Noisy Mecaplex Window

[[email protected]]

The Mecaplex sliding window on my ASW 24 emits a loud whistle while in
the closed position, at all airspeeds.
The noise can be made to go away if I press firmly outward at the
trailing edge of the sliding window.

After a while it is so bothersome as to give me a headache. I have
tried stuffing a piece of paper towel in between canopy and window and
this will quiet the noise for the rest of the flight.

Note this canopy is a replacement, not original equipment.

Any ideas for a permanent fix would be appreciated.

Dan Fitzgerald

[bumper]

Dan,

I'm sure you'll get a more informed answer than mine, as I'm still fairly
new to soaring.

The Mecaplex sliding window is held outward, against the canopy opening, by
two leaf springs that are riveted to the sliding portion of the window. It
could be that these springs are worn or have been bent so they don't provide
the original tension.

Trying to remove these springs may result in a cracked window if not very
careful. It may be possible to bend the springs a little to provide more
outward pressure (don't over do this or you'll weaken and ruin the spring).
You'll have to remove one rail to get the window out. To prevent cracking,
be sure not to over-tighten the mounting screws when re-installing the rail.

With the sliding window closed, closely inspect the "seal" for gaps.

To cure a sticking or hard opening sliding window (not the problem you asked
about, I know), spray a bit of silicone spray on a Q-tip and use this to
wipe and clean the slide rails.

Shameless ad: To quieten the flip out window vent, get a Quiet Vent kit (g).

all the best,

--
bumper ZZ (reverse all after @)>
"Dare to be different . . . circle in sink."
QV kit and MKII Yaw String
> wrote in message
ps.com...
> The Mecaplex sliding window on my ASW 24 emits a loud whistle while in
> the closed position, at all airspeeds.
> The noise can be made to go away if I press firmly outward at the
> trailing edge of the sliding window.
>
> After a while it is so bothersome as to give me a headache. I have
> tried stuffing a piece of paper towel in between canopy and window and
> this will quiet the noise for the rest of the flight.
>
> Note this canopy is a replacement, not original equipment.
>
> Any ideas for a permanent fix would be appreciated.
>
> Dan Fitzgerald
>

[nimbus]

Don't forget also to put vaseline in the trail where the window is
moving. It helps a lot !

On 25 fév, 07:32, "bumper" > wrote:
> Dan,
>
> I'm sure you'll get a more informed answer than mine, as I'm still fairly
> new to soaring.
>
> The Mecaplex sliding window is held outward, against the canopy opening, by
> two leaf springs that are riveted to the sliding portion of the window. It
> could be that these springs are worn or have been bent so they don't provide
> the original tension.
>
> Trying to remove these springs may result in a cracked window if not very
> careful. It may be possible to bend the springs a little to provide more
> outward pressure (don't over do this or you'll weaken and ruin the spring).
> You'll have to remove one rail to get the window out. To prevent cracking,
> be sure not to over-tighten the mounting screws when re-installing the rail.
>
> With the sliding window closed, closely inspect the "seal" for gaps.
>
> To cure a sticking or hard opening sliding window (not the problem you asked
> about, I know), spray a bit of silicone spray on a Q-tip and use this to
> wipe and clean the slide rails.
>
> Shameless ad: To quieten the flip out window vent, get a Quiet Vent kit (g).
>
> all the best,
>
> --
> bumper ZZ (reverse all after @)>
> "Dare to be different . . . circle in sink."
> QV kit and MKII Yaw > wrote in message
>
> ps.com...> The Mecaplex sliding window on my ASW 24 emits a loud whistle while in
> > the closed position, at all airspeeds.
> > The noise can be made to go away if I press firmly outward at the
> > trailing edge of the sliding window.
>
> > After a while it is so bothersome as to give me a headache. I have
> > tried stuffing a piece of paper towel in between canopy and window and
> > this will quiet the noise for the rest of the flight.
>
> > Note this canopy is a replacement, not original equipment.
>
> > Any ideas for a permanent fix would be appreciated.
>
> > Dan Fitzgerald

[bumper]

"nimbus" > wrote in message
oups.com...
Don't forget also to put vaseline in the trail where the window is
moving. It helps a lot !

The only problem with Vaseline, like grease, it will retain dirt, dust and
sand. If not removed and replaced often, the dirt in the grease will act as
an abrasive to cause rapid wear to sliding surfaces. That's why I
recommended using a Q-tip, wetted with silicone spray, to wipe (lubricate)
and clean the tracks. Since not all silicone spray carriers are created
equal, it's good to test the spray first to be sure it doesn't leave an oily
residue.

Try it! I think you'll find it works as well as Vaseline, and without the
mess. (I'm sure Vaseline is better for other things though, just can't
remember what.)



bumper

[Phil Jeffery]

I had a similar problem a while ago when the sliding portion no longer had
the same curve as the canopy causing a slight gap. I fixed it by removing
the window, immersing in very hot/boiling water which allowed me to bend it
sufficiently to match the canopy.

Phil

> wrote in message
ps.com...
> The Mecaplex sliding window on my ASW 24 emits a loud whistle while in
> the closed position, at all airspeeds.
> The noise can be made to go away if I press firmly outward at the
> trailing edge of the sliding window.
>
> After a while it is so bothersome as to give me a headache. I have
> tried stuffing a piece of paper towel in between canopy and window and
> this will quiet the noise for the rest of the flight.
>
> Note this canopy is a replacement, not original equipment.
>
> Any ideas for a permanent fix would be appreciated.
>
> Dan Fitzgerald
>

[Bob Kuykendall]

Earlier, "Phil Jeffery" wrote:
> I had a similar problem a while ago when the sliding
> portion no longer had the same curve as the canopy
> causing a slight gap.

I've also had a similar problem, fixed with a similar solution. My
window was twisted out of profile; it touched along the front and top
edges, and stood proud at the bottom rear corner. I used a heat gun to
carefully heat the window into its plastic range, and then torqued it
back to shape.

Oh, I practiced on an acrylic scrap before attacking the window
proper. That helped.

Bob K.
http://www.hpaircraft.com/hp-24

[Airjunkie]

On Feb 24, 10:06?pm, wrote:
> The Mecaplex sliding window on my ASW 24 emits a loud whistle while in
> the closed position, at all airspeeds.
> The noise can be made to go away if I press firmly outward at the
> trailing edge of the sliding window.
>
> After a while it is so bothersome as to give me a headache. I have
> tried stuffing a piece of paper towel in between canopy and window and
> this will quiet the noise for the rest of the flight.
>
> Note this canopy is a replacement, not original equipment.
>
> Any ideas for a permanent fix would be appreciated.
>
> Dan Fitzgerald

Dan;
Your flights are simply too long. A fellow like you (old hang glider
guy) shouldn't need more than 20-30 minutes in the air - max. Stop
worrying about the OLC - most of us can't get the daily results to
come up anyway. Any old dangle diver dude should also know the real
solution is duct tape. Don't just cover up the offending opening with
the magic elixir tape, but get most of the canopy too. This will keep
the sun off of you, and the less you see, the less you will worry
about. Headache will be gone.
Your pal
Bill Liscomb

[Eric Greenwell]

wrote:
> The Mecaplex sliding window on my ASW 24 emits a loud whistle while in
> the closed position, at all airspeeds.
> The noise can be made to go away if I press firmly outward at the
> trailing edge of the sliding window.

If pressing at one or both of the rear CORNERS helps, as it does on my
window, a small rubber wedge can be used between the slider and the rail
to apply the pressure. I use a short piece of surgical tubing pressed
into the track at the lower corner on mine.

If you have to press on the center/rear of the slider to stop the noise,
re-curving (as others have suggested) it should work. If you botch the
re-curving, you'll need to replace it. Send a template of the canopy
curvature to the dealer, who can sort through his stock of sliders for
one that matches your canopy.

Years ago, Karl Striedieck told me that one of the good things about
being a sailplane dealer was he could always find the perfectly fitting
slider for his new glider!

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

[fstupka]

Hi Dan,

I (still) have a similar problem on my Ventus. I can make the noise
go away by pushing on the front edge of the window. So I tried a
quick fix by attaching a thin piece of mylar over the leading edge of
the window outside, slightly overlapping the opening. This worked to
some extent. I will explore the more permanent fixes described
above.

See you in Warner one of these days,

Ferdinand