RV10 Keyless Entry

[Lee Shockley]

I noticed that Cirrus is offering keyless entry for the cabin doors on the new SR22s. If something like that were available for my RV10, I'd be interested. Any thoughts from the forum?

 

[rleffler]

I noticed that Cirrus is offering keyless entry for the cabin doors on the new SR22s. If something like that were available for myRV10, I'd be interested. Any thoughts from the forum?

Aren’t all the RV’s keyless entry per the plans?

If it were me, I wouldn’t invest in any special locking system. It doesn’t take much effort to get in the cabin of an RV-10 even if the door is locked.

 

[rocketman1988]

Agree

I looked at going down that road while building. Sounds pretty simple but now factor in the third latch and low profile handles. You would have to fabricate a locking mechanism that would work with all of these and then you have to consider continuous battery drain. Not an issue in a car that is driven every day but sometimes our aircraft sit for extended periods. I suppose you could put an off switch to disable it while hangared but I think the effort, for me, wasn’t worth the reward.

In fact, I put key locks on both door handles but soon realized that you can only unlock them from outside. I removed the right side lock and now use an internal strap to lock the right door if necessary. The strap does the job and it is removable from the inside.

 

[AeroEngineer]

It has been done... or, at least, prototyped:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=773290897913722

https://www.flyingmag.com/the-impossible-airplane-showcases-aviation-innovation/

 

[Derek.plough]

Digikey

Midwest panel builders offers exactly what you’re looking for. I believe it’s called a “Digikey”

 

[Desert Rat]

So when you say Keyless Entry, do you mean a door lock that you unlock with a fob, or you push a button and the door opens?

The mechanism would look different depending on which one you want, but in either case, electronically activated plungers are readily available. I think I've got a couple still in a box somewhere from when I shaved the door handles off a '72 chevy pickup back in the old days. It was pretty cool, no door handles at all, but push a button and the door would pop open via a hidden spring.

If you think that would be helpful to you I can go dig them up...

 

[Bavafa]

Aren’t all the RV’s keyless entry per the plans?

Very clever comment

 

[David Paule]

....It was pretty cool, no door handles at all, but push a button and the door would pop open via a hidden spring....

The baggage door on my C180 is opened that way. The button is accessible in the pilot side door jamb, so when the pilot's door is closed, it's not available.

The C180 is from 1955, and its doors are keyed. So not exactly keyless entry.

Dave

 

[newt]

RVs already have keyless entry: Just throw a brick through the canopy.

Mine doesn't lock. I don't want anyone to steal my avionics, but if they're going to try I'd prefer that they accomplished it without having to break anything else before they get started.

- mark

 

[DHeal]

Assuming that no extrication tools are readily available, how does a good samaritan responding to a crash scene open the cockpit doors? Would basic external manual door latches still be functional?

 

[rleffler]

Assuming that no extrication tools are readily available, how does a good samaritan responding to a crash scene open the cockpit doors? Would basic external manual door latches still be functional?

A little bit of thread drift here……..

If you flew to the crash scene, at least one door (if not both) should be unlocked. Just turn the door handle. If the door is damaged, then the answer would be it depends on what is the damage.

A locked door can be opened with a screwdriver or pry bar, but not without damaging the door.

Lacking that, find something big and heavy to attempt to breake the door or window.

While not always possible, you can crawl out the baggage door if can physically crawl back there.

Or the pilot can carry appropriate tools to break the windows in the aircraft.

 

[Canadian_JOY]

From experience I much prefer a latching system which provides positive visual indication (preferably from the pilot's seat) that doors are unlocked.

Unlocked is very different from unlatched. The lock prevents the latch from operating. One wants all door latches available and functional, especially in an off-airport landing.

 

[newt]

Assuming that no extrication tools are readily available, how does a good samaritan responding to a crash scene open the cockpit doors? Would basic external manual door latches still be functional?

You can open the cockpit doors at a crash scene by kicking them.

It's an RV, not a concrete-reinforced panic room. A mere 3mm of perspex is all that separates the occupants from the outside world. It's easy enough to damage it by accident, imagine how quickly you can rip it out of the way if you're doing it deliberately, amped-up on adrenaline, and not emotionally repulsed by the thought of damaging it.


- mark