Originally Posted by
tartare
Interesting - didn't realise they were separate.
Just remember the liney saying "be really gentle and don't slam the canopy shut..."
Yes, it was normal practice for the ground crew to turn around while the canopy was shut just in case. In reality though, the bigger issue was closing the canopy on shutdown. It was not unknown for something to be left or trapped in the cockpit that then triggered the mechanism on closure. I remember one being blown on a delivery flight, in Bangkok I believe it was, when a damp flying jacket hung over the headbox was trapped by the mechanism and blew the canopy. Luckily, without staging, it largely went over his head or it could have been serious. Mind you it was still a sudden shock and getting a replacement delivered - as dangerous air cargo - was another story.