Sonex Down - Check That Canopy

[pfhoeycfi]

My canopy pin is on a keychain ring with a red embroidered "insert before flight" tag on it. When not inserted in the canopy rail performing its locking function, I insert the pin in a hole in the glareshield just above the Efis, with the tag hanging down in front of the Efis. Hard to miss.

[Area 51%]

This is what I've used successfully for 9 years:
http://www.mykitlog.com/users/display_l ... 6165&row=7

How to remove the pin and open the canopy is part of my passenger briefing.

That pin and it's location, along with the spring, is there to keep the LATCH from creeping aft on the canopy frame. It does nothing to guarantee the latch will stay engaged with the longeron.

Without the -17 alignment pin in place, the whole works can slide back far enough to alternately and inadvertently disengage the latch.

[builderflyer]

The plans also call for a spring to be installed as to keep the latch creeping back In the event the key is accidentally omitted. This spring is integral to the design for max safety.

Agreed! I thought the earlier plans did not include it. Should be a mandatory addition.

Don't know about the Waiex plans but the spring was shown on the Sonex plans since day 1. And, the hair on the back of my neck stands up when I think about those who would fly without the "pin" keeping the canopy latch closed. There have been far too many canopies coming open in flight when the pin has been intentionally omitted or simply forgotten.

Art,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sonex taildragger #95,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Jabiru 3300 #261

[Jester504]

That pin and it's location, along with the spring, is there to keep the LATCH from creeping aft on the canopy frame. It does nothing to guarantee the latch will stay engaged with the longeron.

Without the -17 alignment pin in place, the whole works can slide back far enough to alternately and inadvertently disengage the latch.

Seconded as this is an extremely important hair to split. Easy for newbies like me to confuse which pin people are talking about.

[DCASonex]

That spring my help but it is soft enough to be of limited value. I have a bracket around my master switch that allows fitting the canopy pin to lock the master in the off position. Aside from preventing the master from being be bumped on, that provides a place for the pin so it is rarely ever placed somewhere else. Also have a small bright bit of plastic attached to it. Still using the original 10+ years later.

David A.

[mike.smith]

This is what I've used successfully for 9 years:
http://www.mykitlog.com/users/display_l ... 6165&row=7

How to remove the pin and open the canopy is part of my passenger briefing.

That pin and it's location, along with the spring, is there to keep the LATCH from creeping aft on the canopy frame. It does nothing to guarantee the latch will stay engaged with the longeron.

Without the -17 alignment pin in place, the whole works can slide back far enough to alternately and inadvertently disengage the latch.

The alignment pin IS there. This is just the pin I use for locking.

[Tony4aro]

I have a thought on the canopy issue.... but I'm going to make a new post in the general section.

[daleandee]

I'm familar with the video Tony posted on another thread. I don't know all the details but the owner claimed the accident was caused by a worn out latch and a poor design.

How many Sonex aircraft have crashed due to canopy issues? I have eleven years on the same canopy and latching/locking system that mine was built with. The latch has to be correctly built and can't have slop in it as it will lift if it has a poorly built latching system.

As for the canopy sliding back ... there is a piano hinge on the right side to prevent that. There is an alignment pin on the left to prevent that. The only way it could move rearward would be on the left side and that would require either the alignment pin (NOT the locking pin as that is all together different) to be missing or very short along with a latching system so sloppy as to allow the canopy to lift enough for the alignment pin to clear the hole it is in. The design is not faulty if properly implemented.

Could the aligning/latching/locking system be improved? I have no doubt that there may be better ways to do this. The point of my post is to say that what Sonex gives in the original plans does work as proved by so many planes flying that have not had a problem.

I'm reminded of the U-Toob video of the guy that wanted to slam Sonex for, what he claimed, was a poor design of the OneX rudder system when if fact he had bought, not built, the plane. The orignal builder had not followed the plans and almost caused another plane to crash. This kinda stuff gives Sonex and us builders and pilots of Sonex aircraft a bad reputation. I don't like it when that happens.

Dale
3.0 Corvair/Tailwheel

[Tony4aro]

Could the aligning/latching/locking system be improved? I have no doubt that there may be better ways to do this. The point of my post is to say that what Sonex gives in the original plans does work as proved by so many planes flying that have not had a problem.

I know it's not a completely bad design. If built correctly, it works... as proven by thousands of flight hours on hundreds of planes. And maybe I'm just over thinking all of this. But, if there is a way for a simple rework... and it makes it idiot proof... then that just improves safety.

I'm reminded of the U-Toob video of the guy that wanted to slam Sonex for, what he claimed, was a poor design of the OneX rudder system when if fact he had bought, not built, the plane. The orignal builder had not followed the plans and almost caused another plane to crash. This kinda stuff gives Sonex and us builders and pilots of Sonex aircraft a bad reputation. I don't like it when that happens.

Dale
3.0 Corvair/Tailwheel

I get it. These are home built, and people can blame them for anything, but the reality is... it was up to the builder to make it right.

[builderflyer]

Could the aligning/latching/locking system be improved? I have no doubt that there may be better ways to do this. The point of my post is to say that what Sonex gives in the original plans does work as proved by so many planes flying that have not had a problem.

Dale
3.0 Corvair/Tailwheel

Dale has it 100% correct here. Just build it per plans. Don't omit the spring, check the alignment pin regularly, use the safety pin on every flight and you won't have any likelihood of the canopy opening in flight. There are other things to worry about more than this.

Art,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sonex taildragger #95,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Jabiru 3300 #261