tied down in gusty winds

[ozzie]

I had the Lazair assembled in the yard on the weekend. I was finishing off the jury strut addition and a gusty 15kt breeze sprung up. so i tied it down and watched it jerking on the tiedowns every time it gusted. the ailerons flicked to full deflection and i noticed that the wing with the aileron in the up position was not jumping around as much. so i undid the aileron connection and locked both in the up position. much better. it did not tug on the tiedowns as hard and did not want to lift off every time the wind gusted. i thought i'd post this as it may help others who store outside. ozzie

[xgary]

ozzie,

If you strap a 2 x 4 on top of dcell at spar you will destroy lift and the plane will have less lift to be able to lift that wing.

Just look at what a coating of frost will do .

My buddy has wing covers on his Avid flyer and there is a deflector sewn on the top to disrupt the airflow as well

[JPXman]

yes be careful ozzie - that is fine for a headwind while tied down - however if there is a tailwind the wind will pull upwards on the wing twice as hard. its just like concentrating on control surface position while taxiing "climb towards and dive away from wind" while on the ground.

T.

[ozzie]

Yes I am careful. I have been thinking of some covers similar to those described above. I'd rather try and get back into the trailer rather than risk leaving it in strong winds. but sometimes safer to wait until it dies down a bit.
Ozzie