Canopy design flaw? Possible fix.

[AlexZ]

Canopy_latch.jpg (57.35 KiB) Viewed 2135 times

This is a simple latch at the rear.

[peter anson]

Lots of good ideas here so I may as well plug mine. There are more than 80 of these out in Sonexland and I have not heard of one failing. They lock in two ways:
1. The handle goes over center.
2. The handle is locked in place by a ball into a recess in the housing. It can only be released by pressing a button on the outer handle or pulling the release knob on the inner handle.

It's also pretty intuitive to operate. For more information check http://www.ansoneng.com/sample-page/products-summary/canopy-safety-latch/

It won't prevent your alignment pin from falling out but my canopy is a pretty neat fit. I think that once the canopy is closed it wouldn't be possible for it to move enough for the hook angle to slip out of the holes.

Peter

[Scott Todd]

I agree with Peter. With his latch closed, its not possible for the canopy to move enough to become dis-engaged. Well at least on my Onex installation ;) I've flown several Sonex's and think Peter's latch is almost a must-have. It's so positive, locks in place, and allows access from both sides. Here is the thread with a few more details on mine:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6250

[GLENDSMITH]

Interesting topic. My ONEX was built per plans and the canopy has seemed fine. One thing I have in my emergency checklist is to pull the safety pin so the canopy can be opened from the inside or outside easily. I have also been pulling the safety pin on final during normal landings just incase something goes wrong. Do you guys think I may be making a mistake?

[Bryan Cotton]

Glen,
That seems like a bad idea to me. Maybe on short final of an emergency landing makes sense, but for a normal landing I'd vote no. What if you have to go around and the canopy opens?

[Dave Wolfe]

If you crash the canopy will likely break anyway.

[phenry]

Here is my solution to the canopy lock problem.
Used it for eights years with no issues.
Yes, I know it can not be opened from outside.