Rob,

We had quite a discussion about the Legacy latching system in Oct/Nov 2011 after mine released (one side only; the other held) at 210kias.  I would summarize as follows:  The Legacy system (inside and outside handles linked by torque tube; latches that rotate forward from the fuselage "roll bar" and engage striker plates on the canopy; forward hinges) works well if constructed correctly.  Items that the builders manual did not cover well include:

-- Particular care must be taken to minimize the gap between the striker plates and the latches.  (this seems fairly obvious, but the canopy and fuselage "roll bar" may have significant dimensional mismatches that need to be compensated).

-- The recommended 20psi pressure in the inflatable canopy seal is far too high and I heard a range of 4-8 psi quoted by other builders.  I'm using 7.

I've had no problem with mine in the 75 hours since correcting these two faults, and yes it is nice/critical to have an outside release mechanism.

Charley Brown
Legacy #299
110 hours