omrsramsay
Member
Here I am on the ground in Mulino after my canopy blew off in flight. I have a video. It took 1/2 second for the canopy to pop open and separate from the airframe. It hit me on the forehead and cheek as it left, which is why my shirt is all bloody. The video shows the latch in the locked position. I was going about 140kts, maybe faster. My skydiving experience probably saved me, skydivers have a higher threshold for excitement. I just kept flying. I could see OK once I got the airspeed below about 90. I lost my glasses, and my right eye wasn't working up to full capacity, but I still landed better than my previous landing of the day at Estacada. My pattern and approach weren't so good, however. Most of the dents are from the headset. Other scratches are from the shattered canopy. The frame and most of the plexiglass flew away over the left stabilizer. I hope I find it, it had another video camera attached to it.
http://tinyurl.com/mulino-RV3
https://youtu.be/-ctEPGzuXtg
I added the video. I want to point out how useful video is for analysis of flying and events like this, which is why I always have at least 2 or 3 video cameras going, at least for takeoff, landing and any unusual maneuvering. You can see that the latch is in the locked position as the canopy flies away. You can also see where the canopy departed, which gives me a better chance of finding it.
http://tinyurl.com/mulino-RV3
https://youtu.be/-ctEPGzuXtg
I added the video. I want to point out how useful video is for analysis of flying and events like this, which is why I always have at least 2 or 3 video cameras going, at least for takeoff, landing and any unusual maneuvering. You can see that the latch is in the locked position as the canopy flies away. You can also see where the canopy departed, which gives me a better chance of finding it.
Last edited: