This is my second major mod to this rotary latch. Despite being a very clever design that solved a problem for me, it created other issues and was perhaps not mature enough a design for our tiny canard market. The supplier has ceased production. I make no criticism, doing it all again I would go in a different direction.

My lack of side door, large throttle placement and large side window still makes it a good solution.

Here it is with those two worm screws showing. The inner one of them is critical. The outer one just holds on a guidance shaft for the Allen key entry.

Here is the critical screw.

That tiny worm holds the big one place. IF that very small worm, with only 4 threads, slips on the flat part of the big worm. BIG TROUBLE.

In fact I would be locked out of the plane and no way to get in without either smashing the canopy or drilling out  the worm and maybe using an ‘easy out’ to activate the handle on the inside.  No problem if you are already in the plane then you use the canopy handle not the rotary latch to get out.  It is potential lockout that is scary.

What I did was engage a master machinist. We got a longer main Allen key worm and set it in place with a countersunk screw on the end. Then for that side worm screw, we got a longer one and instead of a flat, drilled a side hole so the small worm screw engaged positively into a hole. With two different pitch threads on the big worm it can not undo. The side worm is just a bonus.

I ‘Loctited’ the whole thing together and forgot to take pictures. Sorry. Now it can’t come loose and is 100% positive with zero slip. I have confidence again in the latch.