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  #21  
Old 06-12-2010, 05:00 PM
nturner nturner is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 33
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It still works fine and I had no trouble opening it without looking
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  #22  
Old 07-12-2011, 06:21 PM
AaronG AaronG is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Hartford, CT
Posts: 97
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Normally I don't endorse products, but I did want to followup on this item. I have about 170 hrs on my RV-10 and originally installed the Van's safety latch during the build process. At one point, during an aggressive ground runup with just the safety latch engaged on a hot day, the prop blast twisted the door and the safety latch failed. At that point, I lost all trust in the ability of this safety latch to hold a door on in flight. This was further confirmed after reading a few months ago about a door loss with the safety latch installed. With the flex of the door, there is no way the safety latch is going to work at cruise speeds with the door sticking out an inch into the slipstream (one engineers educated opinion).

During my first annual in May, I bit the bullet and paid for Sean's system. Retrofitting it required deviation from the directions because I had to remove the Van's latch that was in approximately the same spot, but I made it work, and the metal that exists due to the Van's latch gives extra strength to the new solution at the middle of the door.

I can not say enough about the new system. Not only does it make the door much easier to close with my tight seals, it also allows the door to open with just the handle. If you are still in the building process, I would highly recommend that you at least consider this solution.
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  #23  
Old 08-02-2011, 01:17 PM
David Shelton's Avatar
David Shelton David Shelton is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Belvidere, IL
Posts: 169
Default The Real Problem

I fly one airplane with a terrible door latch. The door has opened several times in flight but it doesn't tear off or creat a flight hazard. Why? Because it's front-hinged.

I'd like to steer the conversation in a new direction for a moment. It seems to me, the real problem has more to do with the top-hinged door design and not the latch. Every top-hinged aircraft that I'm aware of has issues with door loss. While a more reliable latch system helps, it may never eliminate the problem. Perhaps switching to a front-hinged door is the ultimate solution. Has anyone tried this?






http://sr22.files.wordpress.com/2007...oors.png?w=500
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