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
by George Periera. Its Chevy V-8 engine needed intake air up top and received it through an Andy Chiavetta Aerochia–designed and fabricated two-piece scoop that led to a plenum before heading into the intake. While this is not a "cooling" design, some of the details of the inner and outer scoop construction are notewor- thy: Both pieces are required to get maximum airflow with minimum drag. Even little airplanes benefit from attention to detail. The LT-1 seen at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012 is designed to go 150 mph on 60 hp. The only way to do that is to be efficient. Designer/developer Andy Chiavetta has removable exhaust shrouds on the prototype to allow fine-tuning the overall design. Once the ultimate shape has been settled on, the cowl molds will incorporate it. A superb example of using all available energy in what- ever way possible is demonstrated under Lee Behel's Sport Class racer Lancair. Breathless uses its exhaust blast to help evacuate the cowl. Takeaway It is a given that fl ying is a game of optimizing compro- mises. For every design plus, there is a trade-off. Effi cient cooling's tradeoff comes in the required time, craftsman- ship, and design skill necessary to achieve it. There isn't a cooling system anywhere that couldn't be made at least a little better; where one stops experimenting is determined by one's knowledge, skill, pocketbook…and the desire to stop working on it—and go fl y the airplane! There are lots of places to have the air exit. This new Lancair, the creation of Cascade Aircraft Management, was to have raced at Reno in 2012, but they ran out of time to get the airplane completed. Still, the novel exits for the intercoolers, placed as "portholes" under the canopy's edge, have a certain charm. Do they work? We'll have to find out next year. Photography by Tim Kern Tim Kern is a private pilot who lives near Indianapolis, Indiana. He has written for more than 40 different aviation magazines and also provides writing and marketing services to the aviation industry. He was key builder on two aircraft and has earned the certifi cation of Certifi ed Aviation Manager from the NBAA. EAA EXPERIMENTER 45