Burt Rutan used a canopy safety system on the Vari-Eze and the Long-Eze that
was simple and effective. In addition to the normal canopy latch he added a
thin piece of springy stainless steel with a hole in it, attached to the
inside of the canopy frame. The bottom edge of the piece of stainless was
bent slightly and, as the canopy closed was sprung with a sliding motion
over a post attached to the fuselage until the post entered the hole.
Voila, automatic canopy latch. To open the canopy just spring the stainless
away from the fuselage side with your fingers to clear the post then lift
the canopy.

I thought it was a good idea. It might slow down an emergency exit from the
glider but it would save many canopies and more than a few lives lost to
distraction when the canopy comes open early on tow.
-Bob Korves

"John" wrote in message
om...
Here is another idea for discussion:

Noticed a few cosmetic cracks in the fiberglass surface near the
canopy's hinge area.

Will monitor this area and repair when needed as, of course, if the
hinges fail, the canopy will open at best; fall off at worse.

My particular plane has been flown with open and removed canopy, so
aerodynamically, it does not become unstable. Was thinking, what if
there was a secondary system that kept the canopy closed if the hinges
failed?

Obviously, something simple such as attaching bungees (after you get
in of course) from the canopy rails to the seat might work...but might
also just create a plexiglass parachute when the latch fails and the
bungees do not!

A slightly better idea would be to use four small "c" clamps to clamp
the four corners of the canopy rail once you get in. Maybe those high
tech pistol grip clamps to speed the process. Maybe not convenient,
and also have to check your are clamping to something strutural, but
should work very well in keeping the canopy in place.

This would make it harder to jettison the canopy if you have to bail
out. So, what two independent canopy latching systems?

Keep the current latch (rod pivots and goes thru two posts on my
plane). Add a secondary latch that is closed based on position...like
your car door. In effect, we have automatic canopy latching just like
we have automatic control connects. Shut the canopy, it is latched
automatically, then push the rods thru the posts just like you do now
for a redundant, secondary lock. Add a bailout lever that disengages
both latches and you do not effect egress in emergencies.

When you shut your car door, it is latched shut automatically. To
open, you have to pull the door handle. How hard would it be to
design a canopy that would latch shut automatically each time you
close the canopy?