SILVER sLUG Takeoffwith new winter doors

[s johnson]

[Dan_]

Scott, 
Are you planning to close in behind you..?   A fastback of some sort will take off all the air that is curling off the top of the wings and around the doors.   Thin, thin plexi would seem ideal.

Are you getting an Artic blast right down your shirt collar..? Or no.

Thanks for sharing, and that motor sounds great!

[s johnson]

Hi Dan,

I was thinking about enclosing the back as well but couldn't figure out a good way to do it. I didn't want to interfere with the original structure. All of this is done with adel clamps and tubing. Similar to the way the doors are mounted on the Challenger aircraft.



The left door is fixed and will not open but put in a little window with a hinge so when I start I have access to the throttle and mag switch. Works out pretty well.
Yes I do get a little draft on the back but is soooo much better that with out the doors.. They will come back off when it hits the 50 degree mark.
Now we just need some snow so I can try the skis. I was going to try last year but it was just too cold. Now I think I'm ready to give it a go.

Scott J.

[Tom H]

Scott, those doors look like they work great with that big rounded front windscreen.  Seems like you should have picked up some cruise speed.  I put the doors on DE Stubby last winter (or two? I forget)  and picked up some speed and much comfort.  We fly with them all season - just overall more comfortable.

We toyed with the idea of "fastbacking" it, like Dan suggested.  We would put a stringer from the trailing edge of the wing at the center to the top longeron tubing joint.  Then put a frame at the back edge of the door, and run stringers from that frame to the back trailing stringer.  Make all this from thin wood strips, maybe "T" section for stiffness.  Cover it all in fabric.  We modeled it with temp. wood strips and string, and it looks like it would make a nice streamlined cockpit, and pick up a few more MPH.  Especially if we replaced the flat windscreen with one rounded like yours.  That would take some more thinking, though.

Maybe this winter . . .

[challengerlsa]

Hi all new guy in Eau Claire Wi here building an xl.. Scott the doors look great! This is awesome as I was just thinking doors for some skiing would be great!! What if you used that clear stuff they use for ice shack windows to close up the back of the le? Its clear flexable when cold can be sewed could attach with velcro or snaps or lace it on....just a thought..anyways the doors look great!!     Jay

[Dan_]

What if you used that clear stuff they use for ice shack windows to close up the back of the le?
   Jay

Will have to have something to defrost the windshield if the cabin is completely closed in...  No step for a stepper however...  

[aeroplain2003]

Hi all new guy in Eau Claire Wi here building an xl.. Scott the doors look great! This is awesome as I was just thinking doors for some skiing would be great!! What if you used that clear stuff they use for ice shack windows to close up the back of the le? Its clear flexable when cold can be sewed could attach with velcro or snaps or lace it on....just a thought..anyways the doors look great!!     Jay

Windows in ice shacks are small; the stuff can break quite easily when very cold.

[challengerlsa]

Hi all new guy in Eau Claire Wi here building an xl.. Scott the doors look great! This is awesome as I was just thinking doors for some skiing would be great!! What if you used that clear stuff they use for ice shack windows to close up the back of the le? Its clear flexable when cold can be sewed could attach with velcro or snaps or lace it on....just a thought..anyways the doors look great!!     Jay

Windows in ice shacks are small; the stuff can break quite easily when very cold.

Im not saying take windows out of ice shacks you can buy that material and custom make a rear cover to fully enclose the cockpit I think t-birds had the same type or stuff enclosing them...my iceshack windows certainly dont break at even -20 folding and unfolding my shack as i said its just a thought....Jay

[aeroplain2003]

No, I understand Jay, but I asked my friend who does canvas boat tops and has rolls of it, and in larger pieces the stuff can crack more easily. It is also quite heavy.
Kent

[MrG]

I added to my DE doors too - made a nicer experience to fly with out a heap of wind 
was worth the days work

[cluttonfred]

Hi, Scott, I was going to suggest that you add a light plywood panel in the triangle behind your head and then extend the fabric to cover the headrest, but I see from these pics from a 2006 EAA Experimenter article that you did have fabric there but removed it.  Why the change?  Also, why the wingtip change from the previous MiniMax ones?  Cheers, Matthew

[s johnson]

Matthew,
I wanted to save weight by removing the original tips and replacing with Leonard's design tips.saved quite a bit allowing me to build doors for use in winter ops .
Scott.

[Vince Carucci]

Scott:

Do you recall the weight of the old wing tips and from what material they were constructed? I have been thinking of experimenting this winter with shaping some Hoerner style tips from rigid pink foam insulation (?polystyrene?) adhered to 4mm plywood. Weight and strength being primary concerns. It may be an exercise in futility but I'd like to explore it anyway.

Vince

[s johnson]

Vince,

Seems to me they weighed around 3lbs s lbs each but not sure . if I can get to them I will weigh them. They are fiberglass.

[Dan_]

I have been thinking of experimenting this winter with shaping some Hoerner style tips from rigid pink foam insulation (?polystyrene?) adhered to 4mm plywood. 
Vince

Wing tip devices have a lot of leverage at that distance from the center line of the airplane.  Make them absolutely identical side to side, and mounted exactly alike.  

Be ready for a heavy wing on the first flight, especially if one side is pushing up more and one side is pushing down more at the same time.

I'm going through this pain right now on a different design.  The original builder apparently was oblivious to the need to make the tips the same.

String lines and digital levels are your friends...