>Could the difference be that the 914 engines are pulling the airframe
>about as fast as the drag will allow in cruise, and the 912
>installations are having a greater benefit from the speed kits
>installation due to their lower cruise speeds.
There are a lot of variables. First the speeds must be converted to
standard atmosphere, ie corrected for altitude and temperature, next
corrected for equal weight, not as simple. There are other variables too,
how much is your laminar flow damaged by vibration, how much trim drag due
to forward CG etc. Kim has a secret weapon, his dad. Paul was a designer at
Lockheed Skunk works a while ago and has probably forgotten stuff that some
of us never even learnt. A strong team.
I still think 3 blades are a better compromise than 2 though, 2 blades will
always cause vibration.
Graham
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