I recently purchased an RV 8 and love the airplane. It looks very nice but I noticed during the prebuy that the paint was rough to the touch like real fine sandpaper. I have been polishing the leading edges to keep bugs from sticking and they are now smooth to the touch. This rv is roughly 5kts faster than the other rv8s with equivalent 0360 motors. I was told this by the previous owner but was skeptical. My question is this, does a rough surface give an aircraft more speed? If so, why would anyone make theirs buff smooth? I do not want to polish the rest of the aircraft if it slows it down.
I have flown with 3 0360's, 1 io360, that can't keep up with me, so I can't blame design flaws on their part.
I have flown with 3 0360's, 1 io360, that can't keep up with me, so I can't blame design flaws on their part.