wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

[N74DV]

Flew today without the wheel pants and saw about a 4mph decrease in level cruise speed. Does this sound about right?

[jgerard]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

sounds a bit much for me, but you did have a fairly tight set of wheel pants on that plane. Each ship is a bit different though.

[Jim Herpst]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

Richard VansGrusen (sp) of VANS aircraft fame USED to manufacture and hold an STC for wheel pants for Taylorcrafts. The pants were tight (I know I had a set on 94984 and yes with out them on I saw a 5mph drop!!)

[Acroeric]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

A local fellow with lots of Tcraft time told me that he had experienced an increase in speed w/out the pants. . . . I never tested this. . . he does have ALOT of experience with them though. It does seem the pants would have much less drag.

[Dusty]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

Interesting discussion. I lost MAYBE 2 MPH going from 8.50s to 31" Bushwheels on the Champ. I would have assumed more, and less for wheel pants on teeny tires. I CAN point her almost straight down without gaining too much speed now - the big tires are OBVIOUSLY more draggy, but that didn't seem to do a heck of a lot to my cruise - down low. I DID get much slower above 5000' or so - I think. I'm up there so seldom it's hard to tell what's really happening - could be just temperature or ????

Any aerodynamics's types here who'd care to explain? Flat prop can drag a whole lot or just a little bit through the air at about the same speed???

[Ragwing nut]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

I have never seen any real difference with or without.

Mike

[Ed O'Brien]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

Does it aid this discussion for me to admit that when I was 19, I had to flee an incident wearing NO PANTS at all. I swear I ran 10 to 15 miles per hour faster -- This was most likely due to being chased by someone as opposed to
deminished drag. So no, this admission, probably helps this discussion little. Sorry.

With regards;
Ed O'Brien

[Marv]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

Does it aid this discussion for me to admit that when I was 19, I had to flee an incident wearing NO PANTS at all. I swear I ran 10 to 15 miles per hour faster -- This was most likely due to being chased by someone as opposed to
deminished drag. So no, this admission, probably helps this discussion little. Sorry.

With regards;
Ed O'Brien

Yes Ed if you would have had them half way down you would have been caught. Mfarv

[N74DV]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

and if one leg was still in pants you may have came full circle right back to the scene of the crime.

Was she worth the risk? LOL

[Ed O'Brien]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

Pants in my hand... I was spraying pockey-change for blocks. The father, while he couldn't keep up, followed the distant tinkling... so I had to run several more blocks than I'd planned... eventually I got away, Or... perhaps he's still chasing me and I'm deluding myself.

Was she worth it? When I was 19, you bet. Now, no way...
my wife knows where I live.
With Holiday regards; ED OBRIEN

[Forrest Barber]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

The streamlind WHEEL pants gain 4-5 mph the egg style about the same. YES they are less drag, strut cuffs & other streamlines ( AS discussed before) will get a 65 HP ship over 100 mph at 2250 RPM with a 74-45 metal prop...

[Jim Herpst]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

Forrest,

Thanks me lad for weighing in on this ! I was begining to think I sold the only Taylorcraft with 5 mph pants out there ! Those Vans pants were good looking too. WE (the owners)need to re-produce them if WAG AERO does not already have something like them now.
On a different note:Should have the Carlson Baby Ace fuselage back in my shop later this month all striped and epoxied/aerothan(ed) ready for re-assembly of turtle deck etc Then back to buddy for re-cover... sure would like to bring it up in July and show Mary and all. Wings are finished covered painted etal

Always good to hear the Alliance facts from you . Hope your staying warm.

[N74DV]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

YES they are less drag, strut cuffs & other streamlines ( AS discussed before) will get a 65 HP ship over 100 mph at 2250

As I have noticed in our Tcraft, which is equipped with strut cuffs and wheel pants, if at 2250 we're at about 100 or a hair over. Not sure on the prop. I need to pull the logs and see.

[Forrest Barber]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

I will be real happy to see Ernie's Baby Ace keep at it!! The speed mods do not all add up; I remember the Cherokee that had a whole bunch of mods BUT they did not EACH increase in a straight line on a graph. Drag still increases as the square of the speed. Gap seals are very good too as another thread points out!

[Ragwing nut]

Re: wheel pants speed vs. no wheel pants

I have never had a problem getting over 100MPH with a metal prop and no pants. I prefer a 71-48 for metal, 72-42 for wood. Metal prop was worth 10 mph and averaged 105 indicated.

Mike