If your backing plate has sections riveted to it that fill the gap behind the prop when the spinner is in place, you might want to remove it. Otherwise there is a good chance the centrifugal force will rip those parts right off the backing plate. This happened to the RV-6A two hangars down from me while he was doing a ground run.
If your backing plate has sections riveted to it that fill the gap behind the prop when the spinner is in place, you might want to remove it. Otherwise there is a good chance the centrifugal force will rip those parts right off the backing plate. This happened to the RV-6A two hangars down from me while he was doing a ground run.
Centrifical force ripping the backplate assemply apart? Are you kidding?
That backplate came apart for other reasons.
I have hundreds of hours in both my RV's with no spinner and backplate installed. No speed or cooling changes. None.
Kahuna, what can happen is the little aluminum pieces that fill the gap behind the propeller blades can come off - rip off in fact. This is what Bill R was talking about.
Happened to me once and it was at a fairly low speed. I think it was a combination of centrifugal force and air loads building behind the plates. Each plate had 3 AN3 rivets in it and they both tore off exactly at the same time.
Agree, the spinner has no effect on performance (or not much at all).
...just safety-wire them together. My Cessna 310 had a spinner unwrap itself on a trip and we flew from Mississippi home with safety wire holding those pieces in.
The only downside, other than flying about 1 kt slower, is the likelihood of slightly elevated temps, due to extra turbulence in the air trying to enter the cowl. IIRC, it's even been addressed by someone at Van's.
I've also seen plenty of airplanes flying without spinners, but I thought there might be some gotcha. I hadn't thought of those gap filler pieces.
From looking at mine I'd guess the combined centrifugal & aerodynamic effect would tear them off.
I couldn't figure out a bomb proof way of safetying them so I decided to take the extra 20 minutes to do an extra on/off cycle with the spinner rather than spend the next month regretting the fact that I have to learn how to rivet.
An update on an old thread. I am thinking of flying my 9 about 10 hours without a spinner. From this thread, it sounds like a non-issue (other than the ugly factor). Anyone have any updated information/experience?
I really don't know why you wouldn't fly without a spinner.
1)It's called for by Van's
2)It's dead easy to trim and install
3)It takes no time to do, Compared to every thing else. (In fact, a bit of a reprieve from the more intricate processes.)
4)Looks so much better and compliments the original design
5) Why not???
6)I'm 1.2 hours from completing my phase 1 testing. 40 hour total in 2 months!! What a great airplane to fly and to realize that this was built by my partner and I, merely 7 1/2 years of Saturdays.
Give it the total look and efficiency it deserve's
Just my 97 cent's worth....
RV9A Flying very nicely.
You could probably fly without a lot of different bits on the plane and most of them start with the word fiberglass. But why would you? Not many good reasons to fly without a spinner. Put it on and then you know there will be no issues.
Much of safety is eliminate places of know issues or unknow results. Here is an easy way to be safer.
You could probably fly without a lot of different bits on the plane and most of them start with the word fiberglass. But why would you? Not many good reasons to fly without a spinner. Put it on and then you know there will be no issues.
Much of safety is eliminate places of know issues or unknow results. Here is an easy way to be safer.
Sometimes you just need to fly without a spinner and not by choice. Thus this is a good question.
Let's say you land at a remote airstrip and discover a cracked spinner (I'm not saying that is the issue) and you feel it is better to remove the spinner than fly with it so you can get your plane back home where you make proper repairs.
I think I said there were not many good reasons. Just do not want people reading the thread a year from now getting the idea they can do first flight or normal flight ops without a spinner. There are always choices, issues, and consequences. People see someone with 730 posts says it is OK and jump on it like it is standard procedure.
Ok, I'll 'fess up as to why. I ended up with a bent prop on a remote airstrip in Canada. I need to fly home with a different prop that doesn't fit my spinner. Rather than try to fabricate/modify the existing spinner, my preference is to get the plane home before winter sets in and then deal with the other bits and pieces. My concern was primarily the cooling issue, and it sounds like that is probably a non-issue.
Regarding the decision to fly the plane home, the reason for the bent prop may be, and probably is, a bigger issue than the spinner.
Be careful out there!
Greg sorry to hear that. If you can share details or give "how-not-to" recommendations please do. I am a venturist by nature and appreciate an ounce of prevention not the pound of cure.
