The problem with using just idiot light is we have trained ourselves to ignore it during the taxi. It would be nice if checklists solved all problems but unfortunately they don't. At some point we all become idiots. Some just happened I have this happen at a worse time than others. Highly trained methodical airline pilot and military pilots had forgotten to put the landing gear down before I'm pretty sure there's a checklist for that.
Since checklists alone are going to solve the problem I suggest the following before any elaborate mechanical engineering that might have further unintended consequences. I would wire in a horn to that idiot light that sounds when the throttle is pushed far enough forward for take off. A switch on the throttle at 50% travel. This is a pretty common system in corporate jets and airliners. Call it a pre-take up configuration check. A light alone is not enough. I know of one incident where the door was left only on a pre-catch rather than latched on a citation. The crew took off and the door blew open and flight. Fortunately they landed without incident. In the particular series there is an annunciator light for the door but no take off configuration check horn. Unfortunately for that crew the bulbs in the annunciator happened to be burned out. Essentially a perfect storm that could have resulted in fatalities with the crew that follow the checklist but didn't actually complete the item. The callout was latched, no lights.
Everyone on this message board is flying some sort of very highly advanced fast cross-country aircraft. Average piloting skills will not keep you safe in this aircraft. We need to follow flows and quality checklists. Fly all phases of flight to the well thought out profiles.
If you can't follow a checklist, or fly the aircraft during takeoff and landing to a consistent profile you probably should not be flying. Having said that, I'm pretty sure that everyone on this message board is capable of doing this.
Safe flying, add a horn.
Typing and grammar errors courtesy of Siri and the iPhone.
Jay,
So people do rolling takeoffs and add power slowly which delays the problem. Others just don't notice until its too late.
Mike
Sent from my iPhone
I don’t understand how it is possible to take off with the canopy unlatched. I don’t mean to express criticism, rather bewilderment.
I have twice failed to latch the canopy on my Legacy prior to applying full power for takeoff. Both times, as soon as full power was applied the canopy lifted 3-4 inches. I pulled the power to idle, stopped the aircraft and secured the canopy. Then kicked myself and continued on my way.
I know every aircraft is different. Is it that on some aircraft the canopy fit is so tight that an unlatched canopy doesn’t open until the airspeed passes some threshold? In my cases the prop wash at full power was sufficient to lift the canopy.
Jay Phillips