Skylight STC information (merged)

[Rodger]

Hi,
My name is Rodger and I'm restoring a BC12D. I want to install a skylight during the process and have been unable to reach the holder of STC# SA661AL. Does anyone have any know where I can get a copy of the STC or any leads?
Thank you in advance and any help will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerly,
Rodger
N5118M

BC12D; SA661AL Installation of plexiglass AL Gregory H. Clayton
T.C. 696 skylight in fuselage cabin. Box 73204
Issued 1/10/79. Fairbanks, AK 99707

[Don Eide]

Re: Skylight STC information

Rodger,

Try this. It was current as of January 28, 2001 when I bought the STC.

Gregory H. Clayton
P.O. 56102
North Pole, AK 99705
907-488-4125

Hope this helps

Don

[mulwyk]

Re: Skylight STC information

Rodger:
I'm also interested in the skylight STC. Maybe you could update this thread on your efforts to contact the STC holder. Any current information would be welcome!
Bob Gustafson

[Rodger]

Re: Skylight STC information

Don,
Thank you very much for the updated address and phone number. I will see if I can contact the STC holder and update this thread with the results.

Rodger
N5118M

[Rodger]

Re: Skylight STC information

Hi,
I just purchased the STC from Gregory Clayton in North Pole, AK. The contact information Don posted was right on... Thank you so much Don!
Gregory is a super nice guy so if you are interested in a skylight for your BC12-D give him a call (907-488-4125).

Rodger
N5118M

[jgerard]

Re: Skylight STC information

I was wondering if this STC is for the large one piece plexiglass skylight?

Jason
N43643

[Don Eide]

Re: Skylight STC information

Jason,

I bought the STC , but haven't installed it yet. I've been working on another project which will be completed this spring. I will get back to the T-craft this fall. The STC plans show the Skylight to be .125 x 32 1/2 x 36 plexiglass. That covers the whole top. Should really open up the T-craft.
Hope this info helps.

Don

[jgerard]

Re: Skylight STC information

That's the one I've been looking for, thank's for the info.

Jason
N43643

[NC43501]

Re: Skylight STC information

Anyone have close up pictures of this installed? Also any word from someone who has done the work, advice?

-Anthony
NC43501

[Don Eide]

Re: Skylight STC information

Anthony,

Since I have not installed the skylight, I don't have any pictures.
It doesn't appear to be very difficult at all.
The front of the skylight fits under the windshield, and the back is attached just like the windshield. There are 4 post that need to be welded to the "X" brace in the top of the fuselage, with screws that hold down the plexiglas. Everything need to install the plexiglas came with the STC except the glass.
Hope this helps.

Don

[Dick Huish]

Re: Skylight STC information

Being a long time L-2 restorer let me add my two cents to the discussion. If you use less than .125 material it will eventually sag. Also I suggest using tinted (gray or green). It gets awful warm (HOT) if you use clear. Dick

[R. Winger]

Re: Skylight STC information

Just finished chatting with Mr. Clayton about the Skylight STC. Why is it that talking to airplane guys is like talking to your long lost brother? Mr. Clayton was full of good information about Taylorcrafts and we chatted for an hour, nice guy.

I'll be ordering the STC next month.

[R. Winger]

Re: Skylight STC information

I tried to get ahold of Mr. Clayton because I have a question about the skylight stc, but no answer at the moment. Perhaps someone here can help me out.

I talked to Transport Canada about the Skylight STC. They said that the STC has to be "familiarized" before it can be applied. He said if it has not, then it is time consuming and money consuming to be approved for use in Canada. Of course he couldn't tell me if it was "familiarized". Surely to goodness this has been done in Canada before. Anyone know if this has been done in Canada?

Thank you

Roger

[VictorBravo]

Re: Skylight STC information

On my previous Taylorcraft, a 46 model, I came up with a way to put in a full skylight safely but WITHOUT any cutting/welding/disassembly. I went out of my way to figure that out, specifically because I am not a welder and I didn't want to do anything that couldn't be removed later. This installation was NOT STC'd or 337'd, but it should be able to be approved on a 337 form easily since you are not cutting or welding any primary structure.

What it involved primarily was making a very short spruce "secondary structure" bulkhead that got clamped in place on top of the rear cross tube behind the pilot's head. This is the tube that connects the two rear spar fitting and holds the aileron cable pulleys. This part was carefully sawn and fit around the trim cable guides, pulley cluster, etc. The bulkhead was slotted for the wood stringers, and the stringers glued in place then cut flush with the front of the bulkhead.

This part was U-clamped on top of the tube. The fabric was glued to the top edge of this part before I cut the fabric from the roof. Then the fabric was bent down and glued to the front of this bulkhead. The one piece Lexan skylight was attached to this bulkhead with flush wood screws and c-sunk Tinnerman washers.

The front of the skylight went under the windshield and held in place with slightly longer screws into the same buried nut plates in the forward wood windshield mount. This was a pain in the ass to do, but well worth it since I didn't have to cut anything out.

The sides of the skylight were carefully drilled and had a LOT of small wood screws put into the edge of the plywood half-rib pieces on the sides of the cabin. This was somewhat delicate, and required "plasticizing" the holes with thin CA glue. (This time I will probably put in spruce blocks or a doubler to widen the area to be drilled)

The key to the safety of the wole installation was that I modified an Adel type rubber padded clamp to hold the center of the skylight at the diagonal tube X directly above the center of the cabin. By doing this I eliminated any drumming or vibration, and supported the skylight in the middle instead of just around the edges. A thick rubber block cushioned this point of contact.

I made up some informal sketches of this installation, wrote out an "instruction sheet", and donated them to the Taylorcraft Club/Foundation in 1999 for the benefit of anyone who wanted a skylight without a welding torch. The entire installation was performed without disassembling the airplane, doing any re-covering, and the airplane was not flyable for a period of 2 or 3 days.

In my personal opinion, this is the best way to do it without making any structural modifications, engineering analysis, etc. The skylight makes a HUGE difference!!! It made the airplane roomier, more fun to fly, safer, and better all around. Assuming that Forrest received the sketches and found the idea to be worthy of proliferation, you may contact the Foundation for a copy of the information for use as the basis of your own 337 form alteration. Please make whatever suitable contribution to the Foundation that you feel appropriate.

Bill Berle
N29544

[Dano"T"]

Re: Skylight STC information

Bill Berle posted an alternave skylight installation. Does anyone have info on this? I'm planning to put a skylight in this spring, and I'd welcome any alternatives if they are available.