Look ma No doors

Has anyone had experience flying with both doors removed on a IV speedster and if so any recommendations?

Some folks fly all summer with the doors off. A little breezy at 100 mph plus but quite pleasant at 80 or so. Probably a good idea to avoid hard slips at higher speeds to protect the turtle deck. You can also just open the door or doors without removing them.

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Originally Posted by DesertFox4

Some folks fly all summer with the doors off. A little breezy at 100 mph plus but quite pleasant at 80 or so. Probably a good idea to avoid hard slips at higher speeds to protect the turtle deck. You can also just open the door or doors without removing them.

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Whats max speed for the doors open?

I think the factory recommends in the 80 mph range or max flap extension speeds.

Thanks guys

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Originally Posted by DesertFox4

I think the factory recommends in the 80 mph range or max flap extension speeds.

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I did a photo shoot with KitFoxJim. My model IV with the doors open almost struggled to do much over 80mph. It will normally cruise just over 100 with the doors closed. Still we have had some hot weather here and the cockpit temperature was about 100. That is just a little warm for us northern boys. I flew home with my door open after the shoot.

I took the doors off for my first flight (IV). It was really hot that day. I didn't want the doors flopping around up on a first flight either. I'm glad I did it that way as it made the plane a bit draggy which helped get it slowed down on approach. The plane likes to sail on and on it if you come in a tad fast. Mild slips at slow speed were no problem but you get some wind rumbling obviously.

Kind of a crazy question, but I'll ask it anyway because that's what the internet is for. With the doors off, you are supposed to avoid slips to ensure that the turtle deck doesn't get damaged. Would there be any safety issues with removing the turtle deck as well as the doors? The first thing that comes to mind is you might get direct slipstream at the gap between the baggage compartment and the fabric which might not be good.

A false open top turtle deck may have to be fabricated to provide a support bearing for the flaperons.

Not sure it would be safe with turtle deck off as airflow over tail surfaces may be affected.

Airflow around the tail surfaces was also a consideration. There might be a way around that if you closed off the baggage compartment.