Raven Aircraft
Member
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2009
- Messages
- 14
- Reaction score
- 1
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Hi All
I was just made aware of some comments regarding Raven aircraft and some wings/parts etc and want to clear the air, so to speak.
First regarding âcopyingâ, as I never had the pleasure of dealing with Curtis myself we did indeed have to resort to using drawings for our aileron kits, we used drawings from sources as Steen Aero etc and as far as I am aware all of them were originally designed by Curtis.
Also our fiberglass wheel pants do not weigh 7 or 8 Lbs ea, up to now they have been just over 4 Lbs. ea, we are going to be changing our process to make them lighter as well as most likely making them from C.F.
Regarding blunt trailing edges, I see them often used and in our experience work quite well and I am unsure of any issues they were supposed to fix. I know a lot of people who prefer them for the way they perform and I am under the impression they do indeed help centering as well they reportedly make starting and stopping rolls more âcrispâ by detaching and re attaching the air stream faster, another advantage is that they are supposed to decrease the induced drag and improve lift. Have there been studies that show otherwise?
Kevin, I do not have the resources that you have at your disposal and have had to rely on others for certain information, as for Markâs S2 S, I have been concerned as to why he could not get the centering feel right, I think the wings were finished using plywood for the aileron bay and that the gaps may not be as precise as they should be, I know as you say this is very critical for these ailerons, would that not have an affect on the centering issue? If that is the case and being the wings are finished and flying is there any advice you could give Mark to help him get better centering without redoing his cove?
Regarding Jim Leroy's Bulldog 1wings, he wanted them to be damn strong, so we discussed everything and decided to build them as follows: We used oversized Douglas fir spars, added extra ribs in the prop wash area as well as corner blocking at every spar/rib connection including <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">inside[/I] the wooden leading edge, which I said was redundant but he wanted that done anyway, so we did so. We also boxed in the I strut and tip areas and cap stripped every rib with 1/16â plywood. In the end because of these changes and other factors they were indeed heavier than his âoldâ modified S2 wings. He called me after his first flight with them and was impressed by how well they flew and was very happy with the performance so the extra weight became a non issue. He also told me on that first flight he pulled 10 neg Gâs (that made my heart skip a couple of beatsâ¦.)
When you think of all the years he flew them and all of the airshowâs he performed in with those wings he did get what he wanted and they did indeed prove themselves to be damn strong. May he rest in peace.
Best regards, Rob
fficeffice" />Hi All
I was just made aware of some comments regarding Raven aircraft and some wings/parts etc and want to clear the air, so to speak.
First regarding âcopyingâ, as I never had the pleasure of dealing with Curtis myself we did indeed have to resort to using drawings for our aileron kits, we used drawings from sources as Steen Aero etc and as far as I am aware all of them were originally designed by Curtis.
Also our fiberglass wheel pants do not weigh 7 or 8 Lbs ea, up to now they have been just over 4 Lbs. ea, we are going to be changing our process to make them lighter as well as most likely making them from C.F.
Regarding blunt trailing edges, I see them often used and in our experience work quite well and I am unsure of any issues they were supposed to fix. I know a lot of people who prefer them for the way they perform and I am under the impression they do indeed help centering as well they reportedly make starting and stopping rolls more âcrispâ by detaching and re attaching the air stream faster, another advantage is that they are supposed to decrease the induced drag and improve lift. Have there been studies that show otherwise?
Kevin, I do not have the resources that you have at your disposal and have had to rely on others for certain information, as for Markâs S2 S, I have been concerned as to why he could not get the centering feel right, I think the wings were finished using plywood for the aileron bay and that the gaps may not be as precise as they should be, I know as you say this is very critical for these ailerons, would that not have an affect on the centering issue? If that is the case and being the wings are finished and flying is there any advice you could give Mark to help him get better centering without redoing his cove?
Regarding Jim Leroy's Bulldog 1wings, he wanted them to be damn strong, so we discussed everything and decided to build them as follows: We used oversized Douglas fir spars, added extra ribs in the prop wash area as well as corner blocking at every spar/rib connection including <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">inside[/I] the wooden leading edge, which I said was redundant but he wanted that done anyway, so we did so. We also boxed in the I strut and tip areas and cap stripped every rib with 1/16â plywood. In the end because of these changes and other factors they were indeed heavier than his âoldâ modified S2 wings. He called me after his first flight with them and was impressed by how well they flew and was very happy with the performance so the extra weight became a non issue. He also told me on that first flight he pulled 10 neg Gâs (that made my heart skip a couple of beatsâ¦.)
When you think of all the years he flew them and all of the airshowâs he performed in with those wings he did get what he wanted and they did indeed prove themselves to be damn strong. May he rest in peace.
Best regards, Rob
