SECTION 45: CABIN DOORS & TRANSPARENCIES

Build Instruction Updates

• 03/10/05 45_10.pdf

Check for more recent updates here

• Important: if you are using the Planearound 180-degree cam AND the Aerosport low-profile exterior door handles, this guide will save you many hours of frustration.

Before You Start

Special/New Tools/Supplies

• Consider an angle grinder with stone wheel if you are going to be using McMaster seals on your doors. There is a lot of fiberglass to remove.
• Safety wire and safety wire pliers if you don't already have them.
• Small syringes (like these) to insert epoxy into any missing areas after binding the doors together
• Large syringes (like these) help if you are using the McMaster seals.
• If you are using a window install method that needs deeper window pockets, consider ordering four pieces of Polypropylene Rod, 1/4" Diameter, 8 Feet Long (McMaster part 8658K51) while ordering your door seal. You can temporarily fit these into the window openings as spacers to help build up epoxy around the windows to the proper depth as shown in this photo.

1/4" plastic spacers temporarily epoxied into window opening to make it easy to build up the epoxy around.

Modifications to Consider

• For door options see the page Door Locks / Hinges / Handles / Seals.
• The PlaneAround Center Cam is considered a must-have safety device by most builders.
• Especially if using the McMaster seals, consider using upgraded door strut mounts.
• Consider using upgraded door pins and guides.
• Consider using door mount capture plates to make installing and removing the door much easier. On the cabin-top side, these are especially nice if you have the overhead console restricting access to the back side of the hinge plates. On the door side, these make it easier to epoxy and clean up the hinge mount point to the door. Either way, these make it quick and easy to remove the doors (which you'll do quite a few times).

General

• If you are installing the PlaneAround third latch, consider installing the gearbox before bonding the inner and outer door shell, see this FB post. Advantage is that you don't need a slot at the bottom of the door and up the inside. Disadvantage is potential gear box contamination during the bonding of the door halves.
• Do not clean adhesive residue off the windows with anything but mineral spirits. Do not clean with concentrated alcohol. The exact instructions can be found here.
• Door fit: See this VAF Thread
  and this FB post
  and this FB post
  and this FB post
  and this FB post
• Epoxy to use: See this FB Thread 3/2024
• After trimming the windows, you might need to renew the protective wrap, consider using collision wrap.
• Important: if you are using the Planearound 180-degree cam AND the Aerosport low-profile exterior door handles, this guide will save you many hours of frustration.
• This is a pretty good video showing the full door process.

45-02

• The holes in the two door halves don't align, just use the ones that do align, see also this FB thread 4/2024.
  If the bottom 4 holes align nicely, ignore the top two holes.
• Don't round off the bottom corners when trimming. Some open holes in the fuselage skin sit in those corners and need to be match drilled with a hole finder or with the split lines.
• You don't have to mark up the cutting lines for the inner half. After marking up and trimming the outer half, cleco the halves together, then copy the outlines including for the window from the outer half to the inner half.

45-05

• Step 2: a thin painter's plastic drop cloth works well to protect the fuselage from the door epoxy.
• NOTE: if using PlaneAround 180 degree latch, consider installing the gearbox before bonding the two door halves together.
• Step 7: The cabin top has a flat spot between the doors and the rear window. Your door will not fit flush in this area and you'll have to fix the cabin top with epoxy later. See portion marked red in this picture:

Red box indicates flat spot in RV-10 cabin top mold that causes the door to not sit flush.

45-06

• A bolt is used as hinge pin. Consider grinding down the head a bit if it interferes with the cabin pocket.
• A group of builders are working on a hinge cover, see OnShape CAD project, check fit using this 1:1 print pdf file
• The plans provide instructions for fitting the hinges to the LHS door, and Step 3 provides the positions for the WD-1019-L and WD-1019-R hinges. The plans then instruct the builder to 'repeat this step for the right side door hinges'. Note: the WD-1019-L hinge must be placed Forward side, and the WD-1019-R hinge must be placed Aft side of the doors, not Left and Right as the part naming would suggest.
  
  See also section 4:
  

45-08

• Consider waiting to install the windows until you have fully finished installing the doors. It makes it easier if you can reach into the plane through the windows.
• Silpruf Method
  • Silpruf @ Amazon
  • 5-part instructional video
  • See also Dan H's write-up of the above Silpruf Method
  • See also this Glastar article.
  • Notes
    • This method requires drilling holes along the edges of the windows. If your inside is in a finished state, this will cause patching / touch-ups after the window installation.
    • The video recommends 6 inch sanding discs which aren't readily available. 4 1/2” flap sander disks from Harbor Freight work as well.
• Sikaflex
  • General Sikaflex instructions
  • Yannick B's write-up on using Sikaflex for the windows
    Pictures are here.
  • This thread says one needs 4 tubes of Sika 295: FB thread
• A good read on window attachment is this VAF thread
• June 2023 FB thread
• Be diligent with the window attachment, this VAF thread talks about a window which popped out during flight: this happens
• Feb 2024 FB thread
• Aug 2024 FB thread

45-09

• Skip this whole page if using the Aerosport low-profile exterior door handles

45-11

• Step 1: do not cut the C-RACK if using the PlaneAround 180-degree latch -- follow its instructions instead.
• Steps 2-4: follow Aerosport instructions instead if using their low-profile exterior handle

45-12

If using PlaneAround 180-degree latch you will still temporarily fit the door blocks but then later replace them with the PlaneAround versions.

45-13

These steps are slightly different if using Aerosport low-profile exterior handles

45-15

• Step 2: consider deferring the marking of the holes until you have installed the door seals and the strut. These items may slightly change where you want the door to sit.
• Step 2: You can still use this same method to mark the door sill even if you are using the upgraded PlaneAround machined door pins. Follow all instructions normally including cutting and tapping the Van's door pins. Then screw in the double-ended screw that came with the PlaneAround 180-degree latch. Then fabricate two 2" pieces of aluminum using the scraps from cutting the original Van's door pins. Tap both ends. Screw one end into the double-ended screw, then screw the fabricated pointy screws into the other end.

45-16

• Step 1: Check the position of the strut versus the hinge. The innermost hole of the strut is about at the position where the hinge pin resides. If you mount the strut bracket too far outwards, the bracket for the strut on the door end cannot be placed above the window, it would overlap with the window.
  If you are getting the Aerosport overhead panel, you need to match drill the door strut attach bracket to the canopy before attaching the overhead panel. It is necessary to notch the overhead panel for the bracket.
  If you are getting the after-market PlaneAround DOOR STRUT ATTACH BRACKETS, do not match drill with a #12 bit since the holes are already threaded for 10-32 bolts. Consider match drilling with a #22 bit, then enlarging the hole to size #12. You may have to chase the bracket threads with a 10-32 tap if the #22 drill bit damaged them.
• Step 3: If you are getting the after-market PlaneAround DOOR STRUT ATTACH BRACKETS, two of the four bushings need to be narrower, 3/8 inch instead of 9/16.

45-17

• Pin plates are not needed if using PlaneAround pins/guides.
• If using McMaster seals you will do this completely different. You will remove the lip from the door opening on the cabin top until it is completely flat (parallel to the door). Consider using an angle grinder with stone wheel for this step. If the lip flares out (towards the door) at at any point it will need to be ground down. Consider a minimum gap of 3/8" all around when the door is closed and clamped flush.
• Temporarily install the seal and shut/clamp the door. Make sure that the compressible part of the seal is compressed to no less than 1/4" all around. Make sure the door sits flush outside the plane. If the gap is not large enough, the seal will compress too much, and the door may bulge.
• Once the gap is sufficiently wide, mix up some epoxy plus micro so it isn't runny and fill in the channel in the seal as you place it around the door. Close and clamp the door to its normal shut position. Let the epoxy dry. Then remove and throw away the seal, sand, paint, and otherwise finish the interior/exterior of the lip, then install fresh seal.
• More information on installing the McMaster seals can be found here: Door Locks / Hinges / Handles

Door jam flange sanded parallel to door ready for installation of epoxy-filled sacrificial McMaster Carr door seal.

Installed McMaster Carr door seals.

45-19

• Windscreen base fairing lay-up
  Windshield_to_Fuse_Transition_Steps.pdf
  See also Van's video for the RV14.