Sport Pilot Talk

Hi!
I left the Cirrus World about four years ago. However to my surprise I got the flying bug again! I shopped and looked at all options.
I ended up buying a Tecnam Astore which seems like a great way to reintroduce myself into the flying world once again. The only obvious problem with this aircraft is the clear canopy cover that sits above my unprotected gourd and skin. In looking for a solution I found this company -Kroger Sunshade- that may help solve the problem. I wondered if any other owner had installed this sunshade and had an opinion about its effectiveness. And can the permanently clumsy and inept, I'm thinking me, have any luck with the shade installation or is the installation better left to the handy and capable - I believe drilling is involved. Does anyone have any other solutions or remedies for dealing with intense heat and sun in the cockpit? Thank you for any suggestions!!!

BTW in my Cirrus I used the "Icebox" for summer cooling with separate battery power and it worked rather well for about 2 hours. However, you have to lug around a couple bags of ice for cooling. The "Icebox" with ice weighs about 40lbs, if you were wondering!!
Be Well and Stay Safe

My plane came equipped with the shade and I use it quite a bit.

It is not the same as AC of course, but the only time we ever get hot is on the ground only - the shade works just fine in the summer ( to block the direct sun heat ) and in the winter ( as a pure sunlight shade )

I had the Koger sunshade on my first Evektor SportStar (came factory-installed). It was very effective, easy to use, and quite reliable. I would not, however, recommend a self-install. One little mistake and you'll be buying a new $5000 canopy!

If your Astore is an SLSA, bear in mind that you'll require a Letter of Authorization from Tecnam. It will spell out the qualifications they will require of the person doing the installation (most likely an LSRM).

As for the ice box, note that the Astore is one of the heavier LSAs, so you will be payload limited. With two people, reasonable fuel, and a bit of luggage, the ice box may well take you outside of the safe loading envelope.

My Sling 2 comes from the factory with a sun shade similar to the Kroger, but attaches with suction cups, fore and aft. I’m not sure if it’s produced in house or commercially manufactured.

If you are trying to search for these it's spelled Koger Sun Shades, there's no "R" in the name.

https://kogersunshades.com/

I love this sun shade, it's very easy to adjust, quickly I might add, and it works great. My 2007 SportCruiser came from the factory with the Koger Sunshade and the support rail or bow is held in place with double sided tape. Just buy the tape-attach version and not the screw-attach version. They make a large and small "universal" version for most aircraft. The tape they supply is amazing and holds very, very well. I bought my plane used 7 years ago and the bow was coming off the canopy in a few places. I called Koger and they sent me tape for free to reattach the bow. Great customer support. Still in the same place after 7 years in the Florida sun. The key is to spend time bending and curving the bow so it matches your canopy curve exactly. Oh, and make damn sure you have it centered and where you want it before you stick it to the canopy, it's not coming back off.

My AMD Zodiac also came with the Koger Sunshade, and without it slid forward on a hot sunny day it feels like I'm in an oven with the broiler on. Most bubble canopy LSAs I've seen have them installed.

I wouldn't mind a very short version of that to put up in the skylight of my CT.

MrMorden wrote:I wouldn't mind a very short version of that to put up in the skylight of my CT.

Koger also makes custom sunshades. If you send them the dimensions you require, I'm sure they can provide one to fit.

MrMorden wrote:I wouldn't mind a very short version of that to put up in the skylight of my CT.

You might try Just Plane Tint. The universal plane tint might work for the skylight at a pretty reasonable price.