Further, Nick Gilbert as you have chosen to claim that removing the headrest is illegal, I’m sure you can show the documentation to back your claim that a headrest is part
of the standard configuration of a DG 200. I’m sure the airworthiness people would be interested as they can find nothing definitive either way so far in the LBA certification. I imagine they really appreciate the waste of time on this rank triviality.
Lastly, regarding the construction of the headrest, I decided to take a quick look, to see what this marvel of safety is made of. It consists of a piece of 5mm ply, 50mm of soft springy foam, covered in cloth bolted thru the ply to a 50mm long 3mm steel plate 12mm wide, which is then welded to a 10mm square tube which carries the attachment arm to the canopy. It’s easy to imagine under load, the steel plate punching straight thru the low grade ply and into the back of the pilots head. It’s blatantly obvious that it’s poor construction method, and the obvious to anyone who isn’t a half wit hazard it presents should ejection by necessary, there is literally no way the canopy could leave the glider without striking the pilots head, or cause further injury in a whiplash situation.
Put up or shut up Nick.