Finish Kit

With the canopy attached to the frame my time has been spent fitting the skins. Because of the space - 1/8"- between the canopy and frame and a similar space between the canopy and exterior skins I think the whole structure is slightly larger than the typical -4 canopy. Apart from the fact that there was little trimming of the skins to do at the rear, this does not seem to present a problem.

In these pictures the skins are fitted, the spacers for the glue installed. I Would like to find sacrificial spacers that can be left inside the finished article but, to date, have not been able to find anything appropriate for sale in Europe.

The fit of the canopy over the rear fuselage is crucial and if I can get it glued and stable as it currently is, I will be pretty happy.

I look forward to getting rid of all the various layers of tape, masking tape, giving it a good clean and recovering it with a new sheet of plastic. It will be a while yet.

It will finish up as a very strong structure. I would think it is several ounces heavier than the riveted equivalent, but that is a price worth paying if I avoid cracks. It will also be waterproof!