Hey, Mark- here are two bits from today's AOPA Enews on speed gains, for harvesting more ideas:
HUSKY GETS A LIFT FROM NEW WING TIPS A new wing tip produced by Aviat Aircraft features a trailing edge that turns upward, reducing drag and giving the Husky an extra 6-mph cruise speed. The composite wing tip does not affect the stall speed of the aircraft. The new wing tips cost $1,550 for a set of two and can be installed as an option on new Huskys or retrofitted to existing models. FANCY PANTS INCREASE SPEED ON CERTAIN PIPER MODELS Pilots who own a Piper PA-28 or Piper PA-32 could get an increase in speed by fitting their aircraft with Laminar Flow Speed Pants. Laminar Flow Systems recently announced that the FAA approved the speed pants for those models. If the pants are installed over a bare wheel, owners should notice a 10.5-mph increase; those who switch from stock wheelpants should pick up an extra 8 mph, according to the company. Each speed pant weights 10 pounds and is up to five times stronger than the conventional Piper wheelpants, the company reports. The speed pants, strut fairings, and other hardware cost $2,470 for pre-1978 models. Later Piper models can be retrofitted with speed pants for $1,995, with the option for strut fairings running $475. Oscar Zuniga San Antonio, TX mailto: taildr...@hotmail.com website at http://www.flysquirrel.net
