You can't argue with success. I'm definetely interested in these. Hope to see you in Idaho Kelly, Should be arriving about dark on Thusday night the 1st and working my way home Sunday.
Joe
4518C
Flap Gap Seals, Performance Boost
Moderators: GAHorn, Karl Towle, Bruce Fenstermacher
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Dave Clark
- Posts: 894
- Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2002 6:25 pm
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Bruce Fenstermacher
- Posts: 10318
- Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2002 11:24 am
Dave you are 100% correct about the RC models and some full scale aircraft like Bellanca Super Vikings.
I personally can see how sealing the flap in this manner can work. By sealing the flap the air can't pass ove which is what you would want in a typical Fowler flap but remember the flap also extends back as it drops.
Sealed the flaps are effectively increasing the wing area and increasing the mean cord of the center of the wing. In this case being seal may work as good or better than the unsealed Fowler flap.
I personally can see how sealing the flap in this manner can work. By sealing the flap the air can't pass ove which is what you would want in a typical Fowler flap but remember the flap also extends back as it drops.
Sealed the flaps are effectively increasing the wing area and increasing the mean cord of the center of the wing. In this case being seal may work as good or better than the unsealed Fowler flap.
CAUTION - My forum posts may be worth what you paid for them!
Bruce Fenstermacher, Past President, TIC170A
Email: brucefenster at gmail.com
Bruce Fenstermacher, Past President, TIC170A
Email: brucefenster at gmail.com
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funseventy
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2002 11:46 pm
Eric,
My in-laws have a 135 hp cessna 140 with the same flaps as you. They heard what I was going to do about 6 months ago and they went out and put their flaps down and laid a strip of duct tape on the top of the hinge line where it wouldn't be noticable. I had heard of this before. Anyway, they saw a good bit of improvement with that $1.97 STOL kit. I believe you have to be current at using your airplane at the super slow end to really notice the gain on a ragwing.
The Kit is STC'd for the 170B but only with the cuff and fence. I am field approving the gap seal by itself and that process is going well. I would like to get the STC for just the gap seal so people could put them on their airplanes no matter what kit you already have on the airplane.
Kelly
My in-laws have a 135 hp cessna 140 with the same flaps as you. They heard what I was going to do about 6 months ago and they went out and put their flaps down and laid a strip of duct tape on the top of the hinge line where it wouldn't be noticable. I had heard of this before. Anyway, they saw a good bit of improvement with that $1.97 STOL kit. I believe you have to be current at using your airplane at the super slow end to really notice the gain on a ragwing.
The Kit is STC'd for the 170B but only with the cuff and fence. I am field approving the gap seal by itself and that process is going well. I would like to get the STC for just the gap seal so people could put them on their airplanes no matter what kit you already have on the airplane.
Kelly
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zero.one.victor
- Posts: 2271
- Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2002 12:11 am
Kelly,your father-in-law wouldn't be Jerry Highland,would it? He wrote a good article about his "Mountain 140" that was in the 140 Club newsletter a few years ago. At the time,I was thinking about getting something similar & after reading his article I ended up having a long telephone conversation with him about 140's. Seemed like a real nice guy. I ended up staying with the trusty 170 but still like the idea of a hot-rod 140.
As I recall he had (BLR/cub-crafter) VG's on his 140,that'd be good for the added aileron control at the lower stall speed. Like I said before on another topic,I had the duct-tape flap-gap seals on my ragwing for a while,but my ailerons are not effective enough at low speed to where I feel comfortable taking advantage of the lower stall speed. VG's might be a big improvement,but they don't offer them for the ragwing 170. I pulled the duct-tape off recently, that eliminated the excess floating when three-pointing it.
Eric
As I recall he had (BLR/cub-crafter) VG's on his 140,that'd be good for the added aileron control at the lower stall speed. Like I said before on another topic,I had the duct-tape flap-gap seals on my ragwing for a while,but my ailerons are not effective enough at low speed to where I feel comfortable taking advantage of the lower stall speed. VG's might be a big improvement,but they don't offer them for the ragwing 170. I pulled the duct-tape off recently, that eliminated the excess floating when three-pointing it.
Eric