Microlighters

Can Vortex Generators be installed on Aquila Trike Wing?
Is it really worth the trouble?

Why would you want them?

Apparently ; Slower stall speeds
Better fuel efficiency
Shorter take offs & landings
Over all better wing performance

APPARENTLY !!!

VG's work well on a Cubby, stall down from 40Kts to 32Kts, but it is a straight wing. I know nothing about weight shift but I think they do have a sweepback and if the VG's are fitted in the same manner as a straight wing the flow direction would be compromised. Suggest you research this carefully in the interest of safety.

mwjimmel wrote:Apparently ; Slower stall speeds
Better fuel efficiency
Shorter take offs & landings
Over all better wing performance

You can get that all by just flying the plane

nicow wrote:

mwjimmel wrote:Apparently ; Slower stall speeds
Better fuel efficiency
Shorter take offs & landings
Over all better wing performance

You can get that all by just flying the plane

Ouch Nicow

Very true Words indeed

I think that fitting items like this may playing with fire.
Saying that ..... in the interest of progress, may speak to Jenya.

Found this on the internet.

http://www.northwing.com/vortex-generators-kit.htm

Also have a look at stolspeed.com
They have a section on sweptwings that should help settle some doubt.
Also cheaper at under $100 a set.

Apparently ; Slower stall speeds
Better fuel efficiency
Shorter take offs & landings
Over all better wing performance

On a trike;

Slower stall speeds- so what? It stalls slow enough

Better fuel efficiency - rubbish.

Shorter take offs & landings - So what, with practice you can achieve the same results.

Over all better wing performance- Noncense. Even in theory there's a compromise, here it's speed, causing you so compromise by full throttle wasting your fuel to achieve what you would in the cruise.

Leave it to the manufacturers to research and develop.

Whether in a fixed or flex wing, the principle is the same, it keeps the airflow over the top of the wing for longer and thus reduces your stall speed.
The problem with this is that that you have to increase the angle of incidence to achieve this in the flare and when the seperation happens, all lift is lost and you drop out of the sky.

That is fine if you have done this to coincide with your landing and you have touched down or are inches above the runway, but if you have miss judged and are higher, expect it to drop straight down.
If your craft has a habit of dropping one wing or the other at the stall, it is compounded here so you could do much damage to your plane and pride.

I fitted them to my explorer and would not have done so if I had known better, my top end is lower and the plane lands so slowly anyway, why bother.

I fitted them to my explorer and would not have done so if I had known better, my top end is lower and the plane lands so slowly anyway, why bother.

The VG's from stolspeed are proven and work excellent. It actually reduced our planes drag at the top end a bit. I can't remember which type you had fitted on your plane but I think you might have fitted a set that was not tested properly. I have flown our test plane 200 hours whithout the VG's and now 500 with them and I will not build another plane whithout VG's from stolspeed fitted.