[simpits-tech] F16 Canopy Frame

[Marv De Beque]

Yeah, thought about that and when a real frame came along I bought it.

The canopy itself will make a good sound structure, but to lift it, I would
recommend steel or aluminum as a frame.  Steel is nice since you can easily
weld it.  Problem is, it is heavy and the canopy weighs too much as it is.
Aluminum is hard to weld and expensive.

An alternative would be to make one from carbon fiber.  Carbon fiber is very
light and extremely strong.  Go to:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/index.php

They sell carbon fiber cloth and the resin needed to make what you need.
You can hand lay it easy enough, but you will need many layers.  You can use
cardboard as a starting frame and layer over that to build up the frame.
However, you may also want to consider using aluminum tubing as a core for
additional strength.

What ever you do it will most likely not be cheap.

Marv


On 3/11/03 7:03 PM, "Jim K." <JimK@sisna.com> wrote:

> Hi All,
> Say, has anyone out there tried to make a canopy frame for a F16 pit???
> I've got a trashed A model canopy and I'm thinking a frame for it would be
> cool.  :-)
> Jim
> 
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