OK, I read the accident report and I can't agree with their findings. The
following was lifted directly from the report:

"A section of canopy of the ASW 19B was found at the top of Sutton Bank, and
the rest of the canopy was found in close proximity to the glider's
fuselage, some 500 m away. Examination of the glider confirmed that the
jettison procedure had been initiated, but not completed, before
impact with the ground. The forward section of the canopy frame had been
released from the 'lifting arm' prior to ground impact, but the canopy
locking pins were in the 'LOCkeD' position."

Part of the canopy was found quite a ways off (it seems) and the rest was
found some 500m from the wreck. I doubt it would have bounced that far
following the crash. The report mentions the cables apparently being quite
securely fastened to the canopy frame so I've just gotta ask, "How long were
those cables?" 500m? Or did they break loose?

Please understand that I'm not promoting connecting anything to a
jettisonable part of the aircraft. I'm just saying that, if you do, it
likely won't kill you.

And BTW, I used to own an ASW-19b and, if I recall correctly, there was no
spring action to positively jettison the canopy and there was the definite
risk of getting hit in the head by the thing when it did decide to leave.

"Dan Marotta" wrote in message
...
For the third and final time, there is NOTHING attached to my canopy. And
my opinion is just that - my opinion.


"Darryl Ramm" wrote in message
...
A Google search away.
http://www.aaib.gov.uk/publications/...lider__gdp.cfm

The onus is really not on people to prove doing things are unsafe, the
onus is really more on doing things that might be unsafe and proving they
are indeed, contrary to obvious concerns, safe.

Like many other owners/pilots I observed, I have installed systems in
multiple gliders that have cable connector breakaways (e.g. with telco
connectors with the retaining tab mostly removed) and tested as best I can
on the ground to make sure the separation works with very little force.
etc. to allow easy canopy jettison. I also woudl not want long pieces of
cable coming back at the pilot, maybe flailing around in the wind etc.
while the pilot is tryign to undo their harness and deal with everything
else going on. If you have installed cables fixed to a canopy and think
the cable will break and allow straightforward canopy jettison maybe you
could share your calculations/design and any testing you did here.