Notice heat shrink tubing used for canopy stops.

     Waiting patiently for the UPS man to show up with my tail rotor (and a few other goodies) so that I can get back into the air, I decided to do a few simple mods to the canopy.  First up was the method by which the canopy attaches.  This is pretty standard stuff, just a pair of carbon fiber rods through the main frame.  The canopy attaches using 4 rubber grommets pushed onto the rods.  The problem here is that the canopy is free to slide on the rods.  After a bump or crash, if I forget to reposition the canopy, the center of gravity is changed just enough to make re-trimming the controls necessary.  Furthermore, it is pretty much impossible to get the canopy back into exactly the same spot every time.  The fix: 4 pieces of heat shrink tube, cut into 3mm long sections.  Once melted onto the carbon fiber rods, the heat shrink provides a positive stop for the canopy grommets.  Just push the canopy on until it stops, and you're ready to fly!

The lip on the factory canopy.

Lip removed.

     Next up was purely an aesthetic mod.  In the picture to the right, you'll notice the "lip" around the top of the canopy.  This is (I assume) to hide the motor wire from sight.  It also disrupts the smooth fluid lines that the stock canopy has.  On larger helis, the motor usually sits lower in the air frame, so the canopies do not require this lip.  In order to make the 120 look sleeker, and more like larger 250 or 450 size choppers, I decided that the lip must go!  There are numerous aftermarket canopies, but I like the look of the stock one for now, and would rather spend money on upgrades that will make the heli fly better.

     After trimming the lip off  and reshaping the rear of the canopy, I carefully removed the connector on the motor wires, relocated the wiring so that it does not stick up past the top of the canopy, then reattached the connector.  The end result: a much sleeker chopper that looks more like it's larger brethren.

     As an added bonus, the sliver of plastic removed from the canopy was .01g.  That doesn't sound like much, but every little bit counts.  The next mod I have planned will add about 2.8g, so any opportunity I have to shave a little weight must be taken advantage of.