ORIGINAL: F106A
The problem making the canopy operation scale is the square panel mounted on the fuse right behind the canopy. On the real plane, as the canopy opens, it moves rearward and then opens and the door raises and moves aft with the canopy. All the pictures I've seen of models do not have the panel, it's just part of the rear canopy. Also, the canopy is raised/lowered using a ''folding'' bracket that is attached to a jack screw that powers the mechanisim. On the models I've seen, they just attach the piston rod from an air cylinder to the canopy to operate it.
Details4scale has a canopy system for the A-10 but I'm not sure if it uses the folding bracket or just an air cylinder for operation. Also I'm not sure about whether the small door is represented.
Do a Google search on the A-10, you'll find lots of walk arounds including numerous cockpit shots from the prototype through the
A-10C.
There's an excellent book on the A-10 that shows all the detail you could ever want but it's pricey, around $45. Unless you're going to really detail it a search will give you a lot of info.
BRG,
Jon
Jon,
Funny you should mention how the real one works. Our mechanism first lifts the rear of the canopy to clear the small door, then slides the canopy aft while raising the door behind the canopy slightly so the canopy hinge bars will clear when the canopy raises. It's not exactly like the real thing, but very, very close. Here's a photo of the canopy system installed (courtesy of Bob Levine). You'll notice in the photo that the door behind the canopy is lifted just slightly with the canopy open.
Dan