The need for speed and other bits and pieces

For general discussion of the Just Aircraft family of aircraft.
Includes: Highlander, Escapade, Summit and SuperSTOL.
Post Reply
levyland
Veteran Member
Posts: 254
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 3:50 pm

The need for speed and other bits and pieces

Post by levyland »

IMG_3018.jpg
IMG_3017.jpg
IMG_3015.jpg
IMG_3014.jpg
IMG_3010.jpg
IMG_3007.jpg
IMG_3005.jpg
IMG_3004.jpg
IMG_3003.jpg
IMG_3002.jpg
[attachment=12]01.JPG[/attachment


]Howdy Everyone,
I have about 70 hours on N400JL now and I thought I would make a few suggestions for everyone that is still building out there. I have posted several pieces on the horizontal stab (in relationship to the elevator) and the issue of the airplane flying in a tail low attitude TLS.

I have made some positive gains as to the reasons and ways that you can make your airplane fly better.

I would like to first give credit, where credit is due and that is to Steve Henry, Steve Dentz, Troy and Jim Pekola who spent endless hours discussing and formulating solutions.

Tail low Syndrome:I know this sounds like a woman's personal hygiene product but there is a lot going on here.

The biggest problem is that when the airplane rotates off the ground the gear drops 18", and creates a pendulum effect swinging the nose higher and the tail lower. The airplane will not get onto the step.

The problem is compounded by the airstream along the bottom of the wing staying attached and flowing up through the coving in-between the flaps and the wing and putting downward pressure on the top of the flaps.

Another high drag area is where the flaps aligns up to the turtle deck. Adam Laye ( at the plant) came up with a really clean installation (photo )

This also makes the tail go down. Steve Henry came up with the flap seals which very much helps mitigate the problem and I can not recommend them enough.

They are very simple to make basically take some .020 aluminum sheet and cut a length 4 1/4 wide by the length of your flaps. I made three sections as I could not find a long enough brake, and it was easier to fit them.


I have attached photos of the profile. In a brake bend the first bit 3" then 90 degrees 1", and finally a 1/4 return. At first I duct taped them on and then when I was satisfied they were actually working I painted them and riveted them on the plane.

A couple of Roosters down here are putting them on before covering which will make it even tidier.

Props: I have been through prop hell. Gary and Troy told me to go with the Kiev prop, but I was worried about getting spare parts down here in NZ, so first opted for a Whirlwind (total dog) and then for a Catto (climbs like a raped ape, but the airplane would not cruise faster than 64 knots GS.)

Troy confirmed that both the red and green airplanes cruise at that number as well.

65 knots GS does my head in but when I spoke to the boys at Just Aircraft NZ they were flying a SS with a Kiev prop and it is cruising at 85 knots GS.

When Steve Henry flew to Valdez and Oshkosh he flew with a Kiev prop and chucked the Catto on for the dog and pony shows and flew home wit a Kiev prop.

I have a Kiev on order and I know the airplane will cruise at 85 knots GS. Also Kiev is coming out with a inflight adjustable prop like the Airmaster but heaps cheaper.

I have attached a photo of it but it is not available yet, but to me this is the answer. Like everything there is a compromise and that compromise is that the Kiev does not have the same climb as the Catto but to me the extra GS is worth more than the RA.

Need for speed: So the prop is going to really help, but I just finished covering the gear. This gave me a 6 knot increase in GS. (Note another Steve Henry suggestion) and I am about ready to fair the struts as well. Steve felt this was a 10 knot increase overall. (Gear and strut)

Also ( another SH idea) is I attached a 1/2 aluminum tube along the trailing edge of the gear and ran the brake tubing though it. Very tidy, plus I just installed the Matco parking brake at the same time. see pictures

I know that this sounds a bit nutty ( and it is) I even installed gas cap fairings. Those are available from Kitfix for $40 bucks! Expensive for what they are but hey I wasn't going to make a plug and fiberglass and finish two of them for that kind of dough. Four pop rivets and they were installed!

So back at the LTS ranch what I have found is that the faster the airplane flies the higher the tail comes up. Make sense eh? Just like a boat cruising slowly inside the harbor. The bow of the boat is high and the stern low, but once it gets out of the buoys it's full noise. The bow comes down, the stern comes up, and the boat is the "the step"

The same applies to the SS. It takes speed to overcome the pendulum effect of the gear dropping 18". So covering the gear, fairing the struts, cleaning up the turtle deck, having the most efficient prop for cruise (Currently Kiev) pushes the nose down and the tail up.

And I think will give me a an honest 100 MPH (90 Knots GS) which would be awesome!

Finally the old Safety issue: Down here in NZ we have something called "Tiger Country" that's where airplanes and helicopters crash and are never found.

I invested in a Spot http://international.findmespot.com which works very well in keeping the missus informed on her cell phone where I am all the time. If you crashed you could not get your wallet out fast enough to buy one.

Also I installed fuel shut off valves (Steve Dentz) I looked for the link but Steve will have it. Basically will not let the airplane fuel cross flow.

Questions promptly answered.

Cheers,

john
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
bizkid
New Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Jun 16, 2013 8:45 pm
Location: Nuuk, Greenland

Re: The need for speed and other bits and pieces

Post by bizkid »

Hi John.

I have been waiting since i started building my kit, with installing the horizontal stabilizer, mostly of the issues you had, with the "elevator offset", so it is great to see that all you guys have been working on it, and found some really god solutions.
i will follow your suggestions and make flapcap seals, turdledeck fairing ect. and hopefully incr. me cruise speed to 85-90kn (have the kiev)

Thanks for all the great stuff you post, and the beautiful pictures from down under, i promise to post some great Greenland nature pictures, hopefully next year, when i get airborne :-)

René
SuperStol Kit #338,
With 29" Alaska Airstreaks
And Rotax 912uls, Kiev Prop.
OY-REP (Reserved)
Allan
Seasoned Member
Posts: 68
Joined: Fri Dec 06, 2013 8:05 pm
Location: West Australia

Re: The need for speed and other bits and pieces

Post by Allan »

Thanks John for the summary of people's efforts to date and the photos. Do you know the weight of the new inflight adjustable prop?

Allan
levyland
Veteran Member
Posts: 254
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 3:50 pm

Re: The need for speed and other bits and pieces

Post by levyland »

Hi Alan, not sure of that yet. Kiev is a tough outfit to get info out of
User avatar
Gil T
Veteran Member
Posts: 162
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2010 10:57 pm
Location: Quartzsite AZ

Re: The need for speed and other bits and pieces

Post by Gil T »

I just got an e-mail from Kiev and it sounds like that in-flight adjustable will be around 6K and may be out around Sun-N-Fun. That of course puts it out of the Light Sport category and out of my fun allowance. But it should be an awesome prop. Sure looks nice.

Gil T
levyland
Veteran Member
Posts: 254
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 3:50 pm

Re: The need for speed and other bits and pieces

Post by levyland »

Hmmm that sounds pricey, the Airmaster is about $10k down here
Allan
Seasoned Member
Posts: 68
Joined: Fri Dec 06, 2013 8:05 pm
Location: West Australia

Re: The need for speed and other bits and pieces

Post by Allan »

The air master has more hours and development on it at this point. Steve Henry - why aren't you you using your air aster at the moment? Considering the extreme flying you do with prop switching for competition is there now enough experience and thoughts on your part for a scenario that you would reconsider?
Assume cost is not a factor for this discussion. Does the type of blade need to be different for instance?
I know my flying will involve considerable long legs plus the need to play..........
Allan
Allan
Seasoned Member
Posts: 68
Joined: Fri Dec 06, 2013 8:05 pm
Location: West Australia

Re: The need for speed and other bits and pieces

Post by Allan »

Found the reference regarding Steve and the airmaster,

“I think the Airmaster props are excellent in their construction and the way they function. I don't like the 26 pounds that they weigh. My 130hp turboed motor makes so much more power at full throttle than it does when cruising that the prop was hardly changing pitch from TO to cruise, so I replaced it with a 75" Kiev ground adjustable and saved a bunch of weight. I used Whirlwind for a while and they are well built, easily available, made in America, beautiful props and they are nice for cruise but the Kiev totally blows the doors off it on take off and climb out.”

Allan
User avatar
Johnny C!
Veteran Member
Posts: 826
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 9:55 am
Location: Brevard, NC

Re: The need for speed and other bits and pieces

Post by Johnny C! »

Levyland,
What fuel valves did you use?


Thanks!

John

Also, The Ivo in flight props are
about $1200. There may be some
reasons why you guys can't use those,
but that is a big difference!

John
There are many things that happen really fast when you are
flying an airplane. There is no sense in rushing any of the others.

I would much rather be looking down at the runway, than up at it.

Duane Sorenson & Rick Norton Gone West 6/8/09. Godspeed
levyland
Veteran Member
Posts: 254
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 3:50 pm

Re: The need for speed and other bits and pieces

Post by levyland »

Fuel valve links compliments of Steve Dentz http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/raider- ... 0000035937
Post Reply

Return to “Just Aircraft”