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Mud & rock guards

- Poindexter -

- Poindexter -

Well Known Member
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Want to know if anyone has bought or built rock mud guards for an RV (and especially an A model)? I was at Canyonlands, Utah (KCNY) and saw these on a Cessna:
003a6bf58471fe5e8600f7f6.jpg aa055d49e72bd76a55afceb1.jpg

Currently easy/fun to fly into Johnson Creek, Garden Valley, Cavanaugh Bay, etc. with the wheel pants, but would like to go to Big Creek, Smileys, Gravely Valley without beating up the pants. Not looking to get too adventurous, but also don’t want to get too involved with fiberglass repairs. And, yes, I know there’s a speed penalty and currently don’t want to buy a Super Cub.

Thanks,
Paul
 
I've seen some light mud flaps on a Canadian RV many years ago couldn't find a picture.
The attachment was similar to this one.

Bloomsburg PA - 1 (1).jpeg

Bloomsburg PA - 1.jpeg
 
I've operated off of gravel in my -8 a fair amount and have had very few rock dings. My priority is to not run up the engine any more than absolutely necessary while sitting still or rolling slowly. And the wheel pants may well be helping prevent rocks from being launched toward the empennage.
 
- Poindexter - said:
Want to know if anyone has bought or built rock mud guards for an RV (and especially an A model)? I was at Canyonlands, Utah (KCNY) and saw these on a Cessna:
View attachment 99858 View attachment 99859

Currently easy/fun to fly into Johnson Creek, Garden Valley, Cavanaugh Bay, etc. with the wheel pants, but would like to go to Big Creek, Smileys, Gravely Valley without beating up the pants. Not looking to get too adventurous, but also don’t want to get too involved with fiberglass repairs. And, yes, I know there’s a speed penalty and currently don’t want to buy a Super Cub.

Thanks,
Paul
Click to expand...
I'd think something like that could be fab'd and installed pretty cheap and easy. I say go for it.
 
Slight drift:
Have any had success with heavy duty protective tape on the pants, flap bottoms, or horizontal?
 
I don't think that mud flaps like in your picture would be terribly hard to make from scratch.

As far as the drag penalty; based on the difference I saw in my RV7 flying it without wheel pants vs with, I'll bet you'd loose 10-15 kts going from wheel pants to those drag inducers.

As far as the ones Vlad posted; Thats pretty cool. Looks like they would let you quickly yank the pants off and bolt these on without going to the extra work of removing the inner mounting brackets. I'd imagine this would slightly lower the drag penalty and also reduce the vibration that has caused a few people to get cracks in those brackets by flying around with them out in the breeze. But while they'd be great for snow or questionably tall grass strips, I don't see how they'd do much to achieve the primary purpose of mud flaps, which is to keep rocks and crud from being thrown up into the horizontal stab.
 
What Andoman said, use protective tape, like the one put on car hoods.
We have a LOT of abrasives on the roads here winter-time.
My car hood and its paint are pristine.
But you should see my windsheild, it's badly pitted by the road debris. :rolleyes:
 
The items in the photos Vlad posted also protect the brake line, and brake assembly from rocks and "other" impacts.

I have fond memories of doing "hail impact testing" on aircraft brake assemblies. Sort of like an air pressure operated potato canon, but with spheres of extremely hard, air free ice. Would have done it for free, but got paid to do it.
 
I landed here without pants 😁

not FAA approved gravel - 1.jpeg

Any kind of deflectors would be good for take off. I still have the marks on HS from that place.
 
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