I am facing the same question. Another suggestion I have heard is to use the passenger side stick to break out the canopy. Not too sure how tough that would be to bust out of in a really bad situation with very limited time. I would need an hour or two for that myself... A shotgun rather than a short metal tube would probably be a little more efficient at knocking the canopy out in a panicked hurry although I'd probably shoot myself in the process.
I'm leaning to forego the canopy jettison because as I currently see it....
A) It has not been tested/used successfully to my knowledge.
B)After phase 1 when you re-install the gas struts, the jettison handle appears as useless/impractical to me. Removing the gas struts for phase 1 also makes me wonder how easy it would be to egress during an on ground fire, etc. Can anyone discuss the handling forces involved on a canopy without the gas struts? Is this an easy one man job to get out from under it?
C) I look at the majority of issues being engine outs rather than uncontrollable flight or inflight breakup. The terrain in which I live provides a lot of landing options although I'd prefer to have several square miles of smooth manicured concrete in all directions below me.
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D) I'll perform careful weight and balance calculations, preflights, etc and do everything I can to minimize the chances for an emergency including adequate transition training in a 7A.
E) I'll say a prayer before every flight. If it goes bad after that, you know the rest of the story.
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Okay, the above is a bunch of my hot air. This is just my opinion of things as I currently see it and nothing more. I am always open to wisdom and will stand corrected if it makes sense to me.
I do have a serious follow up question because I honestly do not know the answer. Has anyone ever had to bail out of an RV-7/7A tip up while in flight? If so, were they successful in doing it?