Rocket Fresh Air Vents….

[Ironflight]

OK, so the F1 comes with no “NACA” vent openings in the side skins ahead of the pilot, giving one an option on providing fresh air to the pilot. I have seen soem Rockets with the vents in that location (which is also where they are on our RV-6 and RV-8), and some with fresh air inlets in the fiberglass wing root fairings - a clever spot, but making the hosing routing someone complex (versus the side-mounted vents which are slam dunk simple).

Pros and cons - side vents are simple, proven for air flow, sometime provide warm air if the cowling “leaks”, and unknown drag…. Leading edge vents are a bit more complex, folks report good airflow, seems like they’d have the same potential for warm air intrusion, and…unknown drag.

So….what do folks think? More pros and cons? Likes and dislikes? I’m all for simple, effective, and not measurably draggy….

(Obviously biased towards the side vents, but my mind is not made up.…. Haven’t cut any holes yet!)

Paul

 

[Freemasm]

OK, so the F1 comes with no “NACA” vent openings in the side skins ahead of the pilot, giving one an option on providing fresh air to the pilot. I have seen soem Rockets with the vents in that location (which is also where they are on our RV-6 and RV-8), and some with fresh air inlets in the fiberglass wing root fairings - a clever spot, but making the hosing routing someone complex (versus the side-mounted vents which are slam dunk simple).

Pros and cons - side vents are simple, proven for air flow, sometime provide warm air if the cowling “leaks”, and unknown drag…. Leading edge vents are a bit more complex, folks report good airflow, seems like they’d have the same potential for warm air intrusion, and…unknown drag.

So….what do folks think? More pros and cons? Likes and dislikes? I’m all for simple, effective, and not measurably draggy….

(Obviously biased towards the side vents, but my mind is not made up.…. Haven’t cut any holes yet!)

Paul

You’ll find a lot of Rockets with NACAs on the bottom of the wing a between a couple of rib stations. Having that bit of energy taken out before it enters the cockpit cools the air some. Some claim as much as 10degF over the location you mention. Contact Vince for details.

 

[Ironflight]

You’ll find a lot of Rockets with NACAs on the bottom of the wing a between a couple of rib stations. Having that bit of energy taken out before it enters the cockpit cools the air some. Some claim as much as 10degF over the location you mention. Contact Vince for details.

Well yes - definitely under the wing for the rear seat (same as the RV-8). I’ve never seen one scoop there and route up front…guess I’ll need to see an example and how you run the hose through the spar!

 

[Freemasm]

Well yes - definitely under the wing for the rear seat (same as the RV-8). I’ve never seen one scoop there and route up front…guess I’ll need to see an example and how you run the hose through the spar!

There’s room. Will try and take a pic tomorrow if someone doesn’t beat me to it.

 

[Webb]

NACA on side for front tried and true. I would locate in a spot where you do not see the scat hose when routing to the eyeball vent.
under the wing for the backseat. The big question is how you will get heat to the backseat.

 

[Freemasm]

Also tried and true. Two inlets under each wing. One for each occupant. Cold air forward to the pilot. Heated air through to the GIB.

 

[F1 Rocket]

N14ZM has a pair NACA’s on the sides, just aft of the cowl. These feed eyeball vents in the corners just below the panel. The eyeball vent location is good. But I’d mount the NACA’s lower if doing it again. Or try the wing root as some have done. The rear seat vent is fed from the standard underwing NACA. As others have said, the underwing air is definitely cooler than the air coming from the forward NACA’s. I’ll post some photos tomorrow.

 

[swaneymj]

OK, so the F1 comes with no “NACA” vent openings in the side skins ahead of the pilot, giving one an option on providing fresh air to the pilot. I have seen soem Rockets with the vents in that location (which is also where they are on our RV-6 and RV-8), and some with fresh air inlets in the fiberglass wing root fairings - a clever spot, but making the hosing routing someone complex (versus the side-mounted vents which are slam dunk simple).

Pros and cons - side vents are simple, proven for air flow, sometime provide warm air if the cowling “leaks”, and unknown drag…. Leading edge vents are a bit more complex, folks report good airflow, seems like they’d have the same potential for warm air intrusion, and…unknown drag.

So….what do folks think? More pros and cons? Likes and dislikes? I’m all for simple, effective, and not measurably draggy….

(Obviously biased towards the side vents, but my mind is not made up.…. Haven’t cut any holes yet!)

Paul

Hi Paul. I opted for the NACA scoops on the forward part of the fuselage, and am very satisfied with the airflow. There was already a NACA cutout in the F1 kit that I used for the rear seat. I mounted it near the stick, and my few back-seaters seem to like it there. I'll try to attach some pics.
Mark Swaney
N76TR - F1 kit #31

 

[Toobuilder]

I did the NACA scoop on the left forward fuselage. Made my own because I found the typical Vans supplied scoop and its tortured right angles aerodynamically offensive. There is not a single inch of SCAT tube. The result is far, far too much airflow. This is a 3 inch wide unit and I should have gone with 1.5. I intend to shove a bleed tube in there to feed my avionics just to reduce the flow.

 

[vfrazier]

IMHO, taking the cooling air from under the wings is good for up to 12 degree F cooler air in your face. I have data from my RV-4 and my Rocket. It's worth the effort required.. to me.

YMMV!

 

[judoka5051]

Hey Paul, Have a look at the 'Ultimate Ventilator', if you can find a source. II've used them in two planes and they work great, and weigh almost nothing.

 

[Ironflight]

Hey Paul, Have a look at the 'Ultimate Ventilator', if you can find a source. II've used them in two planes and they work great, and weigh almost nothing.

Actually, we have those on our RV-3. Wonderful little pieces of hardware, but they have to be placed carefully - we put the on the canopy skirt of the -3 and they are in a funny flow path and don't give us any meaningful ventilation at all….. I do know they work well when located in a good flow field!