Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Fairing made of metal.

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Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

Hi Bob,

They look like just what I need. I have sent you a PM.
Speedbird1

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N872DD
200hp Lycoming

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Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

Those are beautiful. You make it look so easy. What type aluminum do you use to make those?

It is .032 6061 T6. That said, I had to anneal it twice during the process. Annealing involves a magic marker and a torch.

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Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

A long time ago when he was still alive I was looking at the great wing fairings that Tom Hunter had made out of fiberglass and asked how he got them to fit the wing/fuslage angles. He said that he had stuck some sand paper along those surfaces and rubbed some foam along the surface untill he hade gotten the angles he needed on the foam and as I remember scrubbed/sanded off the upper surface until he got the proper angle of the dangle. Used that to lay up fiberglass.
I made some Hoerner wing tips not to long ago and they gave me another 8kts or so. I think the fairings are well worth the effort, Free air speed as were the wing tips. A great winter/ covid-19 project. Paul MacMichael

I have always wondered why there were a couple different wing tips out there being used. I guess the Hoerner tips are more aerodynamically efficient and that is where your speed gains come from?? What do Hoerner tips look like as opposed to the standard tips? To be candid, I ask because I will soon have install wing tips on my project and I am totally ignorant about the differences.

After thirty-six years and almost three thousand hours, N711SH gets wing root fairings.

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Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

Bob, I’ll be very interested in hearing about any performance difference.
Ryan, I think I have pictures of both. Let me look.
Cubes

Well, here is one picture that might help.
Cubes

Did the test hop this morning with fairings installed. Very hot and bumpy. Couldn't really get good numbers. Stall series yielded no changes in airspeeds flaps up or down. Still 63 MPH up and 59 MPH down. Had full internal fuel, so CG was forward. One interesting difference was a high pitched whine or whistle as I approached the stall. Apparently, 711SH now has an aural stall warning.

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Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

Still the same feel through the stall? I’m guessing the biggest difference will be in top end speed.
Cubes

Basically the same. I'll have to do more when I get a good day.

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Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

Heres the thing with the wing fairings, Years ago when he was still alive I saw Tom Hunters plane at Porterville and he had a beautiful set of wing fairings. When i asked how he made them he said that he stuck some long strips of sandpaper on each side and rubbed some foam along that area untill he got the inner shape and than sanded away the outer area on the remainder untill he had the profile he wanted. Layed up the fiber glass over that. You can buy the stick on strips at a auto body supply house.
I made some hoerner wing tips a few years ago, a project, but worked out great in that they gave me a nice kick in the butt. 7/8 kts faster, Cheap speed and better lateral control.