Van's Air Force
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JD air tip up latch pros/cons?
- Thread starter dwranda
- Start date
RV7 To Go
Well Known Member
Lock
I installed the Vans latch. It has worked great for the 100 hrs I have flown on my new bird. I installed a lock (which was included with my ignition switch and uses the same key). It is a lever style installed so in the locked position the lever is up against the latch arm preventing it from moving. Just requires one hole in the fuse and a doubler if you wish. Works well. Some people drill a hole in the end of the handle outside the fuse next to the skin and put a small padlock through it. The JD is certainly the nicest looking method if you want to spend the money and take the extra time for the install.
Al
I installed the Vans latch. It has worked great for the 100 hrs I have flown on my new bird. I installed a lock (which was included with my ignition switch and uses the same key). It is a lever style installed so in the locked position the lever is up against the latch arm preventing it from moving. Just requires one hole in the fuse and a doubler if you wish. Works well. Some people drill a hole in the end of the handle outside the fuse next to the skin and put a small padlock through it. The JD is certainly the nicest looking method if you want to spend the money and take the extra time for the install.
Al
N941WR
Legacy Member
What is this mod?
Check out the JD air parts website and look under the rv9 section for the custom tip up latch.
BillL
Well Known Member
I have the Vans latch and during building I snagged on it a couple of times. It began binding and peeled up the HDMW tape - a gooey mess. I got it straightened and reinstalled. I keep it closed all the time now to avoid snagging it. Only open to fully close the canopy.
Only that was the only negative I had. It is light
Last edited:
Roy Thoma
Well Known Member
I installed the standard Van's latch. I wish I had installed the JD Air latch, one of the few things I wish I had done differently during my build.
My main desire to have the JD Air latch is to have more surface area to push against with my thumb when closing the latch from outside the plane. I also think it looks better.
Remember if you are installing side panels to tell the panel manufacture that you have the JD Air latch. I understand Classic Aero Design knows how to accommodate the JD Air latch. Don't know about any other vendors.
My main desire to have the JD Air latch is to have more surface area to push against with my thumb when closing the latch from outside the plane. I also think it looks better.
Remember if you are installing side panels to tell the panel manufacture that you have the JD Air latch. I understand Classic Aero Design knows how to accommodate the JD Air latch. Don't know about any other vendors.
Thanks! The side panel integration was also one of my concerns. I haven't really seen how the vans latch works. I am leaning towards the jd but if anyone had pics or a video showing how the vans works it would be much appreciated.
