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NACA Vents

rleffler

Well Known Member
I?m just finishing up my tailcone with wings coming in January.

For those that have use a NACA vent to provide an air inlet for the overhead console, would you recommend installing them at this stage. My assumption is that it would be much easy cutting the holes prior to riveting the tailcone together.

My second question is has there been consensus on the best location to place the vents yet?

I?m also just starting to start looking at NACA sources. Van?s has one for $6.25 and ACS has several, but all are over $30. I was caught off guard by the price differences. There can?t be that much difference in quality.

Thanks,

Bob
 
Naca Vents

There's a huge disparity in the NACA Vents available. The plastic one's that come with Vans kit are, probably, ok in warmer climates and low altitudes. Using RPV does prove to be helpful. After a year + of my wife flying with blankets and towels I finally stepped to the plate and ordered the machined aluminum vent from Vans. Close to $300 but well worth it. Happy wives make happy flights!

Bill Stegemann
RV10 N545RV 143 hours
RV6 - sold
[email protected]
 
NACA side of fuselage vent?

I first ordered from ACS and paid about $30 ea for 2 part vents. Sent them back and bought from Van's got 1 part vents and am really pleased. Just like already said, you do need good eyeball vents to control the air. Stein has a great deal on these around $100 ea.
greg :D
 
Talk about resurrecting an old thread but I've been pondering the exact same questions that Bob had at this point in his build. The replys don't fully answer the questions. I'm about to rivet the tailcone and was wondering about cutting the vents prior to doing so. I too am planning on an overhead console. If so, where do you locate them precisely and what vents should I buy??
 
At the very least it would be nice to know where to mask the inside skin prior to priming so that the Proseal will bond better.
 
A review of RV-10 images on Google will tell you where many people locate them. Looks like the middle of the bay just behind the baggage compartment at about the same vertical distance from the longeron as the front vents.

That's where mine are, but I can't verify that they actually work there. ;-)
 
A review of RV-10 images on Google will tell you where many people locate them. Looks like the middle of the bay just behind the baggage compartment at about the same vertical distance from the longeron as the front vents.


I have read several reports that they work well in the above mentioned location. I am only adding one, and that's where its going. To be a little more precise:

NACA_vent_location.jpg
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As for when to cut it in. After the tail cone join, and before putting the top skin in there is plenty of access to get the job done easily
 
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I cut mine and attached the vent (I only have one) after I had joined the tailcone to the fuse but before that last tailcone top skin was riveted on.
 
I have read several reports that they work well in the above mentioned location. I am only adding one, and that's where its going. To be a little more precise:

NACA_vent_location.jpg
[/url][/IMG]

As for when to cut it in. After the tail cone join, and before putting the top skin in there is plenty of access to get the job done easily

Thanks Leo. I know some builders have added one to each side. Is there a particular reason why you've decided to use one as opposed to two? Where did you source your vents? Are they standard sizes?
 
I cut mine and attached the vent (I only have one) after I had joined the tailcone to the fuse but before that last tailcone top skin was riveted on.

Hey Todd. Thanks for chiming in. Do you find that the single vent provides as much air flow as you desire?
 
Hey Todd. Thanks for chiming in. Do you find that the single vent provides as much air flow as you desire?

It's fine in the air, a bit weak on the ground. Mine is on the right side so maybe if it was one the left it would benefit more from the spiraling prop slip stream but that's just a guess. Of course the standard vents both in front and back do a pretty good job by themselves. However, when it's hot and you're sitting there trying to get a release or takeoff clearance no amount of vented air really helps that much on the ground--the cabin is still an oven. The vents just make it an inefficient convective oven :D . If you want cool you either have minimize your ground time or add A/C.
 
Has anyone mounted theirs in the "middle" bay vertically? The panel between the top two rows of rivets on the tail cone has holes for the static ports, so I was going to mount the NACA vents in the next panel down to avoid any possible interference they might cause to the static system.

Is that a realistic concern or am I unnecessarily worrying?
 
Here's pic after I installed mine.
36219901434_d34ae68769_z.jpg


No issues interfering with the right side static port that I've been able to notice.
 
Here's pic after I installed mine.


No issues interfering with the right side static port that I've been able to notice.

That's good news. Although I may still install in the lower panel because there's a "divot" there that probably happened when I moved the tail cone from it's original home to mine a couple of years ago. I just remembered that when I went to look at it after your post.
 
Are these vents really necessary?

My experience with just the Vans vents forward is that they provide plenty of ventilation without the need for overhead vents. I live in Central Valley California where it is really hot this time of year...
 
My experience with just the Vans vents forward is that they provide plenty of ventilation without the need for overhead vents. I live in Central Valley California where it is really hot this time of year...

Necessary -- no. Nice to have, yes as it gives pax more airflow options.
 
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