Re: Pietenpol-List: enclosed cockpit piet?

[matronics]

Original Posted By: lshutks(at)webtv.net (Leon Stefan)
There have been some canopy installations on planes like the Tiger Moth thathaven't looked half bad... here's a couple of photos of a Tigermoth and anAvro Avian. I always wondered if someone would adapt the idea (properly) toa Piet. I think that if it was done well, it wouldn't look half bad. Ideallyyou'd be able to remove everything but the windshield in 5-10 minutes fortraditional open-cockpit flying. Maybe a mechanism similar to thequick-release system used on many acro planes... except that the pinswouldn't be there for quick-release in an emergency, but to allow you to popthe glass off quickly for open-air flying.(Of course, here in Florida this stuff is not so much of an issue as for youguys up north... maybe I'll do a canopy and then use it to keep the airconditioning inside -MMike Whaley merlin@ov-10bronco.netWebmaster, OV-10 Bronco Associationhttp://www.ov-10bronco.net/> some photos of a Romanian built GN-1 that was modified to incorporate acabin________________________________________________________________________________ ETAtAhRG2Ms8/8LdBUOvpMIjhY6dd0SXSQIVAJbRGZ2qeBkilh8lmeJ1MgXwacr9

[matronics]

Original Posted By: "Mike Whaley"
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: enclosed cockpit piet?Mike, The problem is adding weight. From all I have read, the Pietdoesn't tollerate adding weight, even if you up the h.p. The flyingqualities will go down. Leon S.________________________________________________________________________________

[matronics]

Original Posted By: N321TX(at)wmconnect.com
> Mike, The problem is adding weight. From all I have read, the Piet doesn'ttollerate adding weightActually, this photo of an Acey-Deucy with a canopy is the photo I wastrying to find yesterday. The caption says that top speed increased by 8mph.This plane is very much like a Piet in size and layout. In my opinion, thisis a very nice-looking installation, it's (arguably) prettier than thetraditional Acey-Deucy, in a way. Certainly makes it unique-looking ifnothing else. Note that this plane also has a front cockpit side door. Theremay also be some benefit to a canopy like this, in that it would likelysmooth out the airflow to the tail a tad... may lead to slightly improvedtail surface effectiveness, perhaps, and maybe even a slight increase inlift or climb rate (I suspect this effect would be minor though.)I would think that this could be done without a large amount of weight gain.Since you're still in the neighborhood of 90-100 mph, there really is noneed for a thick, heavy, bird strike-proof canopy, is there? Very thin (1/8inch) lexan on a thin aluminum frame should do nicely. You would probablywant to use something slightly thicker for the windshield, but I would thinkthat 1/4 inch plexiglas or lexan would still be plenty strong and not weigha ton. If the side panels had a simple piano hinge at the top so they couldswing upwards (J-3 style) then there would be no need to worry aboutcomplicated, heavy sliding rails. A simple latch would suffice and you couldlikely even fly with the windows open. (The sliding fighter-style canopysetup on the Firebolt takes a year to build... just for the canopy part...it is nice, but that's kind of against the whole idea of a Pietenpol!)-MikeMike Whaley merlin@ov-10bronco.netWebmaster, OV-10 Bronco Associationhttp://www.ov-10bronco.net/___________________ ... __________