 |
Matronics Email Lists
Web Forum Interface to the Matronics Email Lists
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
lozhoffman(at)yahoo.com
Guest
|
 Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:41 pm Post subject: Gap seals |
 |
|
Buz,
You might like to look into mylar gap seals for the
flaps. i don't know the joint detail so they may not
be applicable but offer a less flexible material for
covering broader gaps and are commonly used in
sailplane application where sealing is very important.
Laurie
Oz
--- N1BZRich(at)aol.com wrote:
| Quote: | Hello again Brian,
Super job! Glad you took the time to provide
your inputs and thoughts.
I am sure all will enjoy your well written report.
Since the list of pilots
that have flown a Lightning is still relatively
small (4), any information
will be helpful to Lightning builders. Nick and I
have flown the Prototype -
Nick, Greg and you have flown Greg's airplane - and
Nick has made the one
flight on Earl's newest Lightning. The list will
soon start to grow (Earl) and
hopefully each will add their own thoughts to the
available flight data.
Nick and I were discussing some additional
"clean up" ideas at OSH and I
am currently looking for some material for flap gap
seals. There used to be
some clear tape available in the Pitts world that
we used for aileron gap
seals. I will get enough for my airplane and the
Prototype if I can still find
it. If the flap gap seals work out, the next thing
to try will be the same
on the aileron gaps. The idea on the flap gap
seals is purely for a speed
increase (which I feel certain they will do) but
until we try them, I am not
sure how they will affect flap effectiveness. On
the ailerons, the seals may
add a little speed, but a bigger improvement may
come from aileron
effectiveness / lighter forces. We shall see.
As to winglets, the entire design (size,
airfoil, shape, angle, etc) is
critical to be effective. Most of the new high
performance sailplanes have
them. Done right, they will help, done wrong, they
can detract in both
performance and handling. Having said that, I also
like their look. As a joke
while I was building 31BZ, I cut a pair of winglets
out of foam and taped them
to the wing tips just to get a reaction out of the
Shelbyville group. Some
knew right away it was a joke, others said they
looked great and thought I
should glass them on. So I hope someone with the
"aerodynamic smarts" to design
some for the Lightning will take on that task and
make it happen.
Got back from OSH yesterday with one stop in
Ohio for fuel and "pilot
comfort". First leg block to block speed was 167.8
mph burning 5.9 gph.
Second leg was 169.1 mph burning 6.3 gph. On this
leg I had to climb to 13,500
(from 7,500) over the mountains of West Virginia to
clear some buildups. The
extra time to climb caused the extra fuel burn.
Both going to and coming home
from OSH, I flew over Lake Michigan, just as I used
to do in my Bonanza. I
am pretty confident in the airplane and Jabiru
engine combination, but should
something happen, the nice glide ratio makes the
Lake Michigan "dead zone"
much smaller or even non existent if you go high
enough. I continue to be
pleased with 31BZ's speed and economy. And it is
even faster in the winter.
Blue Skies,
Buz
|
__________________________________________________
| | - The Matronics Lightning-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Lightning-List |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
N1BZRich(at)aol.com
Guest
|
| Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 6:17 pm Post subject: Gap seals |
|
|
Laurie,
Right on! I have been looking for one of0my0 old Soaring Society magazines to find an advertiser for the mylar seals. 0 As I recall, the sailplane community also has special tape to install the mylar0 and other special tape for wing to fuselage gaps as well. I will do a0 google search to find a supplier. By the way, what do you know about0 "turbulator" tape? I may not be spelling that right. Does the stuff0 really work? Is there a formula for where to install it on the0 wings? I would think it would look much better than VGs.
Buz
| | - The Matronics Lightning-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Lightning-List |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
Get Email Distribution Too!
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
