More Detail on Making Wheel Pants.

In the Quickie Aircraft plans, they have you make the wheel pants as a couple of straight-sided items, as seen her in Paul Fisher's beaut.

Air doesn't like to flow in a straight line around an object. There has been a lot of work done on pressure recovery wheel pants, and I thought it would be a good idea to take a clue from the guys working in this area.

So, the problem becomes, how to make a pressure recovery type pant with our little birds that use the pant itself to support the weight of the aircraft?  For the shape, I went to a set of RV-7 wheel pants and tried to emulate that shape. The way I approached it, was to build the interior of the plant per QAC plans. That way I knew it'd be structurally sound.  Once the slab sides are complete, I would build up the outside of the pant for the improved aerodynamics.  This would be a great place to use a wind tunnel and scale models, but unfortunately, that's not my bailiwick.

Again, I started out making the regular wheel pant structure, including the brakes and axle hard points.  I then fitted the wheel in place.  The brake calipers will be buried in the foam for the time being.

Next, using two part expandable foam, I glue Styrofoam scraps all over the wheel pant, giving it a slightly unaerodynamic shape. The idea is to build up enough for carving.

Now using a couple of templates as a guide, I get out my trusty Milwaukee Sawzall and start whittling away at it. I try to go slow and slice off a little at a time. Just like carving a turkey.  Keep your broom and trash can handy.

Here are a couple of videos showing more about my Sawszall art carving methods.

Part 1

After flipping the canard onto it's back, here is Part 2.