Piper Saratoga cowling - how does this work...?

Andy_RR · #1 09-26-2009, 04:10 PM

OK, it's a Piper, not an RV, but I'm just wondering how the cooling airflow works on this particular version - does anyone know any of the history of it? Is it an up-draught cooling system?

jsharkey · #2 09-26-2009, 04:22 PM

Yes
Jim Sharkey

osxuser · #3 09-26-2009, 11:34 PM

Not very well. The current setup on the current Saratoga works well.

Andy_RR · #4 09-27-2009, 04:51 AM

Stephen, can you elaborate on "not very well"?

I see they've returned to a more conventional down-draught cooling system with two inlets either side of the spinner.

Am I correct in assuming the louvres on the top of the cowling are the only cooling air exit? Maybe this is why it's not so successful? Do you know if there are any cowl flaps/cooling flow control?

I'm just curious about the performance of this set up. I've never seen it before now and it kind of follows on from earlier cooling drag discussions we've had on VAF.

Frank Smidler · #5 09-27-2009, 09:16 AM

When Van's first showed his new RV-6 it had a single inlet opening below the spinner. I do not know if the cooling air flowed the same as the Saratoga but I do know that it did not work well enough for Van and he quickly changed it (before 1st kit sale) to the design we have now.

AlexPeterson · #6 09-27-2009, 11:07 AM

That Saratoga's inlet is so ugly, the air it too scared to go in. If the RV's had looked that way, this forum wouldn't exist. Apologies to Saratoga owners.