Support for open cowl doors

[rodsmith]

Here's a detail I have missed anytime I have been around a completed Bearhawk. How are you mounting the rod to the cowl doors for supporting them while open? I see that Eric Newton installed a 15" channel on the door and attached a 1/4" rod to that. Also what is used to capture the rod on the bottom end when open. Is this a detail included in the kits now Mark? Pictures would be great.

[Mark Goldberg]

Rod, that is not part of the kit. Some builders have done some very light, simple & slick things to prop the cowl doors open. I bet you will get some suggestions. Most all can be done after you have your cowl done. Mark

[rodsmith]

I was just getting ready to paint the cowl doors when I realized I didn't have a way to prop them open.

[Nev]

Do they need to be supported when open ? What if they’re just left to lie back on the top cowl ?

[Mark Goldberg]

That's fine Nev. Sometimes if the wind is blowing and you are outside it is nice to have them secured a little better. Mark

[jaredyates]

Depending on the way you orient the hinge, they may not open fully. Ours would not go over center enough to stay open, so I would stick a dowel down between the cylinders when I needed a kickstand. Bob and others sometimes gave me a little ribbing about that arrangement.

[alaskabearhawk]

You can see what Colin did on the Model 5 in this video starting at about the 2 minute mark:

https://youtu.be/k29_JrCACpY

[rodsmith]

Thanks Paul! Just what I was looking for.

[bkyser]

I can't take credit, as I didn't build it, but here are some pictures of the cowl support rods on my Patrol project:

PXL_20210905_175515593.jpg

PXL_20210905_175525944.jpg

PXL_20210905_175520865.jpg

[rodsmith]

Thanks for the pictures!

[m.mooney]

Another Collin example, from his Patrol build

[Battson]

I rarely open the doors unless I am in a hangar doing maintenance.

When I do have to open the doors, outdoors, I find the wind is ALWAYS blowing, refer to Murphy's Law....

At least if one door is just sitting on the top cowl, it cannot damage anything if it blows around in the wind. Normally I am two and fro doing whatever I opened the door for, so I am not holding it.

If you have both doors open, take care - they will scratch each other if they are unsecured.

If you have them secured with a prop-pole like the picture above, it better be fixed well at both ends so the wind cannot blow it out. You are creating a big sail. If the prop-pole comes loose, you're going to get scratched paint.