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tip-up quick release

K

kleindoc

Member
I plan full IFR with as much redundancy as I can afford.

I hate the idea of the handle for the tip-up quick release projecting through the center of the future location of the radio stack.

Is there any real reason to take the canopy off the plane on a regular basis?

I am thinking about replacing the quick release pins with bolts. Access will be a problem; might have to remove the skin to get to those bolts. But those radios are important to me.

I also thought about cutting the shaft of the handle, scabbing a scrap of aluminum over the 'key' in the sub-panel, leaving a smaller hole for the handle shaft and being able to release the canopy from behind the radios. The handle might still be in the way.

Rob Klein
RV9-A
 
A number of posters have eliminated the "handle" and just use bolts. Others have extended the shaft to position the lever below the panel and fabricate a different release handle. Another group have safety-ed the mechanism so that it does not vibrate open in flight, but can be released with a crawl under the panel.

You can approach this in two different ways: Do you want to be able to jettison the canopy in flight...or not? If you have decided that you will never leave the aircraft while it is in flight, you have the option of eliminating the mechanism. BUT, if you want to keep this as an escape option, then keep it in.
 
Just mount the handle vertically.



This works great, unless you have a radio that needs to go through the sub-panel in that location.
 
I terminated mine at the sub-panel. I trimmed the release handle to the length required and cut 1/2 of the T off making it an L. I use an adel clamp with a small piece of Delrin as a standoff to keep it secured to the sub-panel. If I need to remove the canopy I remove the #8 screw holding the adel clamp and pull the handle.
 
kleindoc said:
I plan full IFR with as much redundancy as I can afford.

I hate the idea of the handle for the tip-up quick release projecting through the center of the future location of the radio stack.

Is there any real reason to take the canopy off the plane on a regular basis?

I am thinking about replacing the quick release pins with bolts. Access will be a problem; might have to remove the skin to get to those bolts. But those radios are important to me.

I also thought about cutting the shaft of the handle, scabbing a scrap of aluminum over the 'key' in the sub-panel, leaving a smaller hole for the handle shaft and being able to release the canopy from behind the radios. The handle might still be in the way.

Rob Klein
RV9-A
Click to expand...

Lots of info on this subject in the archives via the "Search" feature of the forums. Here are a couple of results of a search on "canopy release":

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=30524&highlight=canopy+release

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=33805&highlight=canopy+release
 
For a different perspective, I kept the release. It's high and doesn't interfere with anything in my panel. I am still in the FWF stage and have had to remove the canopy a couple of times; this made it very easy. I hope it won't be necessary to remove the canopy after I begin flying but if I did, I'd hate to be fishing for bolts behind there or, worse, trying to align them and replace it by touch. Just my two cents. If I did it again, I'd be tempted to try the vertical method.
 
N941WR said:
Just mount the handle vertically.



This works great, unless you have a radio that needs to go through the sub-panel in that location.
Click to expand...


Is the vertically mounted handle secured against rotation in flight? It would not be good if the pins retracted @ 150mph.

Rob Klein
 
I did a vertical rotating shaft & handle like Bill, except that I added a tension spring to ensure that it cannot rotate from vibration.

Some builders have said that the torque required to rotate the vertical shaft & handle (without a spring or other positive means of closing) is very high with the canopy installed, but I wanted to be absolutely sure that vibration will not allow the pins to disengage. I also added a second pillow block (UHMW block with a hole in it) near the bottom of the rotating shaft, as a long cantilevered unsupported shaft can vibrate excessively at the right frequency.

I have not designed my panel yet so the mechanism may still be removed depending on radio selection and placement.
 
kleindoc said:
Is the vertically mounted handle secured against rotation in flight? It would not be good if the pins retracted @ 150mph.

Rob Klein
Click to expand...
You are right, it wouldn't be good if it rotated in flight. A spring like Noah suggested might be a good idea.

In my case, it rotates past center and does not turn unless you turn it. With 200 hours on it, it has not moved.

In addition, I have an adel clamp down by the Tee handle, as mentioned in my earlier post, this helps keep it from turning.

Here is a picture looking up at it from the cockpit:
 
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