RV-8 Sliding Canopy Automatic Latch

Sliding Canopy Automatic Latch for RV-8s and other aircraft with a sliding canopy allows you to place convenient “stop” positions in your canopy track. It’s easy to use, simple, and highly effective.

This latch installs just behind the pilot’s seat near the canopy rail. The pilot is then able to slide the canopy back just beyond the latch, slide it back forward to easily engage the latch, and close the canopy after strapping into the cockpit. No more strapping in only to find that the canopy has slid back and is now out of reach for closing!

To open or close the canopy all the way, simply slide it normally. The latch only engages when you slide it just past the stop and then pull slightly forward again. Using this latch is a no-brainer. Even a caveman could do it!

Machined from durable Delrin and aluminum
Installation instructions included

To see the canopy latch in action, check out the video below from RV builder Matt Dralle.

Depending on your installation, you may also need an AN3-14A bolt, AN970-3 large washer, AN960-10L thin washer, AN960-10 washer, and AN365-1032 lock nut. You will also need some 1″ x #6 screws and lock nuts – I opted for AN525C-6R16’s. Most RV builders will already have all of these items in their parts bin.

New after 2021: the default kit now comes with two hook pieces for more flexibility. You may choose to use the second piece as a shim to get the appropriate spacing or source your own shims and use the second hook to add an additional stop. “Extra stop only” includes one hook piece and a shim piece to match the original design.

Q: Will this work on other RV models?

A: No, the RV-8’s sliding canopy tracks are set up differently from those on the side-by-side RV models. 

If you’ve got a side-by-side RV and want to add a stop for a cracked-open taxi position, the simplest way to do what you’re trying to do is to get a small piece of low profile piano hinge and mount it on top of the canopy rail so that the hinge side overhangs the inboard side of the track. If done right, the hinge, when closed, is out of the way of normal canopy operation. When opened, the hinge falls down across the opening of the canopy track and blocks the canopy from sliding back. I don’t have a kit for this at the moment, but it should be fairly easy to put together with off-the-shelf parts, so long as you’re careful to choose fasteners that won’t interfere with canopy operation.