Making the Windshield Lower Fairing Strip

Because of variations from builder to builder, if Bearhawk Aircraft were to provide the lower windshield fairing, it probably wouldn’t fit well. For that reason, it’s best if each builder fabricates his own.
If you’re a sheet metal guy with shrinkers and stretchers, you can make this out of aluminum, but most will find it much easier, if a little messy, to make this out of fiberglass right on the airplane.
If you’ve never used fiberglass, it’s easy to learn. Go down to your local boat shop and pick up some fine-weave cloth and a slow-setting epoxy mix. If they have the glass in four-inch strips, that’s what you’ll want. Also round up a box of nitrile gloves, a roll or two of clear packing tape, disposable paper cups and sticks for mixing, a disposable bristle brush, squeegee (old credit cards work great), and some wax or mold release. The first step in the process is to cover every bit of the airplane and the floor within three or four feet of the windshield with protective sheeting because you’re going to make a terrific mess.
To keep the fiberglass from sticking to the fuselage or windshield, everything should be liberally coated with mold release (automotive wax will work). Mask the boot cowl and windshield with tape (electrical, packing tape, etc) and then wax that tape. Apply at least one layer of the tape perpendicular to the joint between the windshield and boot cowl, and it will bridge gaps at the bottom of the windshield and make a smoother intersection in that area, which will make your life easier, when putting the fiberglass strips in place.

Set up a piece of plywood on some saw horses close to where you’ll be working as a temporary work surface and cover it with polypropylene sheeting (or a trash bag, or wax paper). Stretch it tight and staple it so it won’t move while you’re working on it.
You’re going to use this surface to stretch your glass strips out on and soak them prior to laying them up on the windshield. Depending on the thickness of the cloth you’re using, you’ll be laying up a minimum of six layers with seven to ten being better.
You’ll need help doing this, or you’ll make even a bigger mess than normal. Lay out enough strips to make ten layers and make them at least six inches longer than needed so you don’t have to worry about positioning. You’re going to be doing a lot of trimming and sanding after it cures, so better to have too much. Mix up more resin then you think you can possible use because you definitely don’t want to run short. Using a stiff brush, saturate each of the strips. You’ll see the strip go transparent as it becomes thoroughly wet. We do it this way because the working time of the epoxy is longer when spread out in the strips. When it is in the cup, the mixture will start to warm itself, leading to a faster cure time.
Have your helper grab one end of a piece and the two of you walk it over the nose and lay it in place around the bottom of the windshield. Press it down and use a small squeegee to get any bubbles out.
Keep laying strips on top of one another, trying to keep the edges even and the strips centered. However, it isn’t critical they be perfect because you’ll be sanding later. What is critical is that you try to squeegee out as much resin as you can from each layer and make sure there are no bubbles or dry spots, as indicated by white areas. Pay particular attention to the bottom, rear corners and you may want to cut some short strips and widen out the ends to cover the gaps. If in doubt, make the fairing larger than necessary, since you can always cut it off later.
When everything has cured, but before removing it, run masking tape from side to side on the fairing that indicates where you’ll trim it. Then carefully mark the edges of the tape so you have straight lines from end to end to trim to. From this point on it is more body work than airplane work. Use a lightweight, non-shrinking filler like Polyfiber Superfil. Avoid automotive fillers like Bondo, which are too heavy. A good filler will sand easily. Use a compatible filler- if you used epoxy in the fiberglass, you’ll have to use epoxy-based filler. If polester vinyl resin is used, you can use a filler based on epoxy or vinyl-ester. When the unit is all finished, you’ll want to mount it to the boot cowl with #8 screws, using nut plates under the aluminum. Don’t drill any holes from the fairing into the windshield.
Laying the soaked cloth strips in position is messy and needs two sets of hands. Cover everything in sight to protect it. The material will stretch and conform but be sure to roll out any bubbles and excess resin.
Trim the edges then sand and fill as if you’re doing sheetrock or automotive body work.

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