Sliding window

[Frank DeBartolo]

Does anyone know how to go about making a sliding window for my BC12-D? It gets awful hot in there during warm weather. It would be nice to be able to open the window much like the Champ, Cub, or PA 16 or PA 20. I have seen pictures of T-Crafts that have sliding windows.

Frank DeBartolo
N43684
BC12-D

[matsuthunder200]

Frank I would also like to find a way to get the sliding windows in mine.. What i did do in the meantime is had my ai install the 2 inch clear hard plastic scoop in each window boy what a diferance you can turn the scoop to get lots of air or no air... took about 10 min a side. Now i think i can wait untill i rebuild her to put in the sliders but would like to find out how......

[CraigH]

My F21B has the sliding windows. They don't do a whole lot even with the window open while airborne. Seems the slipstream goes right by, you have to stick your hand outside to get a blast of cool air.

IMHO the scoops would be more effective.

[dennispip]

I fully agree with Craig on this. It is nice to slide open the window as it opens things up to the outdoors. The ventilation is actually better when on the ground with the wind blowing through them.

Has anyone else come up with any other method to increase airflow in the cabin without the airscoops or sticking your hand out in the slipstream? My hand gets tired after a short tiime in that 100 MPH sliptream and it does get hot this time of year.

Kind of ironic. In the winter we need more heat for comfort and in the summer more cooling. There may be a solution/connection here. Maybe hooking up a second cabin heat shroud and control into the cabin and then in the summer we have a bypass of the shroud and it allows unheated airflow into the cabin??? Anybody know if that could be done?

[Robert Lees]

The sliding window only works in the solid aluminium doors, in my sliding-window aircraft, we open the rear sliding portion to allow ventilation across our backs (and elbows can conveniently lie on the open window frame).

For my fabric-door aircraft, we undo the little catch that holds the tilting window and allow it to lay flat against the wing underside.

Rob

[Jim Hartley]

My windows are hinged and the bottom swings out. I really appreciate them. It can be damn miserable without air movement in the cockpit,especially on the ground or water. I have used them in flight as well,but I have a lot of flow through ventilation from numerous areas and normally it is not necessary.

[CraigH]

Dennis,
I've often wondered if a modification could be made to fuselage just forward of the door. A vent scoop that opens/closes like on the Piper PA22 series would be great. The ventilation in my TriPacer was supurb, and it could be closed off in the winter.

[Forrest Barber]

I have found that the buttons down on the boot cowl work good too. They allow air to flow up past your legs. In lieu of the hand out the window , fabricate a little scoop that slips over the window and stays outside to scoop the air in. They make one
( much smaller) for the PA-28 Cherokee....

[Len Petterson]

sliding window

CF-KZU has wents at feet level.
2 triangular scops from sheet metal with a bugscreen inside.
But they can't be closed in the winter. I just plugged them with foam, and the cabin wanted to fog up.
I have no window vents.
A friend has window went only in his and they work well.
Len

[robbie]

side windows vents

If you have the TOC news letters #118 dated June 2002, It has a drawing of an air scope that swings in and out of the windows.

It's made out of metal.
Don't have a scanner to copy it for you.

[bashibazouk]

Re: Sliding window

I know this is an old thread, but I'm looking for input on retrofitting sliding windows to a 1940 BL-65. Or maybe finding drawings for the original hinged windows. Mine have been fabricated out of some sort of aluminum channel and they're really flimsy. I like the sliding windows on Dave Stroup's BC12D (and others).

Doesn't look like they were ever installed on the pre-war models so I may be SOL.

Thoughts?

Josh
NC24369

[NC36061]

Re: Sliding window

The sliding window was only used with the "big" metal doors on later production 12-Ds, mid 1946-on. Only swing-out windows available prior to that. I've never seen or heard of a mod for sliding windows on a pre-war.

Dave

[bashibazouk]

Re: Sliding window

Thanks, Dave.

Any recommendations where I might go for drawings of the original swing-out window?

Josh

[VictorBravo]

Re: Sliding window

Pretty simple, on my 1940 it is a welded window frame made out of small steel square tube, with two hinges at the top of the frame welded onto the upper door tube. A very simple over-center latch allows it to be opened or closed. If you cannot find drawings I will take pictures of mine.

It looks like a fairly easy job (comparatively) to make them. The nice part is they can be opened in flight and give you a nice breeze without sucking your charts and sunglasses out of the airplane!

You could make them out of round tubing and come out just as well IMHO but it might not be original.

[1938BF50]

Re: Sliding window

You can start with an original swing-out window(and door frame), but beware......I bought several and found every one to be different. I ended up cutting (2) apart and rewelding to make one that fit nice. It may be easier and cheaper to buy 1/2" light gage tubing and make your own to fit the existing door frame and associated fuselage curvature. My 1938 has an original LH swingout window made with ROUND 1/2" steel tubing. All the others that I have acquired have square tubing. I can take pics if you need.