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Frans, but mostly for others reading this stuff:
I believe that a two part fairing is the answer. I don't have time to
finish it as we are swamped, but the forward fairing I use is left
nearly as it is now. It bolts to the bracket using two nutplates (my
usual way to install the outer bracket). I fabricated a flap fairing
---From foam that fits into the slot on the forward bracket to get rid of
that nasty gap at the back. Cleaner aerodynamically, but what a bugger
when it comes to the annual inspection. I now use a screw attach on the
forward cover to the wing and to the bracket of course, and just a bit
of white caulk to seal the edge. Drill a hole in the bottom of the
cover for water of course.
My rear fairing will be added to the flap and attached with adhesive
sealant. I got stopped when I was trying to keep the gap sealed through
full flap travel. Also, for the mono, the flaps will weigh more and I
think that my induce a bit of droop which the owner did not have with
his current setup.
The Europa inner brackets will look awful unless spacers are planed to
keep them from distorting. Again, they are not as important as the
outer, but the plane looks more complete with them.
Pay attention to gear leg covers, transitions and wheel pant height and
alignment. A droopy wheel pant is like a parachute. The lower the
wheel pant (no lower than the bottom of the wheel rim), the better the
speed. For grass strips, well compromises have to be made. Lift the
pant up to prevent the rear lip from tear out from the grass whipping
it.
12AY went from 107 with a fixed pitch Warp Drive set at 5200 static on
the 914. With the Airmaster I jumped to 117 KTS at 1000 MSL
(914/Airmaster 332) and now at the same power setting of max continuous
(34 inches/5500 RPM) it does right at 136 KTAS. With some tuning and
tweaking and only one on board a 920 lb empty weight aircraft and all
polished up, I hit 146 KTAS at 1000 MSL in the traffic pattern (I fixed
the stock 914 inlet duct cowl seal leak at the rear also which was like
a parachute). These cleanups allow a 26 inch/ 5000 RPM cruise at
1000MSL of 127 at about 4.5 GPH. Obviously at 8500 MSL my true airspeed
is quite comfortable at 130 ish to get 28 NM/Gal which is over 30 Statue
MPG.
(Airspeed calibration is less than 2 knots below 100 KIAS and spot on
above 100KIAS to 160KIAS.)
Our last Europa XS, High Top, at 1400 lbs. as tested, equipped with 912S
with Airmaster AP332 does 136 Knots at 1000 MSL at 26 inches and 5500
RPM just using the above techniques.
Gear leg covers add speed, pay attention to the details and think like
an air molecule.
A bit of work with clay and filler and you can get a few more knots, but
much more fuel efficiency. Pay attention to your cowl duct seals also.
That is more knots than you think also.
Finally, the rig of the aircraft makes a big difference. Droopy flaps
are the worst. If all is not straight at cruise, (trim tabs also) it
slows you down.
Regards,
Bud Yerly
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resid=2161856909618AA7!347&parid=2161856909618AA7!346&type=1&authke
y=!AKnPGp8SHrmYj5k> Typical glass up of fairing. Note it is not a
thing of beauty at first, but it fits the leg. This photo makes it look
like the front has a flat bottom, but that is an optical illusion.
These are my flip up pant inner brackets. NOTE: The inner bracket is
attached to the metal bracket. Cuts in this are for the gear inner
bracket to be able to be removed for a brake job.
<https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=2161856909618aa7&page=play&;
resid=2161856909618AA7!348&parid=2161856909618AA7!346&type=1&authke
y=!AKnPGp8SHrmYj5k> Pay attention to allow for flex and filler and
paint. Use a block sander and square up your final install.
<https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=2161856909618aa7&page=play&;
resid=2161856909618AA7!349&parid=2161856909618AA7!346&type=1&authke
y=!AKnPGp8SHrmYj5k> Aft portion of this cover has a small amount of
gap to allow for gear flex also. It is a great idea to use clear 3M or
glider wing tape as an anti chafe for your paint. These joints flex.
(This gear is flexed with 400 lbs in the seat and full gas and you can
see it just touches.
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resid=2161856909618AA7!350&parid=2161856909618AA7!346&type=1&authke
y=!AKnPGp8SHrmYj5k> Keep it small and simple. Bigger is not better.
Note these are the standard Europa supplied pants, so the cut is
right down the center of the fairing. You can make a joggle if you
wish, but it is not necessary if your gaps are small and are glass, not
filler.
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resid=2161856909618AA7!351&parid=2161856909618AA7!346&type=1&authke
y=!AKnPGp8SHrmYj5k> This nose gear cover is a bit high so the shimmy
dampener is visible for grease leakage. The pant is made with the hinge
line set on an angle to allow quick access to the nose wheel for
servicing and inspection.
----- Original Message -----
From: Frans Veldman<mailto:frans@privatepilots.nl>
To: europa-list@matronics.com<mailto:europa-list@matronics.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 5:43 AM
Subject: Re: Europa-List: Monowheel to trigear conversion - figures
On 05/21/2013 02:30 AM, Robert Borger wrote:
> Eventually, the rest of the speed kit (flap hinge fairings) will go
on and we'll see how that helps.
Don't do the flap hinge fairings. They are very bad. They increase the
frontal area many times (pressure drag), increase the side area (skin
drag) and worst of all, they have an opening at the rear which is the
worst aerodynamic thing you can imagine. The hinges are fine as is,
leave them alone, except for the outer one (the double one), but this
one can be modified (or you could create a better fairing for it). To
give you an idea for a better "outer flap hinge fairing" look at the
attached pictures. I made a mold but never installed these fairings as
I
decided later to modify the flap hinge itself.
Frans
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