Re: REFLECTOR: Canard Well

[Alan Shaw <wingco@iu.net>]

Rene' Dugas wrote:

> Dear Folks,
> What is the deal with the canard well?  I'm attaching the elevators
> now(actually yesterday).  Why would we want a well at all?  Why not a
> glass shelf to cover the big well constructed to not interfere with the
> hinges of course?  If not fiberglass the flexible teflon sheating
> reinforced to prevent air flow into the well.

You are describing the gap seal again.  I thought I put that to bed when I
explained that's how we got the test plane to deep stall  TOO EASY.

>  Do we not aspire to
> laminar flow here too?

That's always gone after the widest point anyway.

>   I do not understand why we want air to go into
> this well.  HELP me aerodynamically.

When we slow down and put the elevator down then air goes through the gap
and over the top of the elevators providing the type of lift and pitch
control that we need.

>   I potted my elevators a tad too deep so i'll be
> sanding off part of my top overlap

If you cut that any more your gap may become to big at neutral.

> I'm also planning a fuel cut off valve (on and OFF) near the pilot from
> the sump to valve to gascolator on firewall.  Any suggestions.

Yes, don't bother.   Fuel shut off valves are for problems with fires when
your engine is on the front.  With a rear engine problems associated with
all that extra plumbing or the valve or the people using the valve (and the
airplane) are far far more likely to get you hurt than by not having a shut
of at all.  Planes frequently crash because the fuel valve is in the wrong
position...if there is not one then it is always in the "right" position.

This seems to be another thing like the human appendix that airplanes have
picked up.  It might just get infected some day an need some fast hot cajun
surgery.   The Velocity has it's own special "appendix".....that is
something it was born with, that does it no good, but can cause a lot of
problems especially when your bird first gets kicked out of the nest.
Any guesses as to what it is?

Alan Shaw