To F-16 Maintainers: How to remove the Canopy
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Here is the dedicated tool :
https://www.amazon.fr/Bosch-Professional-060157A000-Scie-circulaire/dp/B0014M2DOY
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In regard to the actual question, I’ll take some guesses based on what I know about how a Hornet canopy is attached…which is to say - it isn’t actually “attached”. A Hornet canopy has two forks at the back end that engage pivot points on the airframe and the only thing that actually holds it on the jet are the seal hooks and being driven into the fully closed position by the drive motor. Remove two small screws and a couple canon plugs and six guys can simply lift the canopy off. The reason it works this way is so the canopy can be jettisoned, and I’d certainly expect something similar on a Viper, or with any jettisonable canopy.
…so…looking at pictures of the Viper canopy and frame, it appears somewhat similar in theory. If you can get the thing open, you should see this thing toward the aft end of the canopy -
https://designer.home.xs4all.nl/aircraft/af-16/f16-mlu-canopy1a.jpg
This cross-bar is the canopy pivot. From the look of it all of the drive hardware attaches to this bar, and all you need do is to detach the drive motor rods and electrical connections and lift the canopy off - at least, that’s what it looks like from pictures of actual jets; double check your Trainer. Also note that this is a picture of a canopy on a work stand, so the pivot assembly comes off with the canopy - which is what leads me to think that all you need do is disconnect the drive mechanics and cannon plugs at this cross member.
Viper Crew Chiefs feel free to tighten me up…
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Ok Mav, you got me hehehe… Stevie I believe you are right. I’ll check it out. I may have just not lifted it hight enough.
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How much does it weigh?
The whole thing, I mean.
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How much does it weigh?
The whole thing, I mean.
The canopy and frame weighs about 180lbs. Its a special trainer only thin canopy, maybe 3/8" thick? The stock canopy weighs about 220.
If you mean how much does the whole trainer weigh, I would guess about 1800 lbs or more. -
Pull the eject handle!
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THe big question… does this part use the original canopy mechanism or an indiviual one?
You said, you can open it? So can you load up some pictures of the machnism in the back?On this video you see some details:
The canopy is mountet to this horizonmtals stab on the hydraulic cylinder. And also on the close mechanism (you can see at 0:14 on the back side.) That si when he tells her tu push the knop a second time because it was not closed complete.
Normal you do this with a crane… then you relese the fitting on the bar and on the bottom of the canopy. Then you can lift it out…But there should be some maintainer around here, they can expain that much better. I just saw it once long time ago.
BTW: Crazy stuff you all have access too… here in europe we can just dream about something like this…
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That’s actually very similar to how the Hornet canopy is actuated, difference being that there is no lift bar in the Hornet assembly - the drive motor is connected directly to the canopy frame.
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The canopy and frame weighs about 180lbs. Its a special trainer only thin canopy, maybe 3/8" thick? The stock canopy weighs about 220.
If you mean how much does the whole trainer weigh, I would guess about 1800 lbs or more.Yeah, I meant the whole trainer.
Some years back Id wondered how viable it would be to stick one of these on the end of the Universal Motion Simulator they’ve got at Deakin University. I figured the answer would be “too heavy, and far too expensive” and never bothered looking into it seriously.
I think you’ve managed to answer the first part for me!
Still, would be nice to be able to experience 7G in one of these.
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