Stabilizer Strut Fairings
I just finished installing fairings over my horizontal stabilizer struts. I ordered plastic fairing material from Quad City Aircraft, 5' of their smallest size. It is sized for going over 1/2" round tubing, but it works over the 5/8" tubing on the horizontal stab. It is very light but also sturdy. I'm not sure but I believe it is ABS plastic, similar to the Kitfox lift strut fairing material. I scuff sanded it with 220 grit and it took paint quite well.
It is quite a tight fit over the 5/8" struts and I couldn't slip it on by hand, even after greasing the strut. I finally had success by using 6 rubber faced trigger type bar clamps spaced along the fairing and positioned to squeeze the fairing more open. It then slid on with minimal effort. It was easy to properly position the fairing in the airstream with the clamps on. After removing the clamps, the fairing grips the strut very tightly and I decided that no glue was needed to keep it in proper position.
Time for a flight test! After about 1 hour of straight and level testing at 2000' and 5200 rpm (my normal cruise setting), I was able to measure the following results compared to previous testing without the fairings: The fairings gave me a solid 2 mph (maybe even 2.5) speed improvement, and a 0.1 gph reduction in fuel consumption-measured by my fuel flow meter. I believe these results are reasonably accurate and done with as much "apples-to-apples" comparison as I could, but of course I am no Chuck Yeager test pilot. Well worth the effort and cost ($35 + paint) in my opinion. Pictures below.
Reply With Quote