Canopy First

I'm trying to tackle big projects that don't need a ton of money.  The canopy has been a bane of this aircraft from the first.  It is totally custom and really poorly done.  Let's start with the first... it's just shaped wrong.  I wanted to use more of the canopy than I should have, so it sits too high and forward on the cabin.  To fix this, I'm going to drop it about 2" and move it aft about 12" trimming the aft and some bottom sections.  This will have three drag benefits and one trade-off.

Decreased plate and wetted area (less drag)

Smoother flow around the cowl and the aft fuselage (less drag)

Better front seal so air can't sneak under and in as easily (less drag and weather resistance) 

... at the cost of; Less headroom / tighter feeling

Speaking with folks that know... this will be a significant alteration, it should yield 2+ (even more with other improvements).  

Current status: I've got some of the materials to rebuild and I have a plan.  Stay tuned, I'll be working on this soon.