![\"Laying](\"https:\/\/mightyrv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2014-10-31-16.19.07.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe four larger holes in the middle mark the start and end of two rectangular holes for the canopy latch handle. I used – very carefully – a cutoff wheel in my Dremel tool to start the holes, then finished them with a flat jeweler’s file.<\/p>\n
I borrowed an idea from fellow builder Mike Bullock and clamped a piece of scrap angle to the skin as a reference for filing. The holes came out nice and straight…very cool.<\/p>\n Here’s the latch mechanism itself – two pieces of 0.063″ angle sandwiching the latch handle (top) and locking mechanism (bottom).<\/p>\n The latch mechanism fit almost perfectly in the slots I cut – only a little adjusting was required on the front hole. I clamped the mechanism in place and match-drilled the angles to lock the whole assembly into place.<\/p>\n Here’s the other side with the spiffy yellow latch knob installed. There’s also a very small hole drilled in the wing carrythrough bulkhead which supports a small spring that keeps the locking mechanism pressed against the latch handle.<\/p>\n The latch tube itself is held in place by two Delrin blocks that are match-drilled to the F-705 bulkhead. Fingers on the latch tube engage holes in the bulkhead. There was only one minor problem – the tube was slightly too long, which made it impossible to center the blocks on the F-705 reference holes. A tubing cutter took care of that problem.<\/p>\n I drilled the blocks to #10, and the F-705 holes to #12, to accommodate AN3 bolts that hold the blocks to the bulkhead. Here’s the tube bolted into place, and two parts of the latch linkage in place.<\/p>\n The only remaining part to be fabricated was the pushrod that connects the latch handle to the latch tube linkage. Nothing too difficult, just a lot of twisting with a 1\/4″-28 tap.<\/p>\n And here’s the final product…everything works smoothly. \u00a0Cool.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Next up on the canopy task list…installing the side latch handle, linkage and latch tube. The only tedious part of this process was laying out and cutting holes – very visible holes – in the fuselage side skin to accommodate … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n