You probably have seen it – a glider on
the ground with a silver canopy that, on closer inspection, actually is
a canopy covered with a formfitting silver “canopy cap.” This new
soaring item is produced by Cheryl Franklin of Franklin Fabrication.
Cheryl is the wife of Region 12 pilot Dan Fitzgerald.
Called the Platinum Canopy Cap, the
product is not intended to replace the traditional canopy cover. The Cap
does not protect from rain or dust, and the canopy cannot be latched
when it is installed. Instead, the purpose of the Cap is to keep the sun
out of the cockpit before and after flying. The traditional canopy cover
will do that, of course, but it is relatively hard to install, and once
installed the canopy cannot be opened unless the cover is removed.
By contrast, the Cap is easy to install.
It is elasticized on the perimeter like a shower cap, so you just put it
around one end of the canopy, and then stretch it and put it around the
other end. More important, once it is installed, the canopy can be
easily opened and closed without removing the cover. This is important
while waiting to launch, since you will want to get into the cockpit at
times, but it is inconvenient to have to remove and reinstall the cover
each time.
Originally, the cap was not available for
side opening canopies, as such canopies have interference from the
hinges. A modified design fixed that. The cover for side-opening
canopies has two elastic straps, one permanently mounted, and the other
with one loose end with a plastic snap. Due to the design, the
side-mounted cover takes a few seconds longer to mount than the
front-hinged cover. However, like the front-hinged cover, once it is
mounted it can be left on the canopy while it is opened and closed.
My glider has a side-hinged canopy. While
the Cap may be marginally more difficult to mount than on a front-hinged
canopy, the additional inconvenience really is not noticeable. What is
noticeable, however, is that the Cap is much easier to install than the
traditional canopy cover. No need to try to get a number of straps to
end up in the right place under the fuselage and behind the wings. And,
of course, the canopy can be easily opened and closed.
The cap comes complete with a small bag,
and in the bag the Cap takes up much less room than a conventional
cover. Just take off the Cap, stuff it in the bag, and throw the bag
behind your head.
The original concept for the Cap came
from Bill Liscomb, who wanted a "shower cap" type cover made from a bed
sheet. After Cheryl made him one, the word spread, and the Canopy
Cap was born.
Next, the shift was made to the current
material. It is a reflective four-way-stretch material with a laminated
coating. Dan reports that it has fair abrasion resistance and will not
fray if cut. The silver coating will lose some of it's brightness with
use, but none of its function. Dan says that a user can expect at least
two seasons of frequent use while waiting on the grid in our Southwest
desert conditions. The cover can be hand washed using a mild detergent
such as Woolite. Hang it indoors to dry. Do not iron.
The final development of the cover
occurred when Pat Russette came up with the idea of the Sun Shield. This
is a flap at the back of the cover that prevents the low sun in the
winter from bouncing off the inside of the canopy and reflecting
downward to burn the glare shield (see photos).
button next to the product. 
