How do you remove vortex generators?

[wrongway john]

Bought a 6 with these on them, and they appear to be super glued on, so don?t know of any easy way to get them off. Anybody have any experience with this or recommendations?

[gnuse]

If it is Super Glue, there is a debonding agent that you can buy. It is usually used when someone accidentally glues their fingers together. I have found it at the local model shop.

[Mark12A]

Yes, amusing stories from the emergency room concerning super glue. Often they involve men who seriously agitate their wives, then find themselves unconscious and unable to defend themselves. These stories require adult beverages and gatherings of aviators.

[Av8torTom]

I believe the "de-bonding" agent is acetone. Give that a try - but as the directions always say... try in an inconspicuous place first

Any idea what performance enhancement they provide? Is it worth leaving them on?

[Vlad]

Originally Posted by Av8torTom

....


Is it worth leaving them on?

Transparent on polished they look hot!

[wrongway john]

I could live with the way the looked if the performance was there and didn't affect cruise speeds. Vlad, yours look great.

I?ll look for some debonding agent. It looks like it will still be tough to work in around the VG?s to remove them, but will study it some more. I'll put a stripe of some sorts down the wing where they once were.

Originally Posted by Av8torTom

Any idea what performance enhancement they provide? Is it worth leaving them on?

I don?t know what the plane did before they were on since I bought the plane like this, but my instructor and I did some testing a few days ago (temperature sixties) with stalls to get some numbers on it. Here are the results we got with about a 1,650 gross weight. Indicated airspeed showed:

60 mph no flaps
55 mph 20 degree flaps
50 mph full flaps

I suppose that is okay, don?t know what others are getting with or without them. Flying solo should be better. For cruising and top speed, others I've read say it's about 0-3 mph slower here. I suspect the latter number is more accurate, but don't really know yet.

It?ll be a spring project, but the day I remove them, I plan on taking it up one more time to get numbers before and after.

[ExtraKatana]

A local RC model shop that handles Cyanacrolate glues will have debonder. I keep some in my shop. Hobbytown....places like that.

[aerhed]

My experience with certified planes shows the best way to remove them is to let passengers "mill" around the plane wearing winter clothes. Works great for citation static wicks also.

[RVadmirer]

You might try some dental floss as a saw. I use that on RTV'ed stuff and it works well. May well be too weak for your purposes. Maybe really fine nylon thread? Could get a start on the edge so the debonder can get under them?

[wrongway john]

Now that, I didn’t think of! Thanks, I was afraid I might have to attempt it with a razor blade with some debonder on it, but was afraid I would have dug into the skins that way.