Earlier we showed a happy Drew Bowlds with girlfriend Stephanie Neil and very clean and getting cleaner RV-8. Here’s a peak at a crafty under-cowl aero-aid he took from his Reno racing friends.
The idea is to direct the cooling airflow out the lower cowl with more authority and organization than normal. The resulting pair of under-engine baffles are thus bent to fit and provide an airfoil shape at the critical cowl exit. He worked up the shapes with cardboard before hitting the sheet metal brake.
Does it work? Bowld says his CHT’s dropped a small but definite amount and the -8 is certainly no slower than it was. Seems like a good idea for the RV crowd to develop fully.
