Dear All,
Doors opening or departing the aircraft in flight is a serious airworthiness
issue. The flexibility in the Europa door means that it is possible to
secure the forward bolt whilst having the rear one stuck out in the breeze.
I have taken off on several occasions in this condition and in each case
been wrongly confident that the door was secure. One of the problems is that
as I have got older it is more difficult to turn my head and actually have,
'eyes on' the rear of the door and rely more on pushing it outboard with my
left elbow, this I have found is an unreliable way of checking.
The simple mod by the LAA has my full endorsement and is better than bells,
whistles and hooters that historically pilots have been known to ignore. Not
being able to move the canopy latch forward 'will' get your attention. This
simple mod is, 'watching your back' and removes a risk to operating your
Europa. A fence at the top of the cliff is always preferable to the
ambulance at the bottom.
Fly Safe
Ivan
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