Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/90184
Under the Cowl Baffl ing, Part 2 Solving hardcore challenges By Tim Kern In last month's column, we covered the basics of baf- fling, and I promised to give "a few special-case solu- tions (e.g., pusher/seaplanes) and some traditional and not-so-traditional expedient measures (e.g., cowl flaps, spray bars, and electric fans)." In response to feedback, though, I'm taking this column in a different direction: toward optimizing the more typical tractor systems that don't use complicated additional sys- tems (e.g., spray bars and cowl fl aps). Electric fans are be- coming more prevalent in pusher confi gurations, particu- larly seaplanes; their employment is fairly self-explanatory, with common sense and experimentation dominating the small and enthusiastic population of builders. 42 NO. 3/NOVEMBER 2012 So we're presenting some (mostly) good exam- ples of good examples. To see what can be done in cooling maximum horsepower with minimum drag, there's nothing like a world-class competition such as the Reno National Championship Air Races to bring out the best ideas. And a lot of that technology is directly transferable to our "civilian" airplanes. Because more complicated installations are harder to describe, I've included photos and their explanations rather than trying to use mere words.