[mcencula]

Well today was time to start working on the vent lines in the fuselage. I've always known that I wanted to do something a little fancier than the "cut a bulkhead fitting at 45 degrees", so here's a picture story of what I ended up with.

Starting materials:

Thinning out the nut:

Turn down the diameter:

Hack out a little "airfoil" from the chunk of aluminum:

Notch the two parts...

...and press them together:

Trim off the requisite 45 degree angle:

A pass with the buffing wheel and this is whatcha get:

...and that, my friends, is how you blow a day doing a five minute job.

 

[boom3]

Sweet!!!!!

Maybe you can turn them a little for rudder trim.

 

[flyboy1963]

time well wasted!?!?

Man, I wish I had that urge!.......( or maybe not?)

don't forget a little screen to keep the bugs out!
...and....
I'm going to be content with thinking that this is an area of turbulent flow, so my stock ugly vents aren't even noticed by the air molecules.!

( but yours are so much nicer to blow into, to check the vent during your walk-around.
What.

...everyone does that, right?

 

[gasman]

But don't you need two?

 

[vickruis]

Thanks...

Now I can never again look at my bulkhead fittings, and not wondering how my belly would look like with your fittings!
See you in a few weeks at OSH.

 

[panhandler1956]

Nice!

Mike,
That's a cool mod! Even though this does drag out the project alittle in the end those sort of details are what set some airplanes apart.

Plus you have to admit you enjoy this stuff, must be the engineer in ya.....

See ya Thursday Mike!

Brent

 

[Fearless]

Sweet

Just don't park next to me at a flyin or ramp someplace.

I am so not worthy.

 

[Bob Axsom]

I have been planning the same thing

I have been planning the same thing but it hasn't got to the top of my drag reduction potential list yet. It is getting there. I was thinking of splitting the trailing edge before shaping the airfoil then drilling, countersinking and tapping for a flathead compression screw.

Bob Axsom

P.S. I made some fairings for the fuel drains and saw no measurable difference in speed.

 

[N427EF]

Adding Drag

Seems that you have added drag to the project completion date but reduced drag from the aircraft....
Perhaps you could add a couple of mini vortex generators to that little airfoil.
I'll never be happy looking at my aluminum tube sticking out so crudely from
the bottom of the plane.

 

[mcencula]

Thanks...

...for the nice comments. Brent has it right...I enjoy these kind of little details.

Victor,

Can't wait to see you and Ilse at OSH.

 

[flion]

Oh, this is going to sound so picky so first let me say: beautiful job. Ok, now why didn't you just create the airfoil and drill and tap it for the bulkhead fitting? Then you could insert the short end of the fitting through the skin and use the airfoil as a nut to hold it in place without having any extra material outside the skin. It might even be possible to substitute a coupling for the bulkhead fitting (though I'm not sure the 'nut' on the coupling is large enough to sandwich the skin satisfactorily; this might be solved by threading a thin bulkhead nut on the coupling first.) Sorry, I say this and don't mean to sound critical; I'm no machinist and couldn't do what you did in the first place.

 

[DanH]

Nice work Mike.

Right now about 1000 of us are thinking "oh ****, does this mean I gotta make one too?"

 

[rjcthree]

Yes

I think Dan hit it right on the head, a thousand of us going 'dammit, now I NEED that too!' But my SafeAir1 (or was it Bonaco) slightly slicker than stock will have to do - for NOW. I've got engine to plumb. Rick 90432

 

[Jim F]

beauty

Creating a thing of beauty is never a waste of time...
Jim F
9A, flying

 

[BSwayze]

Me too! (or three, or a thousand)

Yeah, I'm another one who's thinking "I've GOT to do that!" I just did mine a while back the conventional way and was so proud of the job I did... until now.

Nice work! I'm curious... what thickness of aluminum material did it require for this?

 

[mcencula]

<snip>
Nice work! I'm curious... what thickness of aluminum material did it require for this?

The block of aluminum started out 3/8 thick, but by the time all the sanding was done, the little airfoil was probably only 5/16 thick at the widest point.

 

[Vlad]

That's beautiful aerodynamic little thingy Mike! Can you claim at least half of standard 10 knots airspeed increase ?

 

[Danny7]

how'd you shape the airfoil?

nice job btw, it looks really nice.

 

[fl-mike]

how'd you shape the airfoil?

I don't know how that Mike did it, but I used a piece of bar stock an couple inches longer than needed and shaped the airfoil on the belt sander, leaving a length of it rectangular so as to have something to hold on to. Then bandsaw off the chunk you need and clean it up with a file. In fact, I even did the initial buffing while on the "stick".
(this was for my airfoil flap switch).
I turned down my vent fittings and thinned the hex portion on my lathe. Not as streamlined as Mike's, but cleaner than stock.

 

[mcencula]

how'd you shape the airfoil?

nice job btw, it looks really nice.

Initial cuts were made with a bandsaw, followed by using the disc sander (careful it gets HOT!), files, and a scotchbrite wheel.

 

[Tumper]

Rats

Is there a chance someone makes these commercially? I have just transferred the main tank vents from my ?donor? plane to my new plane and these were on the donor plane. I was planning to buy a couple more for aux fuel tanks. Does someone recognize them or do you think they were custom made also? These are some kind of molded plastic (I think).

[URL=http://img684.imageshack.us/i/img3277small.jpg/][/URL]

 

[DanH]

Does someone recognize them or do you think they were custom made also? These are some kind of molded plastic (I think).

Shaped epoxy and microballoons, likely custom.

 

[Paul Thomas]

I think I've seen these somewhere before.

 

[panhandler1956]

Aircraft Extras

Rick sells them here: http://www.aircraftextras.com/FuelVents.htm

I still like Mike's better.

 

[Tumper]

Thanks Brent

I agree Mike's look better.

 

[BSwayze]

Where are the bug screens?

I don't see any bug screens on those. I guess you're supposed to add them later? It'll mess up the appearance if you aren't real careful.

 

[rv6rick]

Keep It Simple

Hi Mike.....good job. But, many times I think folks here tend to 'overthink' and/or 'over engineer' things. Yes, those will work fine but for me.....I like to keep it simple.

I have 3 rules when I make a part:

1 - it has to be safe
2 - it has to be functional
3 - it has to look good

I don't like parts that 'jump out' at you. IMO....It's all the 'subtle things' that pull the project together.

I've been making these (below) for years now.....takes about 10 minutes. They work great and (for me) give a touch of 'class' rather than (pick a word). Just round off 5 of the 6 'points' of the hex nut as well as the threads. I use my little belt sander. Cut off the end at a 45, smooth things up and you're done. Again....KEEP IT SIMPLE. These are low drag and don't look like little shark fins hanging down . Plus, it's one piece and you don't have that little skinny 'nut' left over.

I'm all for making things easy .

 

[AMURRAY]

Here some pictures of the vent I made for my plane. Kinda like Rick's. I used a lathe to reduce the size and a mill for the flats to fit a wrench. I have also made these for other builders.

 

[Paul Thomas]

Rick, I'll be borrowing your design; I think Mike's looks really cool but it's above my skill, adds weight, and most likely drag.

 

[wil]

Hoi, Toevallig ben ik net komen logeren bij Will Heslin en nu blijkt hij met jou te corresponderen. Vandaar een berichtje van mij in het Nederlands. Heel veel succes met het verder bouwen van je vliegtuig.
Groetjes, Patrick, uit Utrecht, die een jaar in de VS verblijft en nu een maand rond trekt in Californie met vrouw en dochter.

 

[JonJay]

Very nice looking piece.

Above all, I commend you for acknowledging that it took a day to do a 5 minute job. Often I see posts of "options" or customizing something and there is no mention of how long it took to deviate from plans.
This is defineatley an option that will be added to my growing list of things you can do to insure that you will never complete your airplane! ha!
After a few hours of flying, you will find that many of those little details that simply go away, out of site, out of mind. The vents really can't be seen unless you are looking for them.
I am sure you had fun building these and that is priceless so please dont think I am judging you. That is part of the fun and individual choice we have with these wonderful airplanes.

 

[hydroguy2]

nice looking vents. I too enjoy the nifty custom tidbits used to personalize our aircraft.

That said, I'd be flying if I stuck to the plans

 

[mike newall]

Hoi, Toevallig ben ik net komen logeren bij Will Heslin en nu blijkt hij met jou te corresponderen. Vandaar een berichtje van mij in het Nederlands. Heel veel succes met het verder bouwen van je vliegtuig.
Groetjes, Patrick, uit Utrecht, die een jaar in de VS verblijft en nu een maand rond trekt in Californie met vrouw en dochter.

Hi, I just happened to come stay with Will Heslin and now he seems to correspond with you. Hence a message from me in Dutch. Good luck with building your plane.
Greetings, Patrick, from Utrecht, I am staying one year in the U.S. and now around one month in California with his wife, and daughter.


I don't know - we have to do all the work round here