Constant speed prop

[devanf34]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post here and was looking for some information. I am still in the information gathering phase of my project and was wondering if anyone has any experience or has heard of anyone putting a constant speed prop on a Highlander. I love the look, price, and almost all the capabilities of this aircraft. The main thing I'm looking to improve is the cruise speed. I have been messing around with the idea of putting a constant speed prop and a EP912STi power-plant to increase my cruise speed a little.

Do you think this will make any noticeable difference in performance or is my money being wasted in this pursuit of a higher cruise speed?

Also, if you have heard of anything that increases the cruise speed please let me know.

Thanks,
Devan

[SheepdogRD]

Welcome aboard, Devan.

Higher cruise speeds are already attainable with addition of lots of fuel. We know from pilot reports that Highlanders with 140 hp or more can fly at or above Vne, but fuel burn is far higher.

I believe Duc Helices sells an inflight adjustable prop that will fit the Highlander, and Sensenich is rumored to be working on one that will feature reversing.

To increase the cruise speed of a Highlander, build it light, and make it more aerodynamic by cleaning up some of the aerodynamically dirty areas with fairings. Popular areas are the aileron and flap pulley protrusions, gear legs, flap gaps, rudder gaps, and stabilizer gaps. Some builders add fences between control surfaces. Other areas currently mostly ignored are gear attach points and wing spar attach points.

On the other hand, top speed can be negatively affected by STOL mods. Fat tires are less aerodynamic than small tires with wheel pants. Slats that reduce landing speed may also reduce top speed.

My personal view is that minor mods can be worthwhile. Except for the control surface fences, the mods can be added after you're flying.

The real charms of the Highlander are that it flies great, lands and takes off in very short distances, and can be stored in a hangar the size of a one-car garage (or several can live in a shared hangar). I don't want to give any of those things up, so I'll settle for a cruise speed of a 100(+).

[devanf34]

Thanks for the response Richard! I have been toying with the idea to have two landing gears also. I was thinking about having a tk-1 gear with fat tires and an Escapade gear with regular airport tires and possibly some wheel fairings to put on for further flights (ex. NJ to FL). Is it very difficult to change out the gear?

It seems like people often say you should see the kit in person before you buy or fly in the plane as a passenger before you buy. How do people normally go about getting a ride along in a kit plane? Can you fly down to the factory and get a free flight?

[SheepdogRD]

I decided the Highlander was the plane I'd build at Oshkosh; we saw one on floats, and it was a stunner. Later that year, we drove to the factory. We got a tour, met the staff and several builders, and looked at airplanes in various states of completion. The atmosphere and the people were so enjoyable that, by the time we got demonstration rides from Troy, I'd already spec'd the plane and given them a deposit check. I've said ever since that choosing the Highlander was one of the best decisions I've made. The people involved with these airplanes -- factory, builders, owners, pilots -- are good folks who are happy to help. This forum is an example of that.

You can definitely schedule a demo flight at the factory. A visit to Sun 'n' Fun in April would be a good idea, too, and might result in a flight. You can also post here and see if anyone in your area would be interesting in taking you up. Maybe offer to buy fuel or lunch or both...

A number of owners change among wheels, floats and skis. I don't know of anyone who regularly changes between nosewheel and tailwheel, but it's probably similar to changing from wheels to floats: not trivial, but very do-able.

I started to build with both sets of gear, but it involved extra money and effort, and limited some other choices. Simplicity won: I decided to accept 100 mph cruise and fly with fat tires and shock absorber gear all the time. The hours I would spend changing the gear legs could be spent flying rather than wrenching. Instead of buying 26" Alaskan Bushwheels that wear very rapidly on pavement, I chose 27.5" Desser Aero Classic smooth tires that accept pavement landings just fine.

Every choice involves tradeoffs... but If I were to configure another Highlander today, the only significant change I'd make from the one I have would be to build the XL version (which wasn't available when I ordered).

[devanf34]

I'll have to reach out to the factory and see if I can schedule a trip down there. That sounds like it would be a great experience.

I can't make it down to SUN n FUN, unfortunately.

Does Just Aircraft offer the Highlander XL? I only see it as an option on the Wild West Aircraft site. Do you know where to find the dimensions of the XL? I don't see anything on the Wild West site about its dimensions. I'm 6'2 so an XL would probably be the right choice for me.

I'm guessing the XL would minorly impact the performance for both STOL and cruise speed with the extra weight.

[SheepdogRD]

Yes, Just builds a Highlander XL. My understanding is that the XL is 18" longer in the tail and 6" longer in the nose. The XL version also has the larger SuperSTOL tail surfaces. There's no added size in the cockpit, but there are plenty of Highlander pilots over 6' 2", so your height won't be a problem.

The added weight would impact performance slightly, but I've never heard an XL pilot complain about it. The XL came about to accommodate the Titan and other larger/heavier engines, so XL versions are likely to have additional power that more than makes up for the increase in weight.

I suspect that the XL probably cannot be a nosewheel version due to the longer nose and the added weight behind the CG, but that's my own suspicion. If you're still thinking about using a nosewheel, check that with the factory.