What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Main gear legs fairing. Is it worth to add any?

magiccarpet

Well Known Member
Patron
Does anybody have first hand experience with the main gear leg fairings advertised by knots2u

http://www.knots2u.net/rv-12-main-gear-fairings-set-of-4-rv-12-80a

In my opinion, they would contribute to a nicer overall look of the airplane.
But beside that, I am specifically interested about their weight, how they fit to the legs and above all how flight performance is affected compared to no fairings.

Thank you!

P.S. I am building EAB
 
I bought them back in 2011 from jetguy. That batch looked nice but the thickness at the gear leg edge/corners was thin. It resulted in cracks at the corners after a year of flying. Hopefully they improved the production process. Even knowing this I will buy them again.
Install was easy. I didn't weight the parts.

 
I bought them back in 2011 from jetguy. That batch looked nice but the thickness at the gear leg edge/corners was thin. It resulted in cracks at the corners after a year of flying. Hopefully they improved the production process. Even knowing this I will buy them again.
Install was easy. I didn't weight the parts.


I installed these as well. I must admit though that after doing the gear mod, they didn't fit quite s nice though.
They are easy to install, look nice, and most importantly, the serve as great mouse guards.
........Tom
 
I could not believe the drag our gear legs present in wind tunnel testing, so I went all the way with RV8 gear leg fairings, looks nice that way as well:
303dy5v.jpg
 
I could not believe the drag our gear legs present in wind tunnel testing, so I went all the way with RV8 gear leg fairings, looks nice that way as well:
303dy5v.jpg

I did the same, frankly mostly to try to reduce the flow of air that comes forward between the seat backs. I thought some of the air might be coming in the gear leg openings in the fuse (the jury's still out on that) but expected to see come increase in speed. The difference appears to be negligible ...
 
I also followed Don's example, mainly for appearance and in the hope that the fairings might add a knot or two. I haven't done any comparative testing but doubt that it would be any more than that since the pants themselves only add about 5 kts. It sure looks faster on the ground though.
 
I believe I read on the other rv models it has been tested and found there is as much speed gain from the gear leg fairings as there are from the wheel pants. YMMV

Bill
 
I believe I read on the other rv models it has been tested and found there is as much speed gain from the gear leg fairings as there are from the wheel pants. YMMV

Bill

Did not happen with the installation on my -12 which is just like Don's picture. No perceptible change with the leg & intersection fairings. Gained about 6 kts with the wheel fairings ...
 
Did not happen with the installation on my -12 which is just like Don's picture. No perceptible change with the leg & intersection fairings. Gained about 6 kts with the wheel fairings ...


Please see post# 19 in this thread. There are others as well that experienced the gains from the gear leg fairings. http://www.vansairforce.com/communi...22&highlight=Gear+leg+fairings+speed+increase

Just a data point on a different landing gear design. The aerodynamic affect on the two are different, so perhaps the speed increase from the leg fairings on the rv12 are not netting the same effect.

BR
Bill
 
Last edited:
I believe I read on the other rv models it has been tested and found there is as much speed gain from the gear leg fairings as there are from the wheel pants. YMMV

Bill

It is true, but there is a big difference between the amount of drag produced by a thinner flat gear leg vs a thicker round rod gear leg.
 
Air coming forward between seats

Tom, I had the same problem and suspected the gear leg openings but found it was the gaps in the fuselage around the spars. I stuck strips of foam rubber each side of the spars so that they compressed between the inner ribs and the fuse - problem solved, no more cold air. Heater is now much more effective.

Jack
 
Tom, I had the same problem and suspected the gear leg openings but found it was the gaps in the fuselage around the spars. I stuck strips of foam rubber each side of the spars so that they compressed between the inner ribs and the fuse - problem solved, no more cold air. Heater is now much more effective.

Jack

Yeah, I did that too. I didn't really notice the draft in the first place until we flew it up north last November - basically froze our tushes off with the cold draft. We're planning another trip north soon and we'll see how effective it really is. Down here in Florida the draft is welcome :).
 
Back
Top