Cowl suggestions for FT160 in Spacewalker
04-12-2010, 06:23 PM
#1
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Cowl suggestions for FT160 in Spacewalker
Hey all
I've been looking for a new home for my OS FT160 Gemini engine since I wrote off my GP Skybolt (my fault entirely, no radio interference here) and yesterday I finally made a decision and bought a Seagull Spacewalker II 120. It's rated for a 120-150 4 stroke so the FT160 should work nicely in it. Right now I'm scratching my head over how to get the cowl over both cylinders without cutting it up any more than required, and I'm hoping someone out there has a clever idea for me.
Here's my thoughts so far...
- On the Skybolt my solution was to make a fibreglass panel that matched the side of the cowl, cut a very long hole in the cowl reaching almost all the way to the rear so I could wiggle the cowl over the engine, then fit the panel over the hole, leaving only the head exposed through a small hole in the panel. This method did work and while it wasn't visible in flight it was fairly ugly when on the ground.
- I've also considered a similar idea (from another RCU member back when I did the Skybolt) where I cut out a rectangular panel (taking great pains to make neat, regular cuts) and refit it so it's hinged & reinforced with thin ply, most likely kept shut with some small screws into the ply backing. If I did this on both sides it has also the advantage of being able to fit the exhausts, change glow plugs etc without removing the cowl.
-An idea I took from Sig's Spacewalker II was to cut the cowl horizontally in half, mount the upper half permanently, and mount the lower half to the upper. My concern here is that the Seagull cowl's fairly thin & flexible and would require significant amounts of reinforcement to make this a viable solution, since I'd be cutting through the front edges that give it structural strength.
So what do you think folks? Any suggestions as which is the best way to go, or other (probably better) ideas that hadn't occurred to me? Oh and since I'm almost certain to need some reinforcement, what's the best way to fix ply to fibreglass?
I've been looking for a new home for my OS FT160 Gemini engine since I wrote off my GP Skybolt (my fault entirely, no radio interference here) and yesterday I finally made a decision and bought a Seagull Spacewalker II 120. It's rated for a 120-150 4 stroke so the FT160 should work nicely in it. Right now I'm scratching my head over how to get the cowl over both cylinders without cutting it up any more than required, and I'm hoping someone out there has a clever idea for me.
Here's my thoughts so far...
- On the Skybolt my solution was to make a fibreglass panel that matched the side of the cowl, cut a very long hole in the cowl reaching almost all the way to the rear so I could wiggle the cowl over the engine, then fit the panel over the hole, leaving only the head exposed through a small hole in the panel. This method did work and while it wasn't visible in flight it was fairly ugly when on the ground.
- I've also considered a similar idea (from another RCU member back when I did the Skybolt) where I cut out a rectangular panel (taking great pains to make neat, regular cuts) and refit it so it's hinged & reinforced with thin ply, most likely kept shut with some small screws into the ply backing. If I did this on both sides it has also the advantage of being able to fit the exhausts, change glow plugs etc without removing the cowl.
-An idea I took from Sig's Spacewalker II was to cut the cowl horizontally in half, mount the upper half permanently, and mount the lower half to the upper. My concern here is that the Seagull cowl's fairly thin & flexible and would require significant amounts of reinforcement to make this a viable solution, since I'd be cutting through the front edges that give it structural strength.
So what do you think folks? Any suggestions as which is the best way to go, or other (probably better) ideas that hadn't occurred to me? Oh and since I'm almost certain to need some reinforcement, what's the best way to fix ply to fibreglass?
04-12-2010, 07:16 PM
#2
RE: Cowl suggestions for FT160 in Spacewalker
Hi matt i see your problem and can't think of a better way than your second idea of cutting the cowl horizontally.If you do do that you could mark the line and then glass some ply in or just use glass to reinforce the edge and or use a piano hinge.Good luck mate.
