If you look at the photo link in my original post,
there is a photo of Mark duplicating the hot spot with
a flashlight.

http://www.silentwingsairshows.com/canopy.html

I tried it with the jet Silent this morning, and sure
as s**t when the canopy is open and the tail is pointed
toward a low sun, it gets smokin' hot just up near
the rudder pedals.

Bob C.

At 18:30 05 May 2004, Robert Ehrlich wrote:
Finbar wrote:

I think I can see how this would happen with the canopy
open, and the
sunlight hitting it from 'inside,' reflecting off
the canopy surface
onto the focal point of the almost-parabolic canopy.
I'm still
holding onto the idea, though, that this can't happen
in flight
because the sun can't hit the canopy from the inside.
The thought of
an in-flight cockpit fire is really not comforting.
Has anyone had
solar/canopy - related charring happen in flight?

I completely agree, focusing solar light can only occur
by reflection,
by transmission, as the canopy has parallel inner and
outer surfaces, it
cannot change the direction of light rays, only slightly
offset them.
Hey, this is just why we can see through it as if it
were not there !