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Old September 6th 19, 07:35 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Bob Kuykendall
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Default Replacement canopies

On Friday, September 6, 2019 at 7:25:40 AM UTC-7, wrote:
Is there anyone in the US that can blow a replacement canopy for a ASW20?


The factory canopy for the ASW, like that of pretty much every modern composite sailplane, is stretch molded over a plug or mandrel, not free-blown. That process provides precise control over the shape, so it fits the fuselage contours perfectly. The shape of a free-blown canopy is dictated by air pressure and stress in the acrylic membrane such that it is hard to control, and very unlikely to duplicate the contour of a molded canopy.

The place in the US that is most likely to be able to mold a canopy for ASW20 is Aircraft Windshields in Los Alamitos, CA, near LA. Contact them and ask if they have a plug for the '19 or '20. If not, either you or them would have to make the plug, in which case you are probably better off just buying the transparency from Schleicher.

The guy in Florida who took over Todds can probably free-blow a canopy for you. It might even look OK from certain perspectives. But overall it won't replace the factory unit.

--Bob K.