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Ken
Joined: 06 Jun 2008
Posts: 15
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 Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:43 am Post subject: Re: Canopy Safety |
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When I was building my canopy I noted that a binding cable could potentially keep the release lever, on each latching mechanism, from snapping back far enough to latch on both clicks. I cut a 1 inch hole in the inside skin, right beside each canopy latch, where I can visually inspect to see that the latch lever has snapped clear back as it should. It's not as pretty but it accomplishes two goals: you can visually tell if you are latched in good and if you should have a failure in either cable you could get out of the airplane by using your finger and manually flipping the latching lever forward.
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Gig Giacona
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1416
Location: El Dorado Arkansas USA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:44 am Post subject: Re: Canopy Safety |
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| Ken wrote: | | When I was building my canopy I noted that a binding cable could potentially keep the release lever, on each latching mechanism, from snapping back far enough to latch on both clicks. I cut a 1 inch hole in the inside skin, right beside each canopy latch, where I can visually inspect to see that the latch lever has snapped clear back as it should. It's not as pretty but it accomplishes two goals: you can visually tell if you are latched in good and if you should have a failure in either cable you could get out of the airplane by using your finger and manually flipping the latching lever forward. |
I don't have them handy but that sort of access is in either the plans or the build manual. I'll have them on the outside as well with a cap on the hole.
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W.R. "Gig" Giacona
601XL Under Construction
See my progress at www.peoamerica.net/N601WR |
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Ken
Joined: 06 Jun 2008
Posts: 15
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| Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 9:40 am Post subject: Re: Canopy Safety |
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Well darn. I thought it was my idea but in reality I could have seen it elsewhere and acted on it later. I have a bit of a problem trusting the "bicycle cables" that I installed in the canopy. It's ironic how they take constant lubricant and adjustment on a bicycle and now, I'm riveting metal around them on an airplane. I sure don't have a better solution though. I'm resigned to the fact that if it has tires or testicles, you are going to have problems with it 8>)
DO NOT ARCHIVE
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DaveG601XL
Joined: 27 Oct 2006
Posts: 351
Location: Cincinnati, Oh
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| Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:52 am Post subject: Re: Canopy Safety |
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I can put a ditto on the canopy latch access holes. The closest I have come was to have the main latch pop up on one side and get caught by the 2nd, safety latch. It still scared the crap out of me. I too could not get the canopy to fully re-latch in flight. I am sure that laxness on my part during closure was to blame. Now the canopy latching procedure includes sticking my finger into this access hole and pulling back on the lever to ensure it is secure. I have had no issues since.
Good luck,
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David Gallagher
Cincinnati, OH area |
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fderfler(at)gmail.com
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 3:50 am Post subject: Canopy Safety |
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I wasn't going to tell this story because I've already taken enough ribbing... but there I was...
My AMD-made 601XL always sits outside, so I lock the canopy handle after every flight. I did all of my pre-flight one day and went flying. But, after I landed, the interior unlock handle wouldn't budge. I immediately had a sneaking suspicion what happened. When I lifted the canopy my key ring was still in the lock. It rotated enough to re-lock the handle. So there I was, snug inside my locked up 601 on a beautiful sunny and hot Florida Keys day.
Yes, AMD has some nice holes in the canopy rail and yes I could have practiced pulling on both cables with my fingers, but why bother with that? Our local chapter of the EAA has a hangar right at the approach end of runway 07 at Marathon. And yes, the senior members of the buzzards roost sit on lawn chairs in the shade of the hangar grading landings... and solving the problems of the world over and over again.
They had just awarded me a 9.1 on my landing, which is about as high as they ever go, so I simply taxied over there to my friends, shut down, and waved the boys over. After they teetered and tottered to the airplane, I managed to make my situation known by shouting through the canopy. One of them finally put the box from his hearing aid on the plastic and got the problem. After they understood, I two-fingered the canopy key out to them through the vent port in the canopy expecting them to unlock the handle.
Well of course, then the fun began. Right there around my airplane they started an auction for the key. Proceeds to go to the chapter, of course. I was forced to bid from inside my sauna box cockpit. Often, they "couldn't hear" my bid before they raised the bidding again.
The bottom line is that the chapter is now well off financially and the boys on buzzards roost now have something to hold over my head. After I got it properly shimmed, I've never had a problem keeping the canopy closed. But, if you lock your canopy handle, beware the key! Do a quick check of the handle movement before you make the first "click".
-- Frank Derfler, Marathon in the Florida Keys
Twitter! Follow me at http://Twitter.com/Fderfler
See my new Novel, "A Glint in Time" at http://GreatGuyBooks.com.
See my discussion of All the Guy Toys that aren't (clearly) illegal or (blatantly) immoral at http://mostlyflying.com
Anybody who READS (anybody out there?) See www.greatguybooks.com
[quote][b]
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jmaynard
Joined: 27 Feb 2008
Posts: 394
Location: Fairmont, MN (FRM)
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| Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:02 am Post subject: Canopy Safety |
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On Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 07:50:11AM -0400, Frank Derfler wrote:
| Quote: | if you lock your canopy handle, beware the key! Do a quick check of the
handle movement before you make the first "click".
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Hm. Just another reason to like the new-style canopy latch: with the handle
on the fuselage, instead of the canopy, the key wouldn't turn this way. In
fact, while it's theoretically possible to close the canopy without moving
the handle, in practice, it's not: the bolts sit on top of the flat part of
the latch hooks, and no amount of pushing will make the canopy latch.
--
Jay Maynard, K5ZC http://www.conmicro.com
http://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
Fairmont, MN (FRM) (Yes, that's me!)
AMD Zodiac CH601XLi N55ZC
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Jay Maynard, K5ZC
AMD Zodiac XLi N55ZC |
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