Although our airplanes mostly live indoors, it is not uncommon to tie them down outside when we’re on the road. Although a good canopy cover can be expensive, I have cut and fit enough canopies to know that I’d rather not do it again if I don’t have to – and a few hundred dollars to take REALLY good care of the canopy (and protect the interior and avionics of the aircraft) is a good investment for me. So the little jet was going to need a cover – and I went to my usual supplier, Bruce’s Aircraft Covers to see if they had a pattern. The answer was… maybe. They had engine plugs of the SubSonex, but the first canopy cover they sent was clearly for a two-place Sonex, and not the SubSonex, but they were quick to acknowledge the mistake, and ready and willing to proceed with making one that fit perfectly. The process was fairly simple, and surprisingly quick.
It started with me sending them a picture of the airplane. They marked that up, and sent it back, asking for measurements for all the lines they marked.
In less than a week, they sent me a thin linen cover tailored to the measurements I had sent in. This was used to do a trial fit on the airplane, and it was darn near perfect – I just pinned a couple of spots that I thought could make for a better fit.
Because the changes were so simple, I just described them on the phone, and sent a picture, and Bruce’s went to work on the finished product.
The completed cover, with the furry lining to protect the canopy, fits really nicely, and based on my previous covers, will last for as long as I’ll be flying the airplane – the one for my RV-8 is fourteen years old, and still in prefect condition (despite Oshkosh and Sun ‘n Fun winds, sun, and weather).
