"Eric Greenwell" wrote in message
...
...a simple latch that would keep the
canopy from opening in flight. By "opening", I mean it might allow the
rear edge of the canopy to rise an inch or two, but no more. The usual
latches would still be used to secure it closed.

Sure! You mean like the safety latch on the hood of a car. A good idea,
but it would have to be incorporated into the design of the latch/handle so that
the canopy could be raised in one operation (so as not to trap someone inside
who urgently wants to depart). Again, this dual function would operate just
like the hood latch on many (older) cars! When was the last time you saw an
accident caused by the hood of a car opening accidently?

... I don't think the canopy
needs to be totally self-latching, as a partial latch that keeps the
canopy from flying completely open would be a big improvement. It would
pop up and inch or two during tow, alerting the pilot to the situation
without causing him a problem. He could release and land, or perhaps
simply push it closed after releasing from a normal tow.

I agree.

Vaughn