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  #1  
Old 01-24-2016, 06:29 AM
EllisMcgaughy EllisMcgaughy is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Fayetteville nc
Posts: 23
Default Wing Tip design old verses new

I'm building an rv7a and have the older wing tips with curved trailing edge. Is the any major benefit to buy the new style to replace them. Looks like total cost of the new tips is around $500.

Ellis
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  #2  
Old 01-24-2016, 08:03 AM
rhill rhill is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Valley Forge, Pa
Posts: 636
Default Bat Tips

The real difference is the lighting recess is much larger on the new tips to accommodate taxi lights if your not a fan of cutting holes in your leading edges. Early fiberglass from Vans on occasion may require some light refinishing as oppose to the new gray parts.IMHO its not worth $500 plus shipping to change these out.As far as I know no one has done a serious study to modify these tips to improve stall (lift at the bottom of the flight envelope),Nor have I looked into it myself. I've seen tip tanks,Antenna,strobe box's,storage lockers built into them over the years but no major aerodynamic changes,anyone correct me if I'm wrong please?
RHill
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  #3  
Old 01-24-2016, 08:39 AM
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Larco Larco is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: DVT Phoenix
Posts: 1,187
Default

Ask your Buddies about the bruising of the thighs when walking around the plane and hitting the rear point of the tip??? :--)
There is a rumor out there that after Van caught his leg on the pointy tip one day and said square these things off and they are now square. Thanks Van! No performance difference that I know of and Not sure I would spend the 500 dollars either.

I am competing for the least important response on VAF today. FWIW :-)

Larry
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  #4  
Old 01-24-2016, 10:36 AM
BillL BillL is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central IL
Posts: 5,516
Default

I have the bat wing w-715-0 tips as well. VAF member, Charlie Hamme, kindly allowed me to use his later tips(-1) and make molds of the light notch. I, therefore, upgraded my light notch to allow larger landing lights.

The -0 tips are thicker than the -1 tips.

Want to upgrade?
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Bill

RV-7
Lord Kelvin:
“I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about,
and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you
cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge
is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.”
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  #5  
Old 01-24-2016, 11:24 AM
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Snowflake Snowflake is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
Posts: 3,932
Default

One of the best-looking RV-4's i've seen had the bat-wing tips retro-fitted to it. Looks really slick. If you want to change to the "new" tips, i'm sure you can find a buyer for the old ones here on VAF.
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1996 RV-6 "Tweety" C-FRBP (formerly N196RV)
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  #6  
Old 01-24-2016, 12:30 PM
judoka5051 judoka5051 is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: McAlpin, FL
Posts: 253
Default Plan B

Hey Ellis,

I had a set of those that came with the RV8A partially built kit I bought. I didn't like the 'old' shape, so I modified them to suit. It was pretty easy to do. I shorted and straightened the wingtips by trimming the inboard edge, angled to make the tip equal width front to back (actually, I also cut quite a bit off front to back to shorten the tips overall, 9 inches per side). Then I trimmed the trailing edge to match the wing. Then I clamped the trailing edge and epoxied it shut (taped it closed and poured epoxy in with the tip standing up. I had to do a little filling on the front to get the angle to match the front of the wing. It sounds like a lot, but really only took a couple of hours. Doing this had two positive effects, first the tips lost quite a bit of weight, and it had a great roll rate.

Lance
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Lance Logan
McAlpin, FL
Plane at FL10

Scratchbuilt Biplane
Preceptor N3 - Sold
Zenith Zodiac 601HD - Sold (good riddance)
Kitfox IV - Sold my share, but loved that plane
RV8A Sold! Loved the plane, but not the nosewheel!
RVX (RV6/4) Sold
Cherokee 180 pickup truck
RV8 Fastback
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  #7  
Old 01-24-2016, 05:19 PM
rhill rhill is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Valley Forge, Pa
Posts: 636
Default wing tips

Bone head composites makes a carbon cap that also gives you the clip wing advantage.I'm more inclined to think in the other direction like extending the tips with Horner drop tips, I've seen them on Zenith ships with good results in low speed handling.
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