Need to replace Sonex windscreen in near future.

[Brett]

I had a towel on there but have always thought I needed a very thin piece of rubber, but, never got around to it. It was quite windy and I didn't even think I spilled a drop but clearly that wasn't the case.
I'll ring around on Monday and see. The freight and exchange rate to Australia atm just destroys my soul from the US.

On a bright note, I've just ticked over 150 hours on the Sonex and 257 landings.... Such a great plane to fly....

[peter anson]

Hi Brett, there’s no problem buying polycarbonate sheet in Oz but you won’t be able to get a matching tint. I think that’s probably not a bad thing as a clear screen might improve forward vision. By the way, there’s a guy in SA can now blow complete canopies including screen. I have heard that they are a drop in fit and have much better optics than the Sonex canopies. I’ll post some details on the Sonex Australia site soon. My guess is that the Sonex screen is so steeply raked that a Perspex screen should be strong enough to repel bird strikes* and would be relatively immune from fuel spills.

* Even if you hit an eagle it’s probably going to destroy the prop first so you’ll have other things to think about.

Peter

[tomwasser]

Sheet Stock, Polycarbonate, 8 ftL x 48 inW x 0.118 in Thick, 180 °F Max. Temp. (F), Bronze
Item #
1ETX1
Grainger Industrial supply
grainger.com
Caution: 4x4 is too small. You can get 2 window patterns out of a 4x8 sheet.

[WaiexN143NM]

Hi tom,
thanks for the info. whats the shipping cost? I’ll look it up and see.
grainger lists that sheet for $204 plus tax plus $140 for shipping to sf ca.
i was at home depot the other day they had sheets of lexan in tint (bronze) in diff sizes.
i,ll look there again and get price.
home depot $243 buy at store no shipping. not avbl online.
sonex llc single windshield $160. plus shipping.
good heads up that 4x4 wont work.

WaiexN143NM
Michael

[WaiexN143NM]

Hi all,
Another source is tap plastics. a 4ftx8ft 1/8 lexan(polycarbonate) transparent gray sheet is $175.
too big to order online and ship, must buy instore. Some stores out of stock due to covid barrier need/use.
call your local tap plastcs dealer to see if any in stock.
they also can do custom cutting and size pieces.
tap plastics has AR abrasion resistant lexan claims resistant to scratches and chemicals(fuel?)
i ordered a sample piece 4 in sq. x 1/8. will do some tests with 100LL. only comes in clear.

WaiexN143NM
Michael

[Onex107]

We did a test, soaking the piece in gasoline, I think it was car gas, with no resulting cracks. But when we bent the piece and put some stress on the outer surface, it cracked. I wonder, I'm not a plastics engineer, if heating the windshield in the bent position, would relieve the bending stress and stop the cracking from dripped fuel?

[WaiexN143NM]

Hi all,
Yes, will curve the piece and drill a few holes in it to induce some stress. Dont know if car gas having the same effect as 100LL. Thanks for your testing and results.

WaiexN143NM
Michael

[DCASonex]

Soaking the piece in fuel is a bit more extreme than an occasional splash that would quickly run off or be wiped off. It also soaks the un-coated edges of your sample. Lexan does not usually form well with heat, but worth a try for the modest bend of the windshield. Will also need to watch how heat effects the surface coating. Might scratch test in small area before and after heating, and wipe on a bit of fuel before and after. The hard surface coat is very good for reducing scratching.

David A.