Has anyone knifed or hatcheted their way out of a canopy?

I carry a big knife with a serrated edge in case I land off airport and end up inverted.

Seems to me the plexiglass/canopy is pretty tough.

Has anyone actually done this successfully? How hard was it?

One of the EAA chapters posted a video of them doing this in a mock-up situation where they guy crouched down and they held a canopy above him. It broke pretty easy.
It would be rather cramped in a real upside down RV.

Knifed way out of canopy

See Frank Eldridge posts this site. (See friends who have gone on as a starting point)

Frank punched a hole out the baggage area of an inverted 6A lying in water. I was there.

10:53:49 AM PST US
From: "Frank Eldridge" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Safety Concern

--> RV-List message posted by: "Frank Eldridge" <[email protected]>

January 1, 2003, I had a forced landing in a RV6A. After a ground roll of about
20 feet in a swampy area the plane ended up on its back. I found myself in
the baggage compartment unhurt. I had always thought that I could kick plexiglass
in the canopy out, but I could not. I always carry a pocket knife with a three
inch locking blade and I was able to take that knife and break a hole in
the canopy to get out. The only blood in the airplane was where I cut my hands
on the plexiglass breaking a larger hole in order to extract myself. I strongly
recommend to all my RV friends that they carry a knife like mine in their
pocket because in my case I could not have got to a tool in the cockpit of the
airplane. I have followed RV accidents very closely since mine, and a large
number wind up on their back. So, please get a knife and keep it in your pocket
when flying an RV. There is a story about my accident posted on Doug Reeves
Van's Air Force Web page. Here is the link to m!
y particular article: http://www.vansairforce.net/articles/FrankEldridge0.pdf

Best of luck,

Frank

Vern,

What did he use to punch the hole?

pa38112 said:

One of the EAA chapters posted a video of them doing this in a mock-up situation where they guy crouched down and they held a canopy above him. It broke pretty easy.
.

Click to expand...

I found this -- looks like what you're talking about:
.
http://youtu.be/fRvQxGl4kt4

I can tell you when my RV-9A flipped over during an off field landing the canopy would not break with me pounding my fist up against the glass. I only managed to get out once I discovered the canopy was broken at the top, which was now in the dirt, and then I reach down into the dirt and started break piece by piece under I had enough removed to crawl out. Over then cuts on my hands, I faired out pretty good.


Thanks

Ray

Tool!!!!

Arlen said:

I carry a big knife with a serrated edge in case I land off airport and end up inverted.

Seems to me the plexiglass/canopy is pretty tough.

Has anyone actually done this successfully? How hard was it?

Click to expand...

... We have seen and talked to as many owners of RVs that have had flip-over accidents as possible. The one thing we see as a common occurrence is the canopy cracks on flip-over. The exception to this is water landings. The problem is now you are dealing with shards of very strong plastic, that are very difficult at best to brake with your hands. We have a very simple, light weight tool that can be easily velcrowed to an accessible place within reach, should you find yourself in this unfortunate position. This tool allows you to easily brake off these shards of plastic without the need to swing a tool like a hammer or hatchet, which may be very difficult or impossible while dangling from your seat belt, possibly injured and very shaken up for sure. Have a look at our website under products for "The Snapper". If you are interested in this neat little tool just give me a call. Thanks, Allan...

Canopy

This seemed like an informative thread on the subject:

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=60863&highlight="Breaking+canopy"

I have the unfortunate experience in extracting occupants out of a flipped 6A on our airport so I guess that qualifies me to answer this in an informed manner (have a scar to prove it.) Fortunately it happened on dry grass so they were both able to squeeze out and I was able to crawl back in to shut the master off.

First off carrying a tool with the sole purpose to break the canopy I find silly. If you find yourself flipped over surely the canopy is going to be broken and the job a canopy breaker is intended for you to be done.

#2 if you end up upside down in a soft, wet farm field the canopy will have sunk under the weight of the airplane. You will either A. have to dig or B. cut thru the side skin to get out.

The tool I've chosen to carry to handle the above scenarios is one of these: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JQ5YJ6/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

Its more than adequate to use in either scenario (digging out vs. punching a hole in the side of the fuselage.)

Gerber knife

I bought one of these. If you search around, I suggest you may find it at a much better price. I think I paid about 40 bucks for mine.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1286226042&pf_rd_i=518514

Don

Arlen said:

I found this -- looks like what you're talking about:
.
http://youtu.be/fRvQxGl4kt4

Click to expand...

I was searching for a canopy cracker a couple of years ago and did find this video. LifeHammer I think the name is. I got mine at Ace Hardware.

I've got one of these:



I don't always have it in the plane when flying local pleasure flights, but when flying X-C especially on trips that involves camping and I've got the right seat full of baggage and/or camping gear, this little hatchet is always stuffed between the right seat cushions.

And it's handy for pounding in tiedown stakes, too.

Dave

My wife gave me a SOG Tamahawk for Christmas one year. We tried it on a piece of scrap canopy and were surprised at how little force (swing) was required to shatter the plexi with the pointed end. That is now kept in my flight bag.

David Paule said:

And it's handy for pounding in tiedown stakes, too.

Click to expand...

Tiedown stakes, tent stakes, motivating the occasional inattentive FBO line boy (just kidding about that last one ).