Canopy free soaring

On Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 4:39:59 PM UTC-8, son_of_flubber wrote:
Dreaming about next summer...

Other than drag, is there any reason to not remove my canopy and go soaring? Experimental airworthiness.

EXP airworthiness does not mean you get to change things that influence flight handling or W&B without "recertifying" the machine in the new configuration.

Yanking the lid off will certainly change the aerodynamics, unless it is one of the SGS series that allows pilot choice with various factory equipment.

But that only matters if you want to be able to have your estate collect the hull value from insurance after you become a test pilot.

I'm figuring you just wanted to yank chains, since daylight ends earlier all of a sudden this week.

Cindy

On Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 4:39:59 PM UTC-8, son_of_flubber wrote:
....
Other than drag, is there any reason to not remove my canopy and go soaring? Experimental airworthiness.


On Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 2:02:55 AM UTC-5, CindyB wrote:
EXP airworthiness does not mean you get to change things that influence flight handling or W&B without "recertifying" the machine in the new configuration....

For a glider that is certificated in EASA (EXP airworthiness in the USA), a glider that has a canopy designed to jettison with the intentional or unintentional release of two levers, and where there is a history of glider canopies inadvertently jettisoning in flight... I'd expect that 'lose of canopy' would have been anticipated by the designers and regulators, and maybe even tested in flight prior to certification. Maybe not.

Does JAR-22/CS-22 require a glider to fly 'just fine' without a canopy? (Even if it does, I understand that there may be regulations that prohibit flying that without a canopy with prior intent. Any guesses at what regulations might apply?) I've heard stories about passengers jettisoning canopies in flight, pilots that have accidentally jettisoned canopies in flight, and I've been told that a glider will fly 'just fine' with an unlatched canopy that is flapping in the breeze, and that might progress to total 'self-detachment'.

you just wanted to yank chains

I thought it might be fun to discuss the possibilities of flying without a canopy. So far, so good. Let's keep it light and enjoyable.