Door Braces
Depending on how the doors on your
particular MKIII are made, sometimes it is good to have some sort
of door brace to hold the doors up or open while you get in or
out. I have tried using springs that pop into column and that
worked fairly well, but were susceptible to damage from people
who didn't understand how they worked and bent the end brackets
when they tried to force something. What I have now is crude enough
that it is almost fool proof. Almost...
The braces are made from 1/4"
round aluminum rods I got at Lowes. (But if you have any left
over 5/16" tubing, you could probably finagle the flex tubing
sizes and use it instead?)
Remember that threaded insert hole
at the back edge of the door opening that secures the lower end
of the enclosure frame? I take a length of rubber 1/4" ID
fuel line and anchor it at that insert hole, stick the rod into
the fuel line, and then bend the rod to lay alongside the fuselage
curve, cut to overall length by trial and error.
At the end that goes against the door,
use a short length of clear fuel line to keep the rod from slipping
or scratching the Lexan, anchor it to the rod anyway you like.
I use a length of thread tied through the tubing to keep it from
sliding down the rod any further. K.I.S.S.
Depending on how your doors are made,
the rod may be slightly in your way, mine are not. (Look closely
at the last picture, you will see them, they are there) They are
light, simple and foolproof and won't even scare the stink bug
on the underside of your wing. (In the next to last picture) They
also tuck under the door latches and are retained in place by
the latch when the door is shut and latched.