Chapter 18 - Step 5

This step has you add the windows to the turtleback.

Canopy Crate May 6, 2004. Here is my new canopy and windows as delivered from Todd's Canopies.

New Canopy May 6, 2004. Cool, I got one of each. I ordered a clear canopy but there is also a tinted one in here too. Turns out it is a dud canopy used to protect the real one. Now that I've seen the tinted I'm second guessing my choice of clear.

Window Cutouts May 8, 2004. The turtle back with all the cutouts for the windows.

Window Cutout May 8, 2004. A shot from the inside of one of the cutouts.

Test Fitting Window May 9, 2004. Here is one of the windows being test fitted in place and masked off for protection.

Protecting Window May 9, 2004. The same window showing all the tape and plastic to protect it during installation.

Preparing Window May 9, 2004. Here's the window again after sanding the edge for floxing into the turtleback.

Installing Windows May 13, 2004. I don't have any clecos so I rigged up this mess to hold the windows in place while the flox cures. The foam is wedged between the window and the clamped board, holding the window against the turtleback.

Installing Windows May 13, 2004. A shot from the outside showing the windows being held in place for cure.

Its' An Airplane! May 14, 2004. I just had to set the turleback and canopy in place on the fuselage. It's not a tub anymore (at least for the next 5 minutes). Way cool!

May 14, 2004. Another view of the same.

View From the Back May 14, 2004. Looking in from the back.

Masking Windows June 3, 2005. I finally got around to masking the outsides of all the windows. I started with a layer of high quality 3M electrical tape. This won't leave any adhesive residue after a few years (I hope).

Masking Windows June 3, 2005. On top of the electrical tape I added a layer of masking tape as an extra layer of protection.

Filling the Window Cutout June 4, 2005. There is a lot of space around the window cutout on the interior of the turtleback. Being the anal person I am I decided to fill this in. Here you can see some foam that has been cut out and set in place to fill the cutout.

Filling the Window Cutout June 4, 2005. Here is the same foam after laying the previously removed fiberglass. You can see the foam extends too far over the window and needs to be trimmed to match the fiberglass.

Filling the Window Cutout June 4, 2005. Here's a closer shot of the foam after trimming to size. It has also been sanded thinner so the fiberglass piece sits flush with the rest of the fiberglass interior.

Filling the Window Cutout June 4, 2005. And this last shot shows the fiberglass piece back in place over the trimmed foam.

Filling the Window Cutout August 13, 2006. Two years. Yikes. I'm finally finishing up the window trim. Here is one corner before adding the new filler foam and replacing the removed glass.