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That is a good point, Mark!
Now is a good time for everybody who has
forgot to close the canopy and found it to be a non-event to pipe up with the
details. Come on guys, fess up!
Personally, I have experienced the event
and if I had been more than a couple of feet off the ground when it happened I would
not have survived it. The canopy flies up and down and with each cycle
the pitch control comes and goes.
To those of you who think it is a
non-event, like practicing stalls, I say try it! Put on your little test
pilot helmet and give it a go!
In the meantime, be sure to add “canopy
latched” to the check list and read the damn thing each time you are preparing
for takeoff.
Bill
From: Lancair Mailing List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of Mark
Sletten
Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2013
10:28 AM
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Subject: [LML] Re: Legacy Canopy
Problem
I strongly suspect the reason we don't hear about incidents where an
open canopy didn't interfere with controllability is because it's not really an
event worth discussing, plus there's an element of embarrassment.
"Hey guys, I forgot to close my canopy before take-off and had to
come back to land before I could finish my trip."
Don't really hear too many stories about people forgetting to turn on
the transponder either.
"Hey guys, I forgot turn on the transponder before takeoff. ATC
reminded me, so I turned it on."
On Tue, Nov 5, 2013 at 6:47 AM, Erik Larson <asw20747@aol.com> wrote:
Guys,
I think as a community we are practicing denial. There is a
500 pound gorilla standing in the corner of the room and everyone is
ignoring him.
Canopy
problems are killing our friends. The solution is not more bells, lights,
switches and alarms, but a fail safe secondary sprin- loaded mechanical latch
like the secondary hood latch on your car. A modest team effort
exchanging ideas and then teaming up to make some parts for retrofit would
do the job.
Hoping
your canopy will stay shut is not a plan. Since fatal results are
frequently obtained, lights and switches are not enough.
I must
say, I ABSOLUTELY agree with Fred on this.... something has got to be done
about this Legacy Canopy issue and SOON!
At the
very least, if Lancair is not going to address the issue directly with some
kind of fail safe locking device, then they should, at the VERY least, amend
the Legacy Operating
Handbook, where it says, in so many words: "If the canopy is left unlocked.... no problem....
just fly the airplane and everything will be OK..." to
something like: "If you leave the
canopy unlocked on the Legacy and get off the ground....there is a VERY good
chance you will DIE or if you're lucky, just severely injured..."
I have
followed these numerous canopy incidents/accidents and can NOT think of ONE,
where it hasn't killed someone or if they are really lucky.... they come back
with a harrowing tale of MAJOR controllability issues! Apparently this is
not the case with the 235, 320, or 360... but with the Legacy...it ALWAYS is!!!
As Fred
said, Lights, Bells, Whistles, and Warnings are fine....but we need some sort
of Fail Safe Latch or these tragic, needless accidents are going to keep
happening.
Someone
mentioned a "simple safety pin through the canopy frame and the roll over
structure".... while that
may work as a secondary latch, it still requires you to "do
something" before takeoff for it to work.
A fail
safe latch, by design, should allow you to taxi with the canopy cracked for
ventilation but if the canopy is inadvertently left unlocked, to ultimately
open NO more than a couple of inches.
Aren't
others in the Legacy community concerned about this?
I know
Fred is....I know I am!!
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