I have started work on the canopy installation after completing the fuselage header tank installation which was quite a big job as all the fuel system venting is incorporated into the fuselage tank. I am really looking forward to getting the canopy frame and forward deck and nose finished as this will pretty much complete the external structure of the aircraft and it will give me a good indication of how the finished product will look.
So this is how things look after gluing foam blocks to the canopy and the fuselage, then shaping with a surform type file plus sanding blocks and free hand sanding. This foam of course will be fibreglassed on the outside then it will be cut free and the inside fibreglassed.
Carving the nose to give the aircraft it's forward aerodynamic shape.
I am using blue styrofoam and a tool called a surform file to rough shape, finishing with sanding blocks and free hand sanding.
A flexible one metre long fibreglass rod was used as a yard stick to check the curvature.
