I have been flying my RV-9 for 14 years and a thousand hours. You would think that by now I’d have this figured out, but in that time I have struggled with where to put the headsets when climbing in and out of the airplane. Putting them on the seat backs isn’t ideal and with a tip-up canopy, there’s not a good place to rest them as you get in or out. They always seem to be under foot or, er, under bum.
![](https://s28490.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/RV-Baggage-Door-Catch-DSC_0296-300x200.jpg.optimal.jpg)
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, because one day while working on my RV—the ground-bound version—I had an epiphany. Many RVs, like mine, have spring-loaded latches designed to hold exterior doors open. In this case, the latch keeps the outside baggage door from flopping closed while you pack your camping or hiking gear. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been looking at this latch before it occurred to me that it might work as a headset hanger in the other RV.
Normally the base of the latch is oriented laterally but, I wondered, if you turned the latch 90°, would it work in the RV-9? Worth a try. A quick internet search found the latch easily. (You could try searching for “RV baggage catch latch” on Google or at Amazon.) My first attempt netted two white plastic clamps for $8, which has to be considered epically cheap for “airplane parts.”
![](https://s28490.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Countersunk-Washers-DSC_0313.jpg.optimal.jpg)
![](https://s28490.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Hung-Headset-DSC_0334-200x300.jpg.optimal.jpg)
Using countersunk washers to fill the screw holes in the catches, I was able to rivet them to the aluminum backed interior panels in my plane. However, there is enough room, with the clip closed, that a #6 or #8 screw head or nut would work just fine. Note that the weight of my headsets caused the aluminum backed interior panel to bend slightly. To solve this problem, I added a small aluminum stiffener with a very small flange bent up the side of the panel to prevent further deformation.
After mentioning these catches to a friend, he discovered that stainless-steel catches can be purchased for $15. Having “catch envy,” I bought a set to replace the plastic ones shown in this article that I’ll install at the next condition inspection. But the bottom line is that these clips, which are spring-loaded closed and have just enough of a nose that you can pull them open with ease, fixed a small but nettlesome problem that I’ve lived with for a decade and a half.