In a message dated 12/20/2009 3:10:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
europa-list@matronics.com writes:
Experiments clearly show that the air is
escaping through the gear/flaps control level slot. How is it on
trigears? I do not know.
Hi Remi,
There is no gear/flap control lever slot for the air to escape on a
trigear, so it's not going out there. I can feel a slight air movement coming in
at the holes for the seat belt attachments, though. I don't notice any air
coming through or exiting my throttle slot or finger brake slots.
I'm currently devising a method of closing off the flap tube slots in the
fuselage when the flaps are up. That would leave the trim drive slots at
the rear as the only place for the air to escape.
Based on what I've seen on many racing gliders, this rear area is the best
spot for the cockpit air to be exhausted for drag reduction. The claim is
cockpit air moving back through the fuselage causes drag. Many of the hot
dog glider racers will modify their gliders so that all the incoming cockpit
air is captured and ducted with SCEET through the tail boom to the rear,
usually exhausted at the rudder cable exit holes. I have seen one
Aeronautical Engineer/glider racer pilot/US Team Member who fabricated slots at
the
root trailing edge of the wing and ducted the air to this area for
discharge. Not sure if it does enough to be noticed, but I thought it was an
interesting concept. Then again, contest class gliders are very evenly matched
so
that it is as close to pilot skill vs. pilot skill as it can be. The
gliders are built to very specific design guidelines and they are weighed with
the pilot in a flight ready condition just prior to the race. In some
incidences water ballast is used to even things up. A few little tricks like
this
might give someone a slight edge, especially at high speeds. In races where
the lift conditions are good throughout the course there is rarely more
than 10-15 seconds time difference between first and fifth place finishers
over a 150 mile course.
Regards,
John Lawton
Whitwell, TN (TN89)
N245E - Flying
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