Sonex Canopy

[13brv3]

After this happened to me I am very cautious with my canopy, fearful actually.

It would be pretty unfortunate if that happened at a remote airport on a cross country flight...

Rusty

[aferddaberts]

Would someone tell me how is the best way to make a fairing ? I’m talking about the small fairing that cover where the ruddervator and stabilator push rods and cables exit the fuselage. Refer to page WIX C05 to see what I’m talking about. There’s probably an easy way to do it but I haven’t figured it out, and I would appreciate some input.
Thanks

AL Roberts W0209

[fastj22]

Would someone tell me how is the best way to make a fairing ? I’m talking about the small fairing that cover where the ruddervator and stabilator push rods and cables exit the fuselage. Refer to page WIX C05 to see what I’m talking about. There’s probably an easy way to do it but I haven’t figured it out, and I would appreciate some input.
Thanks

AL Roberts W0209

I cut out the aluminum from the drawings then annealed it to soften it up to work. I clamped a wooden dowl in a vice and just slowly worked it into shape for the pushrod exits and top fairing. The cable exits I just bent it around a rod then flanged the ends.

To anneal, you just mark it up with a sharpie and use a propane torch to heat it until the marks disappear. Let cool.

[tonyr]

After this happened to me I am very cautious with my canopy, fearful actually..

The other gottcha is the canopy blowing shut whilst leaning over the cockpit, I am fearful of getting sconed by those damn lock tangs again!

[SonexEZ]

I recently inspected a Sonex under construction about 95% completed. Builder has done an excellent job. During my inspection, I became focused on the canopy design. The more I looked, the more I became skeptical about the frame design, rigidity, and fit and finish. When I finished my review, my conclusion was the whole canopy design of the Sonex is feable at best, especially the frame where the aft canopy section mates with the forward section. The Sonex frame, a bent piece of tubing, how crude.
Are any other builders out there that have improved the canopy design and are flying a Sonex with this improved design. My thoughts would be to build one piece hinged canopy design with a carbon fiber frame similar to European Glider designs. These canopy designs have the canopy supported in a carbon fiber frame around the complete profile and this canopy and frame sets into a frame attached to the aircraft. Yes, it would weigh a few more lbs than the current design, but would be far more durable.
What do the current builders and owners of Sonex aircraft feel about the Sonex Canopy design?

1/3 of the front of my canopy dosent fit very good i have had it in a heavy rain before and only got a few drops but if i was going a differewnt direction it could be bad , I would also like to find a better way of doing this , my canopy goes front to back not like most that swing to the side , i am making up a seal for the rear of the canopy and hope it dosent leak

[onex28]

Here is what I think I will do when I finish my build, park the plane so the wind is coming from the right side. Get out, lock the canopy and reposition if necessary. Reverse the procedure when leaving. It's your plane, protect the canopy. Sounds simple but you are the PIC.

[mike.smith]

After this happened to me I am very cautious with my canopy, fearful actually.

When it is closed it is ok, however when it is open I feel it is pretty frail.

This was the new material, on a 90 degree day. It was mostly shut with the latch hooks resting on the longeron and I accidentally leaned against it, very lightly I would add, and heard a bone chilling pop. I knew right away what it was. It broke at the holes where the screws attach it to the hinge. There were no cracks around any of the holes before it blew out.

For me I was on the way back from Airventure this summer. I had the canopy open on a no-wind day. Suddenly the nut holding the screw that holds the canopy cable fell off and that let the canopy swing all the way over and hit the right wing. All that force cracked the canopy across the entire hinge line, front to back. The same thing happened to another Sonex owner several years ago, but his canopy shattered when it hit the wing. In my case I used some duct tape to tape the inside and outside of the crack and it'd held for the past 20 hours of flight.

I ordered a new canopy from Todd's. I want to give that material a try. I'm going to leave the windscreen in place and just replace the broken canopy.

[fastj22]

Over 200 hours on my swing back canopy. Zero cracks and never worry about leaving the canopy open. My only problem is when taxiing and anything above idle, the canopy will lift up a bit. Sure it added some weight and complexity, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I've flown a Sonex with the swing over and it just seems very fragile until its closed.

[Pickleman]

I have not yet flown, but have built a canopy out of foam and carbon fiber. It is very stiff. Negatives, the front arch is a little over an inch deep. Compared to the Sonex tubing, you lose a little visability.
It is also probably heavier than the stock frame.

There is aluminum angle embedded in the hinge and latch sides to give a surface to rivet to. Once the frame was made, and before glassing in place, I used a two inch, flannel covered heavy aluminum angle and a heat gun to reform the canopy on the sides, flattening the "bubble" sides of the canopy. This may make it more brittle. I have done some research and also heated and stressed scraps and was satisfied that it would survive the reforming process. The front windshield arch was replaced with formed chromoly tubing, and has an aluminum flange wrapped around it with nut plates riveted for the windshield attach points. It is wide enough for the carbon fiber to seal against. The canopy also has a flange over the turtleneck, kind of like an RV. It is three layers thick, and tapers a bit to reduce drag.

If someone wants pics or can resize and post them, I will send some. I am in the process of filling and sanding the weave now, so it's not finished, but is enough there to give an idea.

[aferddaberts]

My thanks to Fast22 for the tip regarding my question "How to make fairings". I didn't know about that Annealing trick. I had made a male and female mold out of hardwood, but when I pressed the aluminum into the molds, the tip at the small end would split. Softening the amuminum did the trick, so now I have four "factory " looking fairings. Thanks again Fast22.

Al Roberts W0209