Kevin,
There have been instances of the Europa fuselage skin wrinkling in the area
of the port wing leading-edge following either the loss of the exhaust
outlet pipe or the pipe being angled back too far to the rear. Apparently
this damage occurs during a single flight. A few months ago, Andy Draper
was looking into the problem. Although I believe these instances occurred
with 912 engines, the precise cause is not clear and it would seem wise to
keep to the standard geometry for the 914 also.
The aerodynamics around the cowl and the exhaust gas flow in the prop wash
are complex and not to be guessed at. You will have noted how the
large-diameter pipes coming out of a PT 6 turboprop, for example, seem to
stick out into the slipstream in a far from streamlined manner.
Fly safely
Mike Gregory
Europa Club Safety Officer
-----Original Message-----
Kevin Klinefelter Sent: 09 August 2004 18:24
...A less draggy look would be aimed back with the flow more. Is there any
reason for not aiming the pipe a lot more aft?
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