Flight without doors / canopy

[conlimon]

I've got about 100 or so hours on my 10, and I found myself wondering if anyone has intentionally flown without the doors on? I know the airplane will fly without doors (enough people have had doors depart in flight and landed successfully), but wondered if anyone has tried it? I get that you'd want to keep the speed low and that there could be possible stall speed/handling ramifications, but it seems like fun. Any reason not to try it? Approaching it carefully from a test flight standpoint could also pay dividends in that you'd have some idea of how the aircraft would perform if you lost a door.

Along the same vein, how about flying an RV-8 without the canopy on? I read the thread here about the guy who did flight testing with the canopy pushed back, but I'd be too worried about the canopy departing the aircraft. How about removing it? Again, approached carefully with the mindset that you are testing, it seems like fun. Wind in your hair and all that. What say you all?

chris

[grubbat]

After wrestling with my sliding canopy for the past month the thought of abondandoning the doggone thing has not escaped my notice. The Stearman open-cockpit look is kinda cool if you think about it.