Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Anyone have an easy idea for a canopy stop or lock? When it's very windy outside the canopy blows open/close when parked. I have a cover for the plane but don't want to use that just to stop for lunch. Thinking there is probably something simple I can do to keep the canopy in the closed position while parked for an hour or so.

Get a roll of 2” wide blue painters tape. 6 inches or so will keep the canopy from opening

Mine has a cabinet lock on the right side to rotate a hook up to catch the roller from going back. It needs some improvement but I keep thinking there should be a way to make it work better but never seem to take the time to study it. I would really like to be able to lock mine when it isn’t parked in my hangar.

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Thorp T18
O-320-B3B (160 HP)
68x74 Sterba Propeller

"The joke in aviation is, 'If you want to make a million, you'd better start with £10m.' " -Bruce Dickinson

Install the plans built canopy latch . Allows the canopy to be closed and latched from the inside/outside .

RB

Interesting suggestion. Anyone know why there are very few, if any, original style latches in use? I don’t know that I have ever seen one other than on the drawings.

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Thorp T18
O-320-B3B (160 HP)
68x74 Sterba Propeller

"The joke in aviation is, 'If you want to make a million, you'd better start with £10m.' " -Bruce Dickinson

Not sure what the reason is but my aircraft which first flew in 1970 has the following latch which is very similar to a Colman cooler latch.



I am able to lock the canopy from the outside using an allen key that fits into the cap screw of the latch.

Anyone know where I can get a replacement? The socket in the cap screw is getting worn and the allen wrench doesn't allway engage properly to close the latch.

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Bruce Finney
N18JF T-18C #262
Yelm, WA USA

Ours are similar but not exact. I googled Coleman cooler parts and found something real close on Amazon.
Cubes

Not installed yet but I plan to install one of these:
https://www.pivotpins.com/products/bec- ... -pins.html

My plan is to drill one hole near the lower left front of the canopy and two matching holes through the body skin roughly 2 inches apart -- one with the canopy fully closed, one cracked open a bit for airflow. This does two things: keeps the canopy from sliding back in the wind, and keeps the canopy from sliding back due to some curious person's (aka, potential thief's) hands (nice headsets are worth stealing, I'm told).

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Philip Mandel
N118BC
S/N 957
Beaverton OR

I just remembered the builder of mine told me some people loop a bit of safety wire between two screws to hold the canopy shut.

I would still like to have a keyed lock though.

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Thorp T18
O-320-B3B (160 HP)
68x74 Sterba Propeller

"The joke in aviation is, 'If you want to make a million, you'd better start with £10m.' " -Bruce Dickinson

I use the safety wire. Some have had their canopies smashed to get at radios and headsets. Loss of items sucks. Smashed canopies on a trip will ground you.

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Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

What Bob said. I have a lock on each side of my canopy. I never use them. I’d rather someone steal my headset than bust my canopy and steal my headset.
Cubes

Yeah, if someone really wants your headsets or radios they'll bust in and take them. Locks keep the "honest" thieves out. That being said, I had a canopy lock and I did use it.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

I think of my airplane the same as I think of my house, truck, shop and hangars. Valuables are stored out of sight and all are locked unless I am in it. The lazier thieves will move on. Determined thieves will get in. Fortunately, most thieves seem to be lazy and don’t want to risk drawing attention to themselves.

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Thorp T18
O-320-B3B (160 HP)
68x74 Sterba Propeller

"The joke in aviation is, 'If you want to make a million, you'd better start with £10m.' " -Bruce Dickinson

Not sure how to delete my comment above (Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 8:42 am) but would like to delete it since there's a better way.

Phil Albee was kind enough to send me a patio door latch as shown in the photos attached (the older looking ones). I like bright and shiny, so I bought a new one and modified it to fit. Brilliant design -- just a small hole in the skin, no hole in the canopy, and it's secure as can be when latched. Can be latched slightly open for cooling or shut tight thanks to the ratchet teeth.

The older looking one works great and is available FREE to anyone who can use it. Just pay for shipping.

Tediously long video here in case you need help visualizing the operation: https://youtu.be/ieMM1B6OX2M

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Philip Mandel
N118BC
S/N 957
Beaverton OR

Phil,
Neat idea on the lock. In your video you have what looks like a leather air dam that is attached by velcro to the deck. Do you have the pattern for that leather air dam, and is it attached by velcro or some other method? I want to copy you!