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crazy question

drdriddle

Member
has anyone considered/tried to build a baggage pod? something that could be attached to hard points on the bottom of the fuselage? is this possible? thinking about a little more baggage on long trips. i get there would be a drag penalty and would have to conform to CG limits

thanks

drdriddle
long time lurker, soon to be owner
 
I've considered it... to haul my wife's folding wheelchair under the RV-8... but I think I'll engineer a rolling walker or push chair that disassembles to smaller pieces instead.
 
I have always thought this would be the external baggage pod for my -9 if I decided to do it.


2vb31xj.jpg
 
I've thought about it a lot. I put in four hard points in the belly using the wing tie-down extrusion, riveted to the under-floor ribs. I currently have flat-head screws plugging the holes where the attach bolts would go up into the hard points.

My plan was to make a pod that could carry a bicycle. It would have a semi-circular front and back where the wheels would nest into the front and back. then the frame would sit in between. The front and back would wedge shaped from the side, matching the angle of the wheels. It would only need to be about 8" deep in the middle assuming you take the pedals off the bike.

I found that it had to be so long that to get the c.g. of the pod and contents near the c.g. of the airplane, it had to extend fairly far forward, almost right up to the exhaust pipes. I was worried about the exhaust flow impinging on it, so it would need to have some metal, not just fiberglass, around the front.

Then, I got onto some other projects, and have not done anything about it.
 
Cargo pods

There is a company I saw on the web that makes them for ultralights. They are mounted backwards from the way we would mount them on an RV (up vs down). You could probably contact the company to make the door on the side facing aft instead. Looks like an oversized wheel fairing to me.

http://www.uflyit.com/cargo_pods.htm

2v7t34n.jpg

2jb7j29.jpg
 
Structurally, using the wing tiedown hard points or the volume in the wing tips makes more sense (at the expense of spin recovery ability, if you think you might get into a spin while carrying extra baggage...).

Wing hard point aerodynamic pods have been done, both commercially and DIY. The earliest I know about were done, IIRC, for a Thorp T-18, and were shaped aerodynamically to provide compensating lift. Very little speed loss. I've got the drawings for those in pdf form, but I just did a search & cannot put my mouse on them at the moment.

Also been done a lot on EzEs:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj5u9rImN3YAhUnct8KHa8_Ct8QFgh0MAc&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canardzone.com%2Fforum%2Findex.php%3Fapp%3Dcore%26module%3Dattach%26section%3Dattach%26attach_id%3D10739&usg=AOvVaw1zrttBw94fQFUxcMaivIXB

There was a company making them specifically for RVs a number of years ago, as well.

If you can divide your volume between two pods, it might be worth spending some time with the google on the subject.
 
Thank you for all of the quick responses. Lots to look at and think about. I like the pods designed for the EZ aircraft and like how they attach. Am thinking of something for an -8a. Rv7charlie, if you run across that pdf i would be interested in it. Thanks
 
Sorry; I'm striking out on finding the plans. I suspect that the Thorp reference was to 'drop tanks' designed by Tom Hunter, but the concept works (and would be much simpler) for just baggage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9_TqOB6_Jk

http://thorp18.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=5781

http://thorp18.com/thorpforum/search.php?keywords=drop+tanks&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

Dig around in the both the Thorp list archives; you may find more info.

EDIT: The end of the youtube video has Hunter's contact info, but the video is about 8 years old.

Charlie
 
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Before you go to far, keep in mind that a stock RV-8 will swallow an amazing amount of stuff, particularly if you are solo and don't have someone in the back seat. I loaded up to go to EAA one time and by the time I got ready to takeoff the weather came down and I had to scrub. When I unloaded the plane I realized that all the camping stuff, gear, etc... pretty much filled my Audi A4 sedan!

DEM
 
Before you go to far, keep in mind that a stock RV-8 will swallow an amazing amount of stuff, particularly if you are solo and don't have someone in the back seat.

Increase it further with a fastback conversion. Adding height to the turtledeck allows a heap more stuff.

Get some popcorn and a six pack on the ready and settle in ......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5A7_oPAw9c

A fella could make nice underwing baggage pods using RV-10 wheelpants for the body.
 
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Read an article in Feb/18 Kitplanes about an RV8 that did north and south poles. Noticed he had a baggage pod underneath.

Michel-Gordillo-RV8.jpg
 
Wing locker?

Structurally, using the wing tiedown hard points or the volume in the wing tips makes more sense (at the expense of spin recovery ability, if you think you might get into a spin while carrying extra baggage...).


Wing tip locker:


ojk01f.jpg
 
RV-8 Storage

As others have said, an awful lot of stuff can fit into an -8.

Here's an example of what I can carry with 2 people (and we had a little room to spare):

DSC_2796small.JPG


Skylor
 
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Someone made them for an RV-4.

I see no reason why you couldn't make a pair for your plane.
rvpods.jpg

Seen the pods on an RV-4 back in the late 80's or early 90's at a small fly in somewhere in the Sacramento valley, CA. Then none since, Always wondered how they worked out? We had just started our 6 so was all ears and by the comments at the time, thought they would become a popular add on? Guess not!
Not saying that this is the same plane but the pods look the same.
 
Seen the pods on an RV-4 back in the late 80's or early 90's at a small fly in somewhere in the Sacramento valley, CA. Then none since, Always wondered how they worked out? We had just started our 6 so was all ears and by the comments at the time, thought they would become a popular add on? Guess not!
Not saying that this is the same plane but the pods look the same.

I have a friend who has a pair for his -6. Apparently they were all made by the same guy as who made these on the -4.

They are designed to pick up the bolt hold for the tie-downs and on the upper side of the wing, two Rivnuts just forward of the spar, on the topside of the leading edge.

He said the problem with the design is that you have to remove a bunch of screws to pack them. (That could be quickly fixed with different hardware.) He also added that with the -6, he has never run out of baggage space so never uses them. (Sorry, they are sold and waiting for the new owner to pick them up.)
 
I have a friend who has a pair for his -6. Apparently they were all made by the same guy as who made these on the -4.

They are designed to pick up the bolt hold for the tie-downs and on the upper side of the wing, two Rivnuts just forward of the spar, on the topside of the leading edge.

He said the problem with the design is that you have to remove a bunch of screws to pack them. (That could be quickly fixed with different hardware.) He also added that with the -6, he has never run out of baggage space so never uses them. (Sorry, they are sold and waiting for the new owner to pick them up.)

Looks like the work of Mike Arnold from the video I linked to in post #11.
 
They were being marketed a decade or two ago; the company had a pair on an RV at SNF one year. I like Dan's idea of using RV-10 pants as a starting point, but honestly, the wing tip lockers might well be the most sensible thing to do from a minimal complexity, low/no drag standpoint.

Of course, with a little forethought on the hardpoint/attachment, you could have a quick-detach mechanism & be able to carry the pod to your hotel as luggage.... ;-)

Another option might be an empty version of the Reed Bladder Buster tanks. They were basically extensions for the wings, that attached between the end of the wing and the wing tip. By replacing the screw installation with piano hinge stock, they could be installed or removed depending on need, so the wing could return to 'as designed' configuration if you didn't need the space. I did find some pics & the install instructions for the Reed tanks, if you want them. Should be fairly simple to duplicate using ribs from Van's and some skin material.

Charlie
 
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