Posted for "John Barrett" <2thman@cablespeed.com>:

James,

A Grumman Traveler was my first airplane (if you don’t count T-34’s, T-28’s,
A-4’s, F-8’s and so on) and I did like the ease of opening and the access it
provided.

However, I would have to say that it resulted in a rather flimsy cowl and I
don’t think it would be a good or aerodynamic set up for any of the Lancair
stable of models. Think speed (drag). But also realize that the hinge on
top (you’ll need two then) would have to be planar. You no longer could
tolerate a curve on the top of the cowling.

Also, I have to disagree about security – the latches were IMHO fairly crude
overcenter devices that on my airplane were easy to misalign. I never had
them come loose in flight, but I was constantly needing to pay a lot of
attention to make sure they were actually fastened correctly. This
complaint could be easily corrected so it has no real bearing on the concept
you suggest.

Regards,
John Barrett
www.carbinge.com

"""
I have yet to come across a better cowling setup than what Grumman American
put on the AA-5A Cheetah and AA-5B Tiger.

Center-hinged from spinner to firewall, access to the whole topside of the
engine was quick and easy; fasteners were very secure, truly quick release
and flush with the cowl.

Why wouldn't a similar setup work with Lancair cowls?

JHK
"""