If you've been following the Cozy Builders and the Canard Aviators email discussion groups, then you are well aware of the discussions about the plans-built canopy latch system. At issue is the canopy accidentally opening in flight because the pilot may have forgotten to correctly latch the system and/or the safety catch did not function properly.
Bob Bittner has a proposed fix that is incredibly simple to incorporate, and it is easily retro-fitted to the existing plans-built system. At the heart of the system is the SH1 Latch. Notice that is has a curved hook instead of the plans-built latching finger. Study this diagram for a while and you'll see the cleverness in the system. Once engaged even partially (as would be the case with the canopy closed but not completely latched), the hook will catch and restrain any upward movement of the canopy.
Contact Bob Bittner at: bbtapb@yahoo.com
(Please note: The information presented on this page is for discussion purposes only. It is not an official recommendation of any kind and it is not endorsed by me (L. Wayne Hicks), RAF, or Co-Z Development.)
These pictures show the assembly of the SH3 and SH4 components.
3M scuff-guard tape has been applied to SH-3 to prevent marring between the latch components.
In the following drawing: (a) SH-1 replaces C1-L; (b) SH-2 replaces C2-L; (c) SH-3 and SH-4 replaces C9; and (d) all other measurements and parts per plans.
To download the drawing: The drawing is a gif file. Simply click on the diagram and copy the gif to your computer.
A dxf file of the drawing is available at this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canard-aviators/files/LATCH2.DXF
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