Mailing List lml@lancaironline.net Message #40965
From: Gary Casey <glcasey@adelphia.net>
Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Re: Lancair IVP Strake
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 09:57:27 -0400
To: <lml@lancaironline.net>
I did the flight test with the strakes taped on with only "100 mph tape", so I elected to do the tests at very low power settings in order to keep the airspeed down.  I figured the effects would be similar to those at normal cruise speeds.  The indicated airspeed was about 135 (150 kts true as I recall) at about 8,000 ft density altitude.  Problem was in doing two consecutive flight tests at exactly the same conditions.  The temperature was different and I'm not 100% sure the power setting matched exactly.  As long as I kept my rose-colored glasses on I was able to convince myself that the conditions favored the "no-strake" condition and therefore the speed loss wasn't that much.  I haven't flown it enough since to get a good feel for the speed loss under normal cruise conditions.  If the numbers are accurate the 1.5% speed loss represents an increased power requirement of almost 5%, which I don't think is the case.  As I posted earlier, the strakes are 25 degrees from vertical and are parallel.  I doubt very much that the natural streamlines at that position are parallel - If I had done a more rigorous job I would have verified the streamlines before installing the part.

Gary Casey
ES N224SG
Date: March 27, 2007 1:23:48 PM PDT
To: lml
Subject: Re: [LML] Re: Lancair IVP Strake


Gary,
1.5% is big. So you are saying around 4 knots? Is that at altitude?

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