My Quest for Speed

[scubarider2]

Ok, decided to rip off my landing lights that I had attached to the front set of landing wheel strut brackets. After a couple years of flying never used them and they stuck out there, flat and causing some drag I am sure. So thought it would be an easy job. Of course nothing is easy. I clipped my brake line in the process of zizwheeling off the metal. Oh well. Just added another couple hours of repairs.
I really looked hard at adding some wheel pants and almost bought a set but just could not figure out how to mount them to the plane. I could not find a place for a mounting brace etc. So will probably just not do it. Any other ideas on "cleaning up" the bird to add a few knots?
Dennis

[Roger]

Dennis:
A few things come to mind. I don't know if you have fabric on the gear legs or not, but Troy told me one time, that if a person wraped fabric around both gear legs, and a piece of wood or aluminum shaped like the trailing edge of the lift struts, and glued it, or fastened it some way to the trailing edge of the rear landing gear strut, that it would make some difference in lowering drag on the gear legs. All round tubes exposed to the slip stream, cause drag. Another thing that I think might eliminate some drag, would be to cover the bungees with alum. cover, much like the Piper Cubs. How about alunimum fillits between the turtle deck and the flap area?
Lots more ideas out there.
Roger

[Johnny C!]

Dennis,
I am still intending to add wheel pants.
I have made the styrofoam male plugs
& brackets for the mains, and I have
designed the brackets for the nose
wheel. Once I fab those, it will tell
me how wide to make the nose gear
plug. I will want help from someone
knowledgable with glassing, before I
start that phase.
I will be glad to show what I have done
with them, to date. From reading & looking
at aircraft, I was able to come up with a
simple mounting system, that I believe will
be adeqate.
Also, I intend to install lights where
you had yours, but I intend to fair them
in, to cover & streamline the forward set
of LG mounts.
Here is my current list of clean ups that
I had posted in another thread, a few days
ago...



Here is my list of my intended clean ups.

1) I streamlined the trailing edge of the mains. (Thin alum, folded & attached
to trailing edge, prior to covering. They came out nice. See pic.)
2) I will add wheel pants.
3) Fill in Flap to Fuse gap mounted on turtle deck.
4) Fair in Forward gear mounts on fuse to include landing lights.
5) Fair in exposed pulleys on bottom of wings.
6) Build airfoiled bungee covers.
7) Gap seal where practical.
8 ) Streamline nose gear strut ala RV's.
9) Possibly replace flying wire cables with forged flat wires, ala Pitts...

Most of this I intend to add as mini projects once Lima Charlie is in the air...

Feel free to add to this list. I'm open to all suggestions.

Later!

John

[xpflyr]

Ok, decided to rip off my landing lights that I had attached to the front set of landing wheel strut brackets. After a couple years of flying never used them and they stuck out there, flat and causing some drag I am sure. So thought it would be an easy job. Of course nothing is easy. I clipped my brake line in the process of zizwheeling off the metal. Oh well. Just added another couple hours of repairs.
I really looked hard at adding some wheel pants and almost bought a set but just could not figure out how to mount them to the plane. I could not find a place for a mounting brace etc. So will probably just not do it. Any other ideas on "cleaning up" the bird to add a few knots?
Dennis

My last plane, a PulsarXP cruised at 125 or so at 80% power, after I installed pants, nose wheel too, it went to 135 - 140. They made a BIG difference.
A tail wheel will be faster than a nose wheel, all other things equal.
IMO, the best things to achieve more speed are;
drag reducing of any kind including, gear, flush rivets, etc.
wheel pants ( best ) even on a tail wheel!
Gap seals. ( easy )
Then look at,
the prop! It won't go fast if your prop isn't pitched or sized right. An in-flight adjustable is best forVx and Vy also higher cruise speeds. Depending on the engine, a 3 blade may not be suited for fastest speeds.
Then remember weight . Keep it as low as possible. It matters a lot.
Look at your trim, the speed planes have there c/g closer to aft! This is dangerous thou as spins may be impossible to recover from. Also, any trim needed means a reduction of speed. Trim = drag
But,, the Highlander was designed for tough landings, as I'm sure you know. Don't expect the pants to stay on,,, landing in a dry river bed.

[scubarider2]

Thanks Guys!
Roger~~~I do have fabric on my gear legs. I wish I would have known to add the trailing edge "point" though before covering. I currently have the leather bungee covers on. I have seen those who made a set like you are talking about.
Johnny~~~I knew that you were planning to do the wheel pants. I still really want to do them but just can't figure out the best way. You know I have my friend who does fiberglass work for a living. He is the one who helped me with making my panel. He does all kinds of things with that stuff. Maybe we could do some trading on the wheel pants for some glassing work. Whatcha think?
Xpflyr~~~Wow, that is pretty impressive on the wheel pants...10mph faster? Man, it is worth trying. For a 3 hour flight that would save at least 30 miles. I have a 3 blade Warp Drive prop that I have fine tuned to 5200rpms at static with a 5300rpm take off. That is about as much cruise as I can get. Anything more and I just can't stand the loss of climb.
How has the gap sealing helped with cruise? The only real gap is inbetween the turtle deck and flaps. I can't see it adding any mph though. Might help looks.
Keep them coming guys! THANKS
Dennis

[xpflyr]

How has the gap sealing helped with cruise? The only real gap is inbetween the turtle deck and flaps. I can't see it adding any mph though. Might help looks.
Keep them coming guys! THANKS
Dennis

There are gaps on the rudder and elevator. Then there are gaps on the flaps and ailerons. If you have put those turbulators on, take them off. They help with the stall speed a bit but not in cruise speed.
At least that is what I saw with a Challenger that put them on.
On the other hand, the gap seal did add a bit. It makes sense that it would.
Tried to add img. Having trouble.
Having trouble posting an img.
Dam, what am I doing wrong?

[stede52]

If you are talking about the vortex generators on the wing, I feel it would be foolish to remove them. They do not increase or decrease your top end speed and as you know they definitely improve low speed handling capabilities. I've done flight tests with both my Challenger II and Highlander with and without vortex generators and I saw not difference in top end speed. Where I did see the big difference was in lower stall of 4-5 mph and much softer lands, meaning the Highlander seem to float better in ground affect with the generators then without. Just my experience.

Steve

[Gary H]

My Quest for Speed,,,, build an RV !

[xpflyr]

If you are talking about the vortex generators on the wing, I feel it would be foolish to remove them. They do not increase or decrease your top end speed and as you know they definitely improve low speed handling capabilities. I've done flight tests with both my Challenger II and Highlander with and without vortex generators and I saw not difference in top end speed. Where I did see the big difference was in lower stall of 4-5 mph and much softer lands, meaning the Highlander seem to float better in ground affect with the generators then without. Just my experience.

Steve

I always wondered about the guy who put the generators on my Challenger. I didn't think they were in the correct location.
They probably were not. I would think an inch or so one way or another would make a difference.
Do we have a layout for the generators that came with our kits?

[stede52]

Ya, that's the problem with getting these generators without instructions, if you put them on wrong they could do more harm then good. The place JA gets theirs from is: http://www.landshorter.com/page4.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Give them a call and they can probably email you the instructions. According to the mfgr, Highlanders without a leading edge wrap really only have one pattern, usually two between each false rib, wings with a leading edge wrong have more options as far as the quantity of generators. Their instructions also provide any angle template and a formula for the placement of the generators from the leading edge.

Steve

[xpflyr]

Ya, that's the problem with getting these generators without instructions, if you put them on wrong they could do more harm then good. The place JA gets theirs from is: http://www.landshorter.com/page4.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Give them a call and they can probably email you the instructions. According to the mfgr, Highlanders without a leading edge wrap really only have one pattern, usually two between each false rib, wings with a leading edge wrong have more options as far as the quantity of generators. Their instructions also provide any angle template and a formula for the placement of the generators from the leading edge.

Steve

Thanks. I am putting on the leading edge. Soooooooooo, in 6 months I expect to be placing these little buggers on!

[stede52]

First fly your highlander without them then you can really tell how well they work.

Steve

[xpflyr]

First fly your highlander without them then you can really tell how well they work.

Steve

Good idea. Thanks.