Jim Smith’s lime green RV-6 sports many performance-enhancing modifications including extended, tapered wing tips, and Ellippse propeller, and extensive modifications to the cooling air outflow path.
Jim’s latest addition to his airplane is a home-made lift reserve indicator. A lift reserve indicator is an instrument that gives the pilot a visual indication of the amount of margin from stall the airplane has at its current airspeed, altitude, and angle of attack.
The instrument works by measuring the pressure differential between an angled probe under the wing and the aircraft static pressure. Several commercial LRI systems are available, but Jim made his own, primarily to reduce cost.
The angled probe was added below the pitot tube on the same faired mount under the wing that held the pitot. In the cockpit, Jim re-purposed a commercial water pressure gauge to serve as an indicator.
The proper angle for the probe, and the markings on the face of the gauge were determined by flight test. The gauge is divided in to 3 regions: Red, White, and Green. The top of the red arc corresponds with the initial stall break. As the needle moves into the white, and then green areas, the airplane has progressively more lift margin and can pull more G before stalling.
Jim now uses his LRI as his primary instrument for setting take off and landing airspeed and angle of attack. He reports that the entire system, which he believes considerably enhances the safety of his airplane cost him a total of $54 for materials and the gauge.
