Slats

[airjeep]

Hello, everyone.

My name is Kalen and I am new to the forum. I have been researching the LE and DE for about a year now and I have now decided to build a DE. I have a 400 ft field with no obstructions on either end, in back of my house. I would like to use the field as a run way. I know the DE will take off easily in 300 ft, but I would like to make the plane a little more STOL friendly. I would like to add slats to the wings, is this something that has been done before?

Thanks, Kalen

[scottiniowa]

I'll bite a bit, 

Were you thinking:

• fixed
• swing out
• pop out
• or nose fixed with trailing pop out?

And then toss in plenty of STOL aircraft that used None of the above with excellent results And of course many that use any one of the above.

[airjeep]

I want to stay true to the simplicity of the design. I am thinking of using fixed slats.

I have been studying the lil cub and its design is very similar to the CE/DE. I think I would have to install a solid from spar to make this happen.

My next question is, can I install a redrive on the CE/DE? I know I will have to increase the height of the front gear, to allow for a bigger prop. But this will also help with the usefulness of the slats, by increasing my angle of attack.

I have spent about 30 hours in a J3 and I completely agree you do not need flaps or slats to have a good STOL airplane, but I am just trying to make the DE/CE as good of a STOL airplane as I can.

Thanks, Kalen

[Dan_]

Hello, everyone. My name is Kalen and I am new to the forum. I have been researching the LE and DE for about a year now and I have now decided to build a DE. I have a 400 ft field with no obstructions on either end, in back of my house. I would like to use the field as a run way. I know the DE will take off easily in 300 ft, but I would like to make the plane a little more STOL friendly. I would like to add slats to the wings, is this something that has been done before? Thanks, Kalen

The changes you are thinking about pretty much constitute a new design.  

If the DE is that far outside of your desired mission profile, perhaps you would be happier with a different plane altogether.

Making this much of a change to a tested design will give you a lot of heartburn during the build, to say nothing of the trepidation you will face when it comes time to fly it.

The Ragwing Stork has fixed slats...  I have no idea how many were built or if it has much support, but many Ragwing designs apparently have had success.

[ToddK]

Why not look at building a longer wing with a full set of flaps?  Seems like that would be easier then fixed slats.

[Dan_]

Why not look at building a longer wing with a full set of flaps?  Seems like that would be easier then fixed slats.

Perhaps, add a bay to the root end of the wings. 

With the ailerons on cable control, adding flaps on a torque tube should be easy enough.

[dz1sfb]

Seems to me that adding STOL devices such as flaps and or slats to this airframe will demand an increase in HP to overcome the drag.

[scottiniowa]

Seems to me that adding STOL devices such as flaps and or slats to this airframe will demand an increase in HP to overcome the drag.

Yes, to the above- but to take further, many folks often feel that they greatly gain lift with flaps.. with standard flaps (think super cub) for the most part, you gain drag to slow down and keep the ability to have the nose lower.  Complications for a already draggy air-frame. Of course there are many different forms of flaps, with a couple also adding lift with complexity.  But they do work.

Being this is a fairly simple craft, I trust that simplicity is the name of the game.  By all means, adding anything detracts from simplicity.

As some of you know, I help alter/design some aircraft shapes.  When I do this for others, and if- and this is a big if!  They know exactly what they want and how it will work, it can be drawn and perhaps work well the first time. But generally, when my questions come up, 

• how do you want to hinge this?
• where do you intend the control rods to go?
• how big of controls?
• how much effort to do this?
• Which of the three or four types do you want to use/plan for? (effects all the above)

at this point, the deer in head lights look appears-and I can toss in "for every change, we can expect 10 more"

Not saying it can't be done, but like others said before, it is perhaps more simple to buy what you want in a design, than to change a already simple working one and make it they way you hope through trial and error.

Best of success.