cowlings

[Wayne G. O'Shea]

You can view various engine/cowl installations and other stuff at our web site www.irishfield.on.ca Click on services and then any underlined item is clickable and contains pictures that are clickable to full size! Various things on our site may help you out. Float construction, repairs etc. Maybe even an aircraft to fly while you build yours!

Regards, Wayne

[Richard DeCiero]

Bruce,
My suggestion is to get the cowl that YOU want. The following are my details.
I have the speed cowl installed and it is very light, very well made and easy to
install and open. The top cowl half is mounted with 5 screws on top and 2 on each side.
The bottom half has 2 on each side and 4 on the bottom. I hope to replace these with
camlocks eventually but I'm just trying to get flying at this point. The two halves are
held together with a continuous piano hinge and I have not figured out how I will secure
the wire but I'll think of something so that it does not work it's way out. The
installation of this cowl was very simple and my fear of fitting the piano hinge was
unfounded. I had never actually worked on a cowl with a piano hinge as the method of
separating it and was pleasantly surprised at how easy and simple the method is. Access
should be quick when the camlocks are installed but it is not unduly time consuming even
with the screws. Any cowl that you get will have its mounting and clearance hassles. The
MAC exhaust with the heat cuffs is a pain in the neck to fit at the exit but just hack
away until you get there. You can always add pieces to the cowling.
I am using a 2" spacer with a warp-drive 3 blade prop. My engine is a Lyc O-320-E2D
150 HP. Lightweight starter and alternator. The firewall is moved back the suggested 3".
In addition to moving the firewall back I moved the seats and control column back 3". 30
degrees of up elevator and 22 down.
Upon hearing some of the negative experiences of people flying with heavy engines and
the firewall in the original position I am hopeful that the factory suggestion will
provide a nice flying aircraft. MAC has mentioned that if you don't move the firewall
back you will not have a machine that flies well. Maybe the builders who have not heeded
that advice (intentional or unintentional) are experiencing the poor flying qualities
that MAC has talked about. I don't know the answer and as I now keep saying "Now I know
why they call it EXPERIMENTAL aviation!!!!!"
Good luck,
Rick D.




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[Legeorgen]

It's time to order firewall forward, so it begs the question...old cowling or
new? The speed cowl is sexy but who wants the spacer hanging that prop 3 more
inches out front? Bobp likes the practicality of the old cowl. Anyone know if
there is a weight difference?

Bruce G 357R
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[Bob Patterson]

Hi Bruce !

I doubt there's more than a pound either way for the cowling
& fasteners, but, of course, you add the spacer & the extra arm with
the sexy cowl.

There are alternatives that can give a sexy look AND ease of
maintenance. Rick H. in Australia used a fiberglass nosebowl for a
Thorp T-18 from Aircraft Spruce (about $85) which looks quite nice
(I think there are photos here on the FTP site ...). He then did the
usual top & sides out of aluminum, with easy to open sides.

It just might be possible to join the speed cowl sections
and add a hinge at the top center, and hinged sides, by adding
doublers - but it would take a lot of planning & effort....
(Possibly an opportunity for re-sale to others, though -
hint, hint (to Dave Fife ...) :-) )

......bobp

------------------------------orig.----------------------------------
At 10:15 PM 1/4/01 EST, you wrote:

It's time to order firewall forward, so it begs the question...old cowling or
new? The speed cowl is sexy but who wants the spacer hanging that prop 3 more
inches out front? Bobp likes the practicality of the old cowl. Anyone know if
there is a weight difference?

Bruce G 357R
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[Bob Patterson]

Hi Rick !

Since you mentioned the Murphy stainless exhaust, I should remind
everyone who is using it to be sure to provide a support for the tail
end of the pipes, especially if they have heavy heat muffs on the
moving rear section. If you don't do this, you might end up with
cracks in the exhaust stack up at the cylinder end and/or seized
ball joints.

It is not easy to set up this support - Brian Cross did a very
nice one on his Rebel, by attaching heavy perforated strapping to the
cylinder heads (can't remember exactly what it looked like, or the
routing - could you give us a drawing or photo, Brian ??)

Ideally, the support should be fastened to the engine so it
rocks WITH the engine. The first set on mine were fastened to the
oil pan bolts, and were of too thin material - they cracked after only
about 20 hours of flying. There's a LOT of movement back there !!

There are several Rebels out there flying with the exhaust
stacks supported by approx. 4" long strips of rubberized heat shield
fastened to the exhaust stack by gear clamps, and attached to the
front bottom of the fuselage by a short strip of heavy aluminum with
a bolt at each end. This arrangement seems to work very well, likely
because of the great flexibility of the heat shield material. I believe
that Robin Dyck, the MAM Factory Pilot, pioneered this method. It
certainly is simple to install AND inspect !

On the flying qualities .....

I think <most> of the problems are just getting used to the
airplane, and taildraggers in general - EVERY Rebel <is> different !
Certainly, the more you fly, the more proficient you will become,
and the more FREQUENTLY you fly, the QUICKER you will become comfortable.
It <IS> very important to have AT LEAST 27 degrees of up elevator,
and they are ALL easier to land with 50 lb. or more in the baggage
area. A good, well-secured tool bag is good to have with you anyway... ;-)
It <is> getting to be fairly difficult to get GOOD tailwheel flying
training these days, and it definitely takes longer to adjust,
going from learning on a trike, than going the other way after
learning on a 'real' airplane ! ;-`)

As my old instructors always said, the secret to good landings
is to be sure you have the stick ALL THE WAY BACK when the wheels
touch the ground - it seems to work for me !! :-) If you relax
even a little bit, unconsciously, you'll be back in the air !
Also, beware of seat cushions, clothing, etc...

My latest Rebel has an O-320, with the firewall NOT moved
back, and the empty C of G is at about 8.1" - the tail DOES come
up quickly on takeoff, but not quicker than the lightweight,
912-powered Rebel. This Rebel flies hands-off, with neutral position
of the trim tab, and LANDS LIKE A DREAM ! I suspect the stab is
mounted at a slightly different angle from standard, but not
significantly.

Cruise is a little slower than similar Rebels, but I haven't
installed fairings for all the gear legs, and to close the gap between
flapperon sections. (Should be about 10 mph gain, right there..)
I will also be installing Dave Fife's Hoerner wing tips, and likely,
Angus McKenzie's STOL cuffs & wing fences, before painting, and
mounting Murphy 1800 amphibs.

It is pretty well accepted that an aft C of G will yield a
<slightly> higher cruise speed - I recall racing gliders doing a trick
with a large diameter tube running to the tail, into which they
pumped mercury, to move weight aft. The down side of an aft C of G
is that the aircraft can become impossible to recover from a spin,
and generally unstable and unpleasant to fly !! The Rebel does spin
nicely, and has been flight tested for recovery at (and slightly beyond)
the aft C of G limit, so you are safe, as long as you stay within limits.

Sorry - got rambling there ..... :-)

.....bobp

---------------------------------orig.------------------------------------
At 05:55 PM 1/5/01 -0500, you wrote:

Bruce,
My suggestion is to get the cowl that YOU want. The following are my

details.

I have the speed cowl installed and it is very light, very well made

and easy to

install and open. The top cowl half is mounted with 5 screws on top and 2

on each side.

The bottom half has 2 on each side and 4 on the bottom. I hope to replace

these with

camlocks eventually but I'm just trying to get flying at this point. The

two halves are

held together with a continuous piano hinge and I have not figured out how

I will secure

the wire but I'll think of something so that it does not work it's way out. The
installation of this cowl was very simple and my fear of fitting the piano

hinge was

unfounded. I had never actually worked on a cowl with a piano hinge as the

method of

separating it and was pleasantly surprised at how easy and simple the

method is. Access

should be quick when the camlocks are installed but it is not unduly time

consuming even

with the screws. Any cowl that you get will have its mounting and

clearance hassles. The

MAC exhaust with the heat cuffs is a pain in the neck to fit at the exit

but just hack

away until you get there. You can always add pieces to the cowling.
I am using a 2" spacer with a warp-drive 3 blade prop. My engine is a

Lyc O-320-E2D

150 HP. Lightweight starter and alternator. The firewall is moved back the

suggested 3".

In addition to moving the firewall back I moved the seats and control

column back 3". 30

degrees of up elevator and 22 down.
Upon hearing some of the negative experiences of people flying with

heavy engines and

the firewall in the original position I am hopeful that the factory

suggestion will

provide a nice flying aircraft. MAC has mentioned that if you don't move

the firewall

back you will not have a machine that flies well. Maybe the builders who

have not heeded

that advice (intentional or unintentional) are experiencing the poor flying

qualities

that MAC has talked about. I don't know the answer and as I now keep saying

"Now I know

why they call it EXPERIMENTAL aviation!!!!!"
Good luck,
Rick D.




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[Legeorgen]

Thanks Rick for the comments. I expect to have the same configuration (0320
E2D, light starter, alternator and warp drive) but without the firewall mod.
I most likely would have cut the firewall back but the kit was purchased
second hand and the fuselage was complete without this mod. I didn't want to
remodel it. My plan was to offset the C of G with tail mounted battery and
ELT. I'm aware of the inertia of momentum thing, but don't think it will be a
big problem (cross my fingers). I may have to play around with the C of G,
but I like to fly around with a lot of stuff so It most likely will not be a
big deal.

I had a conversation with Daryl and Brian at MAM about this, a few months
ago, and it was their position that most of us fly solo and lightly loaded
90% of the time. And they have a good point. But they did admit, when the
plane is loaded up it made little difference were the firewall was.
Understandably so, as everything you put in the plane, including fuel, is aft
loading the C of G. I would be interesting to fly each others Rebel after
we're up, to compare, seeing how we will have identical crafts with exception
to the firewall mod... Ps. I did rig my elevator with 35 deg. up.

What warp drive did you use? Taper tip or square? what was the blade length?

Bruce G 357R
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[Legeorgen]

Bob,

You say your 0320 C of G without firewall mod is 8.1. The MAM recommended
forward C of G is 10.85. Is this MAM recommended forward limit for an empty
weight or a loaded flying weight? What is the C of G for your 0320 when it is
loaded with you and about 20 gal. of fuel?

The 912 Rebel had to have a C of G far aft of that of the 0320. You must have
noticed a difference in the're landing characteristics, didn't you? Please
share more of you personal experience, as part of my decision to not remodel
my firewall was listening to you're and Wayne's comments on this subject
several months ago.

Bruce G 357



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[rebelair]

Hi Rick

Just a note on the hangar for the exhaust system. I took the concept
directly from Tony Bingelis. I justed 1/8" flat bar with many lightening
holes & 3/4" water hose bolted to it, (AN3 bolts). The steel portion is not
continuous so that the hose of course supplies the vibration isolation
requirements. So far so good, but we should always keep our eyes open to
any tell tale signs of problems. I think you can find this either the Fire
Wall Forward or the other book on engines that Tony wrote.

Brian #328R

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Patterson [mailto:bob.patterson@canrem.com]
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2001 6:56 PM
To: Murphy Rebel Builders List
Subject: Re: cowlings



Hi Rick !

Since you mentioned the Murphy stainless exhaust, I should remind
everyone who is using it to be sure to provide a support for the tail
end of the pipes, especially if they have heavy heat muffs on the
moving rear section. If you don't do this, you might end up with
cracks in the exhaust stack up at the cylinder end and/or seized
ball joints.

It is not easy to set up this support - Brian Cross did a very
nice one on his Rebel, by attaching heavy perforated strapping to the
cylinder heads (can't remember exactly what it looked like, or the
routing - could you give us a drawing or photo, Brian ??)

Ideally, the support should be fastened to the engine so it
rocks WITH the engine. The first set on mine were fastened to the
oil pan bolts, and were of too thin material - they cracked after only
about 20 hours of flying. There's a LOT of movement back there !!

There are several Rebels out there flying with the exhaust
stacks supported by approx. 4" long strips of rubberized heat shield
fastened to the exhaust stack by gear clamps, and attached to the
front bottom of the fuselage by a short strip of heavy aluminum with
a bolt at each end. This arrangement seems to work very well, likely
because of the great flexibility of the heat shield material. I believe
that Robin Dyck, the MAM Factory Pilot, pioneered this method. It
certainly is simple to install AND inspect !

On the flying qualities .....

I think <most> of the problems are just getting used to the
airplane, and taildraggers in general - EVERY Rebel <is> different !
Certainly, the more you fly, the more proficient you will become,
and the more FREQUENTLY you fly, the QUICKER you will become comfortable.
It <IS> very important to have AT LEAST 27 degrees of up elevator,
and they are ALL easier to land with 50 lb. or more in the baggage
area. A good, well-secured tool bag is good to have with you anyway... ;-)
It <is> getting to be fairly difficult to get GOOD tailwheel flying
training these days, and it definitely takes longer to adjust,
going from learning on a trike, than going the other way after
learning on a 'real' airplane ! ;-`)

As my old instructors always said, the secret to good landings
is to be sure you have the stick ALL THE WAY BACK when the wheels
touch the ground - it seems to work for me !! :-) If you relax
even a little bit, unconsciously, you'll be back in the air !
Also, beware of seat cushions, clothing, etc...

My latest Rebel has an O-320, with the firewall NOT moved
back, and the empty C of G is at about 8.1" - the tail DOES come
up quickly on takeoff, but not quicker than the lightweight,
912-powered Rebel. This Rebel flies hands-off, with neutral position
of the trim tab, and LANDS LIKE A DREAM ! I suspect the stab is
mounted at a slightly different angle from standard, but not
significantly.

Cruise is a little slower than similar Rebels, but I haven't
installed fairings for all the gear legs, and to close the gap between
flapperon sections. (Should be about 10 mph gain, right there..)
I will also be installing Dave Fife's Hoerner wing tips, and likely,
Angus McKenzie's STOL cuffs & wing fences, before painting, and
mounting Murphy 1800 amphibs.

It is pretty well accepted that an aft C of G will yield a
<slightly> higher cruise speed - I recall racing gliders doing a trick
with a large diameter tube running to the tail, into which they
pumped mercury, to move weight aft. The down side of an aft C of G
is that the aircraft can become impossible to recover from a spin,
and generally unstable and unpleasant to fly !! The Rebel does spin
nicely, and has been flight tested for recovery at (and slightly beyond)
the aft C of G limit, so you are safe, as long as you stay within limits.

Sorry - got rambling there ..... :-)

.....bobp

---------------------------------orig.------------------------------------
At 05:55 PM 1/5/01 -0500, you wrote:

Bruce,
My suggestion is to get the cowl that YOU want. The following are my

details.

I have the speed cowl installed and it is very light, very well made

and easy to

install and open. The top cowl half is mounted with 5 screws on top and 2

on each side.

The bottom half has 2 on each side and 4 on the bottom. I hope to replace

these with

camlocks eventually but I'm just trying to get flying at this point. The

two halves are

held together with a continuous piano hinge and I have not figured out how

I will secure

the wire but I'll think of something so that it does not work it's way out.

The

installation of this cowl was very simple and my fear of fitting the piano

hinge was

unfounded. I had never actually worked on a cowl with a piano hinge as the

method of

separating it and was pleasantly surprised at how easy and simple the

method is. Access

should be quick when the camlocks are installed but it is not unduly time

consuming even

with the screws. Any cowl that you get will have its mounting and

clearance hassles. The

MAC exhaust with the heat cuffs is a pain in the neck to fit at the exit

but just hack

away until you get there. You can always add pieces to the cowling.
I am using a 2" spacer with a warp-drive 3 blade prop. My engine is a

Lyc O-320-E2D

150 HP. Lightweight starter and alternator. The firewall is moved back the

suggested 3".

In addition to moving the firewall back I moved the seats and control

column back 3". 30

degrees of up elevator and 22 down.
Upon hearing some of the negative experiences of people flying with

heavy engines and

the firewall in the original position I am hopeful that the factory

suggestion will

provide a nice flying aircraft. MAC has mentioned that if you don't move

the firewall

back you will not have a machine that flies well. Maybe the builders who

have not heeded

that advice (intentional or unintentional) are experiencing the poor flying

qualities

that MAC has talked about. I don't know the answer and as I now keep saying

"Now I know

why they call it EXPERIMENTAL aviation!!!!!"
Good luck,
Rick D.




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[Richard DeCiero]

Bruce,
The prop that I have is 72" dia square tip. The square tip was recommended to me by
Warp-Drive. I told them that the A/C would be operated mostly on land/wheels. In previous
archives (April 28,1999) Brian #328R, states that Warp Drive (WD) recommends the tapered
tip for land use. Because I had read that post I was very specific when I called WD and
they insisted that the square tip was the one I needed for land use. It would be
interesting to here what they tell you when you call. Keep us posted on that. I am also
using the UHS fiberglass 12" spinner. It is a well made piece but it does not look very
good, it is a little too blunt for this cowl. It is a little small for the speed cowl but
the 14" UHS was not recommended by WD. The more I hear about issues with the Warp Drive
set up the more I would be inclined to stick with a metal prop. Others have also given
in-flight comparisons of WD vs. metal and they prefer the metal. I have also purchased an
LSE Plasma II electronic ignition. This may help the prop work better due to smoother
running.? After waffling back and forth between LSE and Electro-Air, I picked the LSE.
Earlier, I thought the electro-air would be better for me because it allowed engine side
firewall mounting but other concerns tilted me to LSE. Whatever, the choice is yours.
Hey Wayne O., that is some good info on the stab incidence. Please keep reading all
of our silly questions and concerns because at each discussion more detailed information
comes out of you experienced builders and flyers. And thanks for the tailwheel spring and
bolt info.
While I'm at it, Mike Davis, thanks for your continued interest in the rebel and in
keeping this site alive.
All others, I enjoy reading your input to this forum, thank you for contributing.
Rick D.




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[Bob Patterson]

Hi Brian !

If you could bring that book along to the next Builders Meeting,
I'm sure there would be someone who would like to read that section.

Of course, "show and tell" would be a big help too ! ;-)

THANKS !!!!
....bobp

---------------------------orig.--------------------------------------
At 03:28 PM 1/6/01 -0500, you wrote:

Hi Rick

Just a note on the hangar for the exhaust system. I took the concept
directly from Tony Bingelis. I justed 1/8" flat bar with many lightening
holes & 3/4" water hose bolted to it, (AN3 bolts). The steel portion is not
continuous so that the hose of course supplies the vibration isolation
requirements. So far so good, but we should always keep our eyes open to
any tell tale signs of problems. I think you can find this either the Fire
Wall Forward or the other book on engines that Tony wrote.

Brian #328R

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Patterson [mailto:bob.patterson@canrem.com]
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2001 6:56 PM
To: Murphy Rebel Builders List
Subject: Re: cowlings



Hi Rick !

Since you mentioned the Murphy stainless exhaust, I should remind
everyone who is using it to be sure to provide a support for the tail
end of the pipes, especially if they have heavy heat muffs on the
moving rear section. If you don't do this, you might end up with
cracks in the exhaust stack up at the cylinder end and/or seized
ball joints.

It is not easy to set up this support - Brian Cross did a very
nice one on his Rebel, by attaching heavy perforated strapping to the
cylinder heads (can't remember exactly what it looked like, or the
routing - could you give us a drawing or photo, Brian ??)

Ideally, the support should be fastened to the engine so it
rocks WITH the engine. The first set on mine were fastened to the
oil pan bolts, and were of too thin material - they cracked after only
about 20 hours of flying. There's a LOT of movement back there !!

There are several Rebels out there flying with the exhaust
stacks supported by approx. 4" long strips of rubberized heat shield
fastened to the exhaust stack by gear clamps, and attached to the
front bottom of the fuselage by a short strip of heavy aluminum with
a bolt at each end. This arrangement seems to work very well, likely
because of the great flexibility of the heat shield material. I believe
that Robin Dyck, the MAM Factory Pilot, pioneered this method. It
certainly is simple to install AND inspect !

On the flying qualities .....

I think <most> of the problems are just getting used to the
airplane, and taildraggers in general - EVERY Rebel <is> different !
Certainly, the more you fly, the more proficient you will become,
and the more FREQUENTLY you fly, the QUICKER you will become comfortable.
It <IS> very important to have AT LEAST 27 degrees of up elevator,
and they are ALL easier to land with 50 lb. or more in the baggage
area. A good, well-secured tool bag is good to have with you anyway... ;-)
It <is> getting to be fairly difficult to get GOOD tailwheel flying
training these days, and it definitely takes longer to adjust,
going from learning on a trike, than going the other way after
learning on a 'real' airplane ! ;-`)

As my old instructors always said, the secret to good landings
is to be sure you have the stick ALL THE WAY BACK when the wheels
touch the ground - it seems to work for me !! :-) If you relax
even a little bit, unconsciously, you'll be back in the air !
Also, beware of seat cushions, clothing, etc...

My latest Rebel has an O-320, with the firewall NOT moved
back, and the empty C of G is at about 8.1" - the tail DOES come
up quickly on takeoff, but not quicker than the lightweight,
912-powered Rebel. This Rebel flies hands-off, with neutral position
of the trim tab, and LANDS LIKE A DREAM ! I suspect the stab is
mounted at a slightly different angle from standard, but not
significantly.

Cruise is a little slower than similar Rebels, but I haven't
installed fairings for all the gear legs, and to close the gap between
flapperon sections. (Should be about 10 mph gain, right there..)
I will also be installing Dave Fife's Hoerner wing tips, and likely,
Angus McKenzie's STOL cuffs & wing fences, before painting, and
mounting Murphy 1800 amphibs.

It is pretty well accepted that an aft C of G will yield a
<slightly> higher cruise speed - I recall racing gliders doing a trick
with a large diameter tube running to the tail, into which they
pumped mercury, to move weight aft. The down side of an aft C of G
is that the aircraft can become impossible to recover from a spin,
and generally unstable and unpleasant to fly !! The Rebel does spin
nicely, and has been flight tested for recovery at (and slightly beyond)
the aft C of G limit, so you are safe, as long as you stay within limits.

Sorry - got rambling there ..... :-)

.....bobp

---------------------------------orig.------------------------------------
At 05:55 PM 1/5/01 -0500, you wrote:

Bruce,
My suggestion is to get the cowl that YOU want. The following are my

details.

I have the speed cowl installed and it is very light, very well made

and easy to

install and open. The top cowl half is mounted with 5 screws on top and 2

on each side.

The bottom half has 2 on each side and 4 on the bottom. I hope to replace

these with

camlocks eventually but I'm just trying to get flying at this point. The

two halves are

held together with a continuous piano hinge and I have not figured out how

I will secure

the wire but I'll think of something so that it does not work it's way out.

The

installation of this cowl was very simple and my fear of fitting the piano

hinge was

unfounded. I had never actually worked on a cowl with a piano hinge as the

method of

separating it and was pleasantly surprised at how easy and simple the

method is. Access

should be quick when the camlocks are installed but it is not unduly time

consuming even

with the screws. Any cowl that you get will have its mounting and

clearance hassles. The

MAC exhaust with the heat cuffs is a pain in the neck to fit at the exit

but just hack

away until you get there. You can always add pieces to the cowling.
I am using a 2" spacer with a warp-drive 3 blade prop. My engine is a

Lyc O-320-E2D

150 HP. Lightweight starter and alternator. The firewall is moved back the

suggested 3".

In addition to moving the firewall back I moved the seats and control

column back 3". 30

degrees of up elevator and 22 down.
Upon hearing some of the negative experiences of people flying with

heavy engines and

the firewall in the original position I am hopeful that the factory

suggestion will

provide a nice flying aircraft. MAC has mentioned that if you don't move

the firewall

back you will not have a machine that flies well. Maybe the builders who

have not heeded

that advice (intentional or unintentional) are experiencing the poor flying

qualities

that MAC has talked about. I don't know the answer and as I now keep saying

"Now I know

why they call it EXPERIMENTAL aviation!!!!!"
Good luck,
Rick D.




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[rebelair]

HI Bruce

That is a very interesting comment from WD. I was also very specific with
WD as I stated that I would be operating off of wheels & more interested in
improved cruise performance as I felt that inherently, the Rebel had all the
takeoff performance that I required. (Which is very true). They were
insistent on tapered tips. I, not knowing more that WD, simply ordered by
their recommendation. They insisted that the square tips were superior for
float ops. & tapered for wheel cruise performance. I would like to be able
to compare of the tapered vs. square in similar setups if possible.

Bruce, which way are you thinking of going?

Regards

Brian #328R

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard DeCiero [mailto:rsdec1@star.net]
Sent: Saturday, January 06, 2001 7:33 PM
To: (Murphy Rebel Builders List)
Subject: Re: cowlings


Bruce,
The prop that I have is 72" dia square tip. The square tip was
recommended to me by
Warp-Drive. I told them that the A/C would be operated mostly on
land/wheels. In previous
archives (April 28,1999) Brian #328R, states that Warp Drive (WD)
recommends the tapered
tip for land use. Because I had read that post I was very specific when I
called WD and
they insisted that the square tip was the one I needed for land use. It
would be
interesting to here what they tell you when you call. Keep us posted on
that. I am also
using the UHS fiberglass 12" spinner. It is a well made piece but it does
not look very
good, it is a little too blunt for this cowl. It is a little small for the
speed cowl but
the 14" UHS was not recommended by WD. The more I hear about issues with the
Warp Drive
set up the more I would be inclined to stick with a metal prop. Others have
also given
in-flight comparisons of WD vs. metal and they prefer the metal. I have also
purchased an
LSE Plasma II electronic ignition. This may help the prop work better due to
smoother
running.? After waffling back and forth between LSE and Electro-Air, I
picked the LSE.
Earlier, I thought the electro-air would be better for me because it allowed
engine side
firewall mounting but other concerns tilted me to LSE. Whatever, the choice
is yours.
Hey Wayne O., that is some good info on the stab incidence. Please keep
reading all
of our silly questions and concerns because at each discussion more detailed
information
comes out of you experienced builders and flyers. And thanks for the
tailwheel spring and
bolt info.
While I'm at it, Mike Davis, thanks for your continued interest in the
rebel and in
keeping this site alive.
All others, I enjoy reading your input to this forum, thank you for
contributing.
Rick D.




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[Legeorgen]

Brian,

I have tapered tips on my Kitfox and am very pleased with them, however I
have nothing to compare them to. I did read not to long ago about a test Rans
Aircraft did on an SR7, just changing square and taper tip, all else the
same. They reported better climb with square tip and better cruise with taper
although the cruise benefit was a bigger margin than the climb difference, so
they recommended the taper as a better deal all around. So maybe you have the
best of both worlds Brian.

I have not decided on weather to go with a metal, wood or WD. I like the
ability to adjust pitch with a WD. Taper sounds like my ticket too.

Bruce G 357R
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[rebelair]

Hi Bruce

I heard similar info on taper vs. square for wheel flying. I am quite happy
with the cruise performance of the aircraft so will leave the prop as is
until someone comes out with something better.

Thanks for following up & look forward to your flight reports.

Regards

Brian #328R

-----Original Message-----
From: Legeorgen@cs.com [mailto:Legeorgen@cs.com]
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 9:19 PM
To: murphy-rebel@dcsol.com
Subject: Re: cowlings


Brian,

I have tapered tips on my Kitfox and am very pleased with them, however I
have nothing to compare them to. I did read not to long ago about a test
Rans
Aircraft did on an SR7, just changing square and taper tip, all else the
same. They reported better climb with square tip and better cruise with
taper
although the cruise benefit was a bigger margin than the climb difference,
so
they recommended the taper as a better deal all around. So maybe you have
the
best of both worlds Brian.

I have not decided on weather to go with a metal, wood or WD. I like the
ability to adjust pitch with a WD. Taper sounds like my ticket too.

Bruce G 357R
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[Murray and Carol Cherkas]

Hello ALL

I am contemplating buying a MAM cowling. Do they fit fairly well (like the
wing tips) or should I be considering building my own?This is also a time
issue. Is buying and trimming faster than starting from scratch?

As always, All comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Murray Cherkas
REBEL 505




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[rebel]

Murray,
I bought the MAM's speed cowl for the standard rebel. Well worth the
money. If fit perfectly and the trimming and fitting are straight forward.
There are some mods that would be nice to see on the cowl. If you look at the
photo's I posted to the Rebel Cowl files here you will see the exhaust exit
that I had to add for exhaust pipe/ heat cuff clearance. Another mod that I
must make to it is for ramping the inlet air of the lower cowl and a ramp on
the upper cowl to also help the air flow. The exhaust bumps and exit probably
took me 40-80 hrs to complete and I expect the inlet ramping to take around
40 hours. While making the engine baffles, the right front cylinder baffle is
very close to the top of the cowling and does not allow hardly any material
for the aluminum baffle. Has anyone else had that problem? Another
interesting thing that I have noticed with the cowling is that it seems to
have an affinity for water blistering on the inside. While washing it in
preperation to add the mods, the water seems to get under the inside edges. I
will seal these edges with epoxy and probably paint the inside of the cowling
to keep the water out of the glass.
Adding those mods while they appear simple, take a lot of work and I would
not want to make a complete unless there was not one available. My cowl was
purchased about 5 years old so maybe they have made changes, hopefully for
the better.
Good luck, you'll need it,
Rick D.
On 2/1/03 8:57 AM, CHERKAS@SHAW.CA wrote to MURPHY-REBEL:

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-> 31 Jan 2003 22:20:18 -0700 (MST)
-> Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 22:15:12 -0800
-> From: Murray and Carol Cherkas <cherkas@shaw.ca>
-> Subject: cowlings
-> To: murphy list <murphy-rebel@dcsol.com>
-> Message-id: <GMEDIBFICPMLLHFDDKCAEEBBCAAA.cherkas@shaw.ca>
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-> Hello ALL
->
-> I am contemplating buying a MAM cowling. Do they fit fairly well (like the
-> wing tips) or should I be considering building my own?This is also a time
-> issue. Is buying and trimming faster than starting from scratch?
->
-> As always, All comments are greatly appreciated.
->
-> Thanks
-> Murray Cherkas
-> REBEL 505
->





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