Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 03:50 AM - Re: Mike Smith's speed conversion (BobsV35B@aol.com)
Message 1
| NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
| LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
| SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
| Subject: | Re: Mike Smith's speed conversion |
--> Beech-List message posted by: BobsV35B@aol.com
In a message dated 4/23/03 10:51:29 PM Central Daylight Time,
kempthornes@earthlink.net writes:
> Power is much less effective at increasing speed than drag reduction. I
> look at my Debonair and I see lotsa ways to reduce drag. But 20 to 40
> knots??? Skepticism here....
>
Good Morning Hal,
I have never heard anyone claim that Mike picked up 40 knots on an airplane
without a power increase.
I did discuss this with Mike on one occasion. At that time (early nineties),
he said that the biggest increase he had been able get via clean up items was
twenty-five knots. He also commented that at least ten knots of that
increase was due to the atrocious rig that the airplane had been in before it
arrived at his shop.
From the early seventies to the early eighties, the factory would shove them
out the door almost regardless of how poorly they had been built and/or how
badly out of rig the airplane was found to be. Some owners brought brand new
airplanes directly from the factory to his place for him to work his magic.
He said that it was not uncommon to be able to pick up ten knots by doing
nothing more than getting the airplane properly rigged.
He also commented that some airplanes were just plain slow and others were
just plain fast. He didn't have an answer as to why, but felt that it had to
do with a combination of factors such as a bit of improper twist in the wing,
stabilizers and control surfaces. His comment was that there seemed to be as
much as a ten knot difference between the fastest and the slowest of
theoretically identical airframes.
Five knots was common.
That information dovetails nicely with my personal experience.
Via a combination of removing external drag producers, adding gap seals,
careful fitting and sealing of all doors, (including the wheel well doors)
and careful rigging, he claimed to be able to pick up about ten knots on an
average airplane.
That number seems doable to me. Add that to the factory ten knots that
nobody seems to be able to do anything about and it is easy to see that there
can be as much as twenty knots difference between two airplanes that seem to
be identical in all respects other than having Mike's clean up tricks.
Mike also had done some work on cleaning up the cooling drag by changing the
location of the propellor and drastically modifying the cooling air inlets
along with redirecting the airflow within the cowling. I got the impression
that he had not come to a conclusion as to how best to complete that task
when he decided to get out of the speed business.
Most of what Mike did is stuff that could be done by anyone who wanted to
spend the time required.
The biggest advantage to taking an airplane to Mike was that he had done a
lot of them and had a good feel for how much effort to spend and where to
spend it. There is nothing like experience and Mike had more experience
rigging and tweaking the Bonanzas than anyone else in the country.
I have heard many rumors as to reasons why Mike decided to sell out the
business and get back to crop dusting, but don't have any inside information
as to why it happened.
I imagine it had to do with the hassles he found when he was trying to build
that turbine powered, single engine, pressurized Bonanza derivative.
I wish he had never thought of leaving the rigging and tweaking field, but
that is the way things go!
Happy Skies,
Old Bob
Other Matronics Email List Services
These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.
-- Please support this service by making your Contribution today! --
|