5-Jul-98: It looks like it fits! Slow cutting, bit by bit, with a cut-off wheel in the air drill at low pressure. As George Orndorff says: "Don't cut off anything you might want put back on later!"

5-Jul-98: Canopy work is progressing. All plexiglass holes are drilled oversize with the special plexi bits. The plexiglass is countersunk for flush pop rivets & #6 screws, which are then installed with stainless steel countersunk washers to spread the load.

28-Jul-98: Canopy sideskins cleko'd on. Other installations sometimes leave the side skirts overlapping the fuselage sides from halfway to the aft end. These were installed as the plans show, with the skirts trimmed level with the longerons. Turtle deck riveted. Empennage temporarily mounted.

27-Aug-98: Canopy just about complete! Another task that was easier to deal with than expected. The side & rear skirts fit pretty well. Gary VanRemortel's $10 cap joins the rear skirts over the track.

20-Feb-00: Canopy fairing fibre glass in place. Three layers of 2" tape on the canopy bow, four layers around the front of the windshield, using West System Epoxy Resin. The black electrical tape, used for masking, is still in place. The fibre glass overlaps the canopy plexiglass 1/4". Next step is filling with micro balloon mixture. The thermometer hanging inside allows checking that the temperature is maintained above 70 deg F.

28-Feb-00: Canopy fairing filled with micro balloon epoxy mixture & sanded down using electrical tape to mask the edges. It still needs a little more filling, but it's looking fine.