RV-6A Canopy Latch breaking

[Airhawk1]

I am on my third canopy latch in three years for my RV6A slider canopy. This time it broke in flight made it back to base uneventful Does anyone out there have a fix. The aluminum latch that comes from VANS apparently does hold up under heavy use....The hook end of latch that secures around the conopy latch post keeps breaking off. Any help out there?

 

[Rosie]

If anyone can claim the king of heavy use, I would be near the top I can't even put a number on how many times I've latched my RV-6A canopy over 3,400+ hours of flying but can say that it's still original. On closing mine, there is an ever-so-slight-latching-effect when the handle moves over-center. Just to put things in perspective, my latch has been closed/opened by my 5 year old nephew so there's not a lot of force there.

I'm guessing that when you fit/cut your canopy, you have a bit more gap than the latch is designed for (your latch is trying to pull the canopy closed tighter than it need be).

I'd suggest you make your very own custom-made latch using the one you have now as a template, however make such that the 'hook' is a bit longer than what you have now. Then use the trial/error method to close the canopy so that you just keep filing away on the hook to reach the ever-so-slight-latching-effect. Good luck, Rosie