanding/scraping the canopy (at least for now):

Weights placed on the forward-center (5lb) and forward-outboard (10lb ea.) of canopy helped to match- and final-drill #40 holes through canopy into rails and aft canopy frame:

Another view:

Inside view - I can more easily visualize sitting in the left seat: