I started working on the canopy latch. Instead of the latch included with the kit, I’m using the canopy latch from fairings-etc.com. This will be perfectly flush on the outside of the plane instead of the protruding fingers of the stock latch. The only disadvantage is the weight. These are cut from 5/8″ thick aluminum stock instead of the 1/8″ thick stock used in the kit latch, so they’re quite a bit heavier. I laid out a few lightening holes, but I may just drill holes part way through from the bottom side to remove weight without changing the appearance.
The quality of these as received is pretty marginal. The cut edges are all very rough and will require quite a bit of hand work to smooth out. Also, the predrilled holes are too large which makes for a sloppy fit around the pivot bolts. I’m going to have to ream these holes out larger and fabricate some bushings to eliminate the slop.
The other problem with these latches is that the outer skin of the aircraft is used as the spring to keep the aft piece (on the left in the picture) engaged with the forward piece. This seems like a pretty poor design as it will repeatedly flex the outer skin and could fatigue it over time. Fortunately, I knew this prior to purchasing the latch and ran across a good way to solve the problem on Roee Kalinsky’s site.
