What to do if the canopy opens during flight ?

"Rocky Stevens" wrote in message
...

Not that anecdotal evidence means anything, but my flying lessons have
been stopped for over a week due to some latch problem with the
Evektor Sportstar's canopy. VERY frustrating....

Yes, a broken canopy can cost thousands to repair and ground a plane for
months.

I have a few years of glider instructing in my background. Since most
gliders have hinged canopies, one of the first lectures any of our student
received is on the care and feeding of canopies:

-They are never slammed.

-You never walk away from an open canopy (can get blown closed and cracked).

-You never sit in a cockpit with the canopy closed but not latched (might
forget & take off with unlatched canopy).

-Check latch & push up on canopy as part of every pre-takeoff check.

-Never wear a baseball hat with a button on top (good advice in any aircraft,
but especially true with a canopy).

-If things suddenly get noisy and windy, forget the canopy and fly the aircraft.


--
Vaughn


Nothing personal, but if you are posting through Google Groups I may not receive
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$3.95 setup fee.


Will poofread for food.

Vaughn Simon wrote:

"Peter Dohm" wrote in message
. ..
I have exactly the same concern about those tilt forward canopies; and don't
know how, or if, it is adiquately adressed. It just seems like a high price
to make egress easier on the ramp.

In my experience, a conopy does nothing to make egress easier on the ramp.
In fact, I recently stopped renting a factory made Zenith partially because it
is difficult for a solo pilot to close and properly latch the ill-fitting
canopy. I will take a real door any day.

The canopy on a Grumman does what a canopy is supposed to do and slides
back.

What a canopy really does is simplify airframe design, particularly for a
mid-wing design; but it does so at the expense of adding a whole new set of
problems.

The only problems with Grumman canopies is the $3 nylon bushing that
wears out and you need to clean and lube the tracks now and then.

--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

wrote in message
...
Vaughn Simon wrote:


The canopy on a Grumman does what a canopy is supposed to do and slides
back.

(some snipped)
--
Jim Pennino

I agree completely!

Personally, as a builder, I would be inclined to add a couple of hand grips
in the glareshield and a ridge across the floor about a foot ahead of the
seat, to make it easier to heave myself up and out; but that does not
detract in any way from the basic concept that the canopy of a small GA
aircraft should slide back as its means of opening.

Peter

wrote in
:

The canopy on a Grumman does what a canopy is supposed to do and
slides back.

The folks at Zlin would disagree :-)

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