Fastback 23


In my last post, I advised not to trim too much. Naturally, I wound up trimming too much in my very next session. I needed to trim the forward portion of the left side in order to fit the forward section of the skirt.

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The gap between the skirt and the rail is the amount I over trimmed.

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I tabled repairing that mistake. Since the epoxy would need to set, I would affect the repair as my last task for the session. In the meantime, I continued work on fitting the forward section of the canopy skirt.

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There is some interference with the fillet and instrument cover on the left side. I marked the area for further sanding.

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The instructions also detail adding an additional rivet location for the hinge. Here you can see the mark for where to place that rivet.

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Turning my attention to the hinge, I trimmed the hinge to fit.

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I clamped the hinge to the left side, and ensured the outer edge was flush.IMG_4813 IMG_4814

At this point, you trim an additional 3/16″ off the right side of the canopy skirt to allow the hinge to canopy to open. IMG_4816 IMG_4817

With the 3/16 removed, I positioned the canopy skirt on the fuselage and taped it in the four corners and at the front.

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I marked the hinge locations for drilling, and knocked out the drilling in no time.

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Before leaving, I repaired my over zealous trimming from earlier. I used a scrap section of the canopy skirt and flox. After this is set, I will likely put some glass layers on the reverse side for additional strength.

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About Peter

plbarrett.com | Certified Flight Instructor (Single & Multi-Engine, Instrument, and Advanced Ground) | Commercial Helicopter

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