Chapter –XIII
Final Tasks
( Canopy etc. )
Now the canopy has to be changed to give the helicopter a trendy design so that it can be recognised well in the air. In
general, a light basic colour is reasonable to achieve a better visibility, even if the dark canopy possibly looks more elegant.
When choosing a dark canopy, light colours should be used for the window and the remaining design.
Curtis Youngblood - one of his first flights with his new
Rigid
in St. Johann / Austria April 2009
At first, download the small video film (111 MB) from our web-site, in which the attachment of the decal set is described.
Everyone can do this work, you only have to have a little patience. After some efforts you will hold a canopy in your hands
that nearly looks like being lacquered. In addition, you will have the satisfying feeling of having done it yourself. Even if you
have some difficulties at the first time, the second canopy will be perfect. In the case of a crash you do not have to be
frightened of losing a cost-extensive and time-consumingly lacquered canopy.
At first watch the video film completely. The playing time of the single steps is not shortened, so that you get a feeling of the
needed time. Only the mirror-inverted second side of the canopy has been prepared without having been filmed, in order to
decrease the duration of the film. Watch the single sequences a second time just before starting to work. Do not worry, if one
of the decal sheets gets damaged. Every single sheet can be delivered in addition.
Please do not try to attach the dry films to the canopy quickly. They can only be attached by covering the attachment side
and the canopy using water and washing-up liquid.
Attention!
Immediately pull up the decale from the paper whilst dropping it into the water. If the paper gets wet you have only
a few seconds for this job otherwise the paper sucks in the water and the surface between the decale and the paper will take
of from the paper and will glue onto the decale for ever so that you can´t use it any more.
Use a little trick to slip the canopy over the mechanics. Slightly widen the back of the canopy at the top. While assembling the
canopy incline it and position it with the top pointing to the bottom and the back pointing to the top. It is intended to slip the
rear upper opening gap of the canopy above the swash plate over the mechanics, in order not to widen it too far. If you turn
the rotor until it is located crosswisely to the fuselage, so that the rods are not disturbing, it is even simpler.
It is difficult to slide the rubber sleeves of the canopy onto the canopy mounts when it is cold or they are new. Use a small
amount of grease. Push any eyebolts through the cross-holes of the canopy mounts.
To remove the canopy reach into the cut-out from the bottom using your fingers and press against the canopy directly next to
the mount from inside. Otherwise you would damage the thin GFK material.
The (
www.henseleit-helicopters.de
) - decal sheet can be attached to the side of the tail boom directly in front of the strut
clamp, so that everyone sees where the Rigid comes from
Attention!
If the parts within the canopy are heated too much due to your rough manoeuvres or the summer weather, you can
add a triangular cut-out below the canopy in the front area just behind the tip for cooling purposes.
Draw the desired triangle and countersink it using a Dremel. On the top of page 36 you see an image with a corresponding
canopy. A relatively large version is shown here. A smaller version is also sufficient (has a lower slowing down effect
).
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