After months of keeping canopy cutting out of my mind for fear it would be a disaster, the time has come.  It is on the table ready for the unwrapping.

After measuring and marking with heavy tape, the canopy is set up for cutting.

In response to my cowardly pleas, Dennis came by and lent his hand at the cutoff wheel.  He started by trimming the excess material around the skirt.  He started by cutting off some of the big pieces.

Next, he trimmed the sides all around to a point very close to what we had measured.

Then came the big cut.  I didn't get any pictures because I was helping (and worrying).  In the end, the big cut was no big deal.

This is the cut line across the canopy.  You can't see it very well, but the cut is reasonably smooth and will take only a little sanding -- I hope!

As it turns out, the measurements were reasonably accurate.  The windshield portion fit to the fuselage deck rather nicely all the way around.  Only minor trimming required here.

After some fitting and trimming on the canopy, I drilled the hole for the handle as a center point.  It was the first step in locking the canopy in place.

Previous Day | HOME | Next Day