SonexBuilders.net

Besides my dumb mistake of ruining my canopy, here is a bit about Peter's latch based on Fritz's original design. Peter said this is the first one on a Onex.

http://www.ansoneng.com/sample-page/pro ... ety-latch/

Peter was great to deal with. I paid the extra for expedited shipping. I think it took about a week from Australia to USA. He was quick to answer emails and just pleasant to deal with. I've added a few photos that may be a bit large. His provided instructions were excellent. They were very detailed with photos.

The Onex canopy tapers pretty fast at the front. I cut the hook rail down but I could have cut it some more. You can see where the block hits the canopy. With Peters approval, I sanded the back at an angle to get it to fit. I took about 1/16 off at the forward edge tapering to nothing at the rear on about the top half of the block. He provided an extra little machined post to use as the grab point instead of the D handle. It worked well. I used the provided Countersink screw but it wasn't quite long enough. You can see it in the photos. Peter will include a longer one for future Onex kits. I'll replace mine with a local Hardware store one. I'll add another photo showing the block taper when I take it apart to replace the short screw.

The machining on the parts was excellent. The parts are polished and everything fit perfectly. The 3D printed plastic handle parts were well done. The locking part is VERY positive and solid. It will not move without pushing/pulling the button. If you have a high left handed throttle, it may interfere. Mine is on the right side so it wasn't an issue. Overall I'm quite pleased. My only critique is the Onex is supposed to be roughly an 85% Sonex. The exterior handle could be a bit smaller. Its looks rather large on the Onex. Its extra work for Peter but I'll buy the replacement parts when he gets them re-designed ;)

I have to say - in the end - I removed the red 3D printed parts from the outside handle to slim the look - and that was on a Sonex. The RED is a positive clue to a potential rescuer - but in the end I labeled the aluminum handle as to how to use it.

It does chafe the inside of the Sunbrella canopy cover a bit more as a result.

Thanks for the very timely photos. I'll be working on the canopy in a few weeks, and had already been thinking about latch options.
Rusty

My throttle quadrant is mounted on the left side which caused me to abort the purchase. Would like to have been able to fit it. Maybe in the future. Your fit looks good.
Thelm 0137

So move the throttle. It can't be that hard to move it forward or down a little. Mine is in the recommended position but on the right side and I think its too high. I have seen Sonex's with them lower. I'll move mine down one day.

I did consider moving the throttle but the combination of mixture control, flap handle, brake handle, and trim wheel didn’t give me any ideas of a alternate location. I might revisit it again and see if something comes to mind. Aircraft in process of painting now so not sure if I want to alter anything when it completed. I also considered modifying the latch handle so it could be located more aft. However that might interfere with my forearm while operating the throttle. Thanks for your reply.

Thanks for creating this thread with all the nice pictures. My Onex is awaiting the DAR right now, and I'm not all that thrilled with the canopy latch and pin situation. As I think of test flights, I really don't like the fact that the pin will keep anyone outside the plane from opening the canopy. Anyway, I sent an email to Peter to order one of these.

Rusty

Got mine recently and even though i am no where near ready todo canopy work glad i got my hands on one of these bad boys the function of the latch and overall build is fantastic. I highly recommend it and you will not be disapointed having seen the original latch design in person this is way more intuitive and from a rescue perspective useful. YMMV but i suggest everyone make this upgrade.

13brv3 wrote:Thanks for creating this thread with all the nice pictures. My Onex is awaiting the DAR right now, and I'm not all that thrilled with the canopy latch and pin situation. As I think of test flights, I really don't like the fact that the pin will keep anyone outside the plane from opening the canopy. Anyway, I sent an email to Peter to order one of these.

Rusty

I'm not anti safety but I feel the same way you do about the "pin". The canopy latch has a lot of friction and the handle will lay under your left arm when your hand is on the throttle. I have flown my Onex 350 hours without using the pin and am confident the latch will not slide back due to vibration. I have seen a latch with and outside lever that works very well but haven't pursued it.

Any talk of canopy latches should probably include a link to this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=6646

The loss of a canopy sounds far more seriously than I had imagined, and that's saying something because I already figured it would be pretty bad.