Storm Window Latch

[dant]

Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep the storm window secured on the ground? Some sort of child safety lock or something?

The recent windstorm in the PWN blew my canopy cover such that it rotated, and the storm window opened, letting a bunch of rain in to the cockpit. I would like to avoid that in the future.

Thanks!

[haykinson]

My friend's solution is some painter's tape on the inside, holding the latch in place but also holding the window closed. Whether that would hold up to a storm is probably based on your storm's strength...

[Rich]

If the latch stays in place and doesn't break, this won't happen. It needs to hold the window tight against the canopy and in turn be held tightly against the inboard surface of the block it slides into. If the latch is easily turned the window gets buffeted by the wind and the latch drops out. My latches have always been very tight and in 5 years of being tied down facing West at KPAE this didn't happen to me.

I can think of several approaches to tightening the latches. The simplest one would be, when parking, to wedge something between the upper part of the window and the canopy so the window is held off the inner surface slightly, increasing the tightness of the whole assembly. Consider using a bit of some sort of tape along the inner edge of the upper part of the opening.

WARNING: If you still have the original acrylic latches from Diamond, these are fragile, so don't overdo the pressure on the latch. I've broken two of them and finally replaced them with the alternatively sourced bronze latches. It takes some work to get them to fit properly, involving filing, Dremel tools and some alternative bushings and screws.

[dant]

Has anyone tried some sort of secondary latch like this?

Looks like amazon links are clipped? it's amazon.com then /dp/B072KPZMMV/ for what I'm talking about.

https://www.amazon.com/Cabinets-Drawers ... 072KPZMMV/

[MitchGreen]

I bought a couple of these latches to replace the originals on my airplane. So far they've done great. When I compare them to the price and leadtime on the factory replacement parts, they've been great!

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/diamondaviators

[CBeak]

We’ve had this conversation a few times. The latches from shapeways are great, and a small fraction of the cost of the ones from Diamond. I have the bronze and there are photos in another thread here somewhere. Order the gold ones, and post photos for us all

[wlt]

Hey guys, I see shape ways has a few choices in plastic versions of the latches. Has anyone found one preferences over another?

[Boatguy]

I bought the polished bronze. Overkill, but they're nice.

[Scottsware]

I repaired my latches a few years ago. The repair was starting to fail so I ordered 2 new latches, the real ones. I had heard they were pricey so I made sure not to ask how much it was going to cost or look at the invoice when it was emailed to me. Sometimes I just don’t want to know. I wasn’t able to avoid seeing how much when I was reviewing charges in Quicken. $312.00 for 2 latches .

I’m thinking of the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind this morning .