Thanks guys... I'm not going to be able to put off the flying bit for much longer
Phil from Fighteraces sent me a short video he took on his phone of the engine runs, Phil you need to get a better phone! [
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After the engine runs it was just a few weeks to go before the first water based tests which was going to be a push. We had to book the lake and flights etc… for the team months in advance and with the lull in the pandemic it was probably going to be our only chance to get some tests in this year. Anything we learn from these could be addressed over the winter ready for further tests when circumstances allow. Unfortunately the tests had to be private as we couldn’t accommodate spectators with the COVID restriction in place at the time.
The model above the waterline isn’t designed to be water tight but it is important that it is splash proof. One of the areas I’ve put off doing for a long time is the cockpit seal as I couldn’t decide on the best way to approach this. In the end we created a 1mm recess around the inside of the canopy and use 1.5mm neoprene rubber with a compression of 40%. This allows the canopy to close then the locking mechanism pulls it down compressing the seal but still keeps the canopy flush to the fuselage. Due to time constraints I couldn’t detail the canopy myself so luckily FightAces managed find time to do the detail work and make the recess. Within a few weeks it was back with me and looking really good. Thanks Fighteraces.
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The locking mechanism consists of two conical latches that actuate via a servo. These extend into a recess on the front of the canopy and gradually pull the canopy down.
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