Sting Sport Canopy Gap

H. Paul Shuch is a Light Sport Repairman with Maintenance ratings for airplanes, gliders, weight shift control, and powered parachutes, as well as an independent Rotax Maintenance Technician at the Heavy Maintenance level. He holds a PhD in Air Transportation Engineering from the University of California, and serves as Director of Maintenance for AvSport of Lock Haven.

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JJay
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Location: Crescent City, FL

Re: Sting Sport Canopy Gap

Post by JJay »

JJay, I knew the previous owner, Eugene, and even shared a hangar with him at X35 for a while until he bought his C172. Hopefully with the knowledge here on the forum you'll get this sorted out soon.
Hi ShawnM - yes, Eugene is a great guy. Haven't talked to him in months. Glad to hear he got a 172, I knew that's what he was looking for.

Are you still at X35? What do you fly?
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2006 Sting Sport SLSA - N686N
PPL-ASEL, LSRM-A, iRMT
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JJay
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Re: Sting Sport Canopy Gap

Post by JJay »

Flightaware maintains what amounts to history of the plane registration , not sure how accurate it is thought ..

https://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N686N
Thanks Warmi. I didn't know Flightaware did that! The information there seems to jive with what the previous owner told me when I bought the plane. Now I have an accurate history. Awesome!
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2006 Sting Sport SLSA - N686N
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ShawnM
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Re: Sting Sport Canopy Gap

Post by ShawnM »

JJay wrote:
JJay, I knew the previous owner, Eugene, and even shared a hangar with him at X35 for a while until he bought his C172. Hopefully with the knowledge here on the forum you'll get this sorted out soon.
Hi ShawnM - yes, Eugene is a great guy. Haven't talked to him in months. Glad to hear he got a 172, I knew that's what he was looking for.

Are you still at X35? What do you fly?
Eugene has moved up to the Williston airport with his C172. He has a family he needed more room so he bought a C172 and got his private rating. I visited him a few months ago when I flew up for breakfast at Williston. Great restaurant if you are looking for a place to fly to.

I was only training at X35 like Eugene. I also lived in Gainesville like Eugene. X35 was the closest airport with a sport pilot instructor. I have since moved to Clearwater and I own a 2007 SportCruiser that I keep at KZPH.

Good luck with your canopy.
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drdehave
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Re: Sting Sport Canopy Gap

Post by drdehave »

It would be nice to know if this problem got resolved. :roll:
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JJay
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Re: Sting Sport Canopy Gap

Post by JJay »

I apologize for not following up sooner :oops: .

The issue is not really resolved. I have learned how to close the canopy much more quickly by using one hand to apply pressure at just the right spot toward the front and using a 3 inch PVC pipe for leverage to close the final latch with the other hand.

I spoke at length with Bill Canino at SportairUSA. His assumption is that the hinge tubes are no longer curved correctly. They are very difficult to replace because they are epoxied into the canopy. He thinks the best bet is to try to bend them back into shape. He has a couple ideas for how to do that but it is extremely risky because they're hollow tubes and if they crumple, I'm completely sunk. Cutting and welding them is not a better option because the metal is very thin and coated inside to resist corrosion, thus making them difficult to weld.

For now, I'm living with it. One day I may get it to KORK and let his guys take a crack at it. Maybe now that the FAA is talking about re-instituting the $500 rebate for ADS-B installation, I may have a better reason to make an appointment for that and the canopy problem at the same time.
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2006 Sting Sport SLSA - N686N
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TimTaylor
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Re: Sting Sport Canopy Gap

Post by TimTaylor »

I can't really tell from the picture, but it looks to me you might be able to fabricate a piece to insert between the rod and the part that is bolted to the dash such that it could be drilled with a hole that is slightly lower. Does this make sense? Of course, you would need to elongate the hole that is already there to lower it also.
Retired from flying.
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drseti
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Re: Sting Sport Canopy Gap

Post by drseti »

JJay wrote: One day I may get it to KORK and let his guys take a crack at it.
No, don't let anyone take a crack at it! I had a cracked canopy once - that gets expensive. You don't want to go there! ;)
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
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JJay
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Re: Sting Sport Canopy Gap

Post by JJay »

TimTaylor wrote:I can't really tell from the picture, but it looks to me you might be able to fabricate a piece to insert between the rod and the part that is bolted to the dash such that it could be drilled with a hole that is slightly lower. Does this make sense? Of course, you would need to elongate the hole that is already there to lower it also.
That does make sense. I've thought a lot about how to move those hinges down a few millimeters to close the gap. Trouble is, it's an SLSA, so a modification like that requires manufacturer approval - yes?
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TimTaylor
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Re: Sting Sport Canopy Gap

Post by TimTaylor »

Or just elongate the hole that is already there to bring it down slightly.

Other than that, is there a way to lower the piece that is attached to the canopy that the closure mechanism grabs onto? I have no idea what it looks like or how it is attached. This seems like a less desirable method because it looks like the real problem is the rods (or whatever they are) are not allowing the canopy to close as tightly as it should.
Retired from flying.
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