Why isn't everyone doing the Hoerner wing tip

W

way_up_north

Builder
Looking over the benefits of the Horner wing tip

why do the standard wing tip?

is there a downside...or is it a free lunch
 
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Because it is store bought and easy in a lot of cases, including mine. If a Hoerner tip were easy, I would have bought them instead.
 
The same reason not everyone is fitting VGs, EFII, autopilot etc. Keep it simple, keep the cost down ......
 
Would a Hoerner tip have the same effect on the Bravo model ? It already has additional wing area and span.
 
Hi
PaulSA said:
The same reason not everyone is fitting VGs, EFII, autopilot etc. Keep it simple, keep the cost down ......
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I’m 1 to 2 years away from needing one... if available

were not talking building the space shuttle here... it’s an easy build for a fiberglass company... if there is demand

if its the prefered choice... then there is time for me to get the word out... so by the time I need it... it’s nice and cheap

has anyone contacted the current fabricator to see if they would be interested in making it?

how many Bearhawks are flying with them?... any reports ?
 
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"so it's nice and cheap..."

LOL The words "cheap" or "inexpensive" cannot be used in the same sentence as "airplane"...
 
Nice concise write up of why they are effective at lowering drag, increasing efficiency of the wing.
 
What’s the real world performance gains over the standard tips for the Bearhawk models that have them? Not disputing the Hoerners are better, just trying to gage whether the juice would be worth the squeeze, so to speak?
 
The thing I like about hoerners is that they increase the effective wingspan. With rounded tips air spills from the bottom of the wing up and onto the top of the wing shortening the effective span. Hoerners eliminate this spillage. Plus they look cool.😁

Cutting the foam block and forming the tips is actually quite easy. We ran into trouble when making the molds which is when I threw in the flag and slapped spill-plate tips on our plane. My pops has started making new foam plugs and a local guy said he’d make us molds and carbon tips for a reasonable amount. After kicking the idea around we decided to skip the molds and just make if one-off set of tips using the plugs.

Also, I made some patterns for making aluminum hoerner tips that I think would be very close to as clean as fiberglass tips. The compound curve at the leading edge was challenging so it is a little dirty but I think it could be worth pursuing. I stopped when I make forms for tip ribs and hat sections to stiffen things up.
 
Excellent! - except I can't fly my RV-10 due CV19 restrictions .....

Don't let anyone tell you "What are you going to do with yourself ......?"
 
Regarding post #10.....This thread starts out with Battson's modifications and compares a number of changes including his Hoerner tips.
https://bearhawkforums.com/forum/fly...wk-performance

An article that compares three wingtip shapes (Square, Round, and Hoerner) in a wind tunnel may be found on Page 38 of Sport Aviation Magazine, Feb 1971 for those who are EAA members. I'd be interested in your feedback.

My opinion is Wind Tunnel data is data, but not real life data. However, Battson's report seems to me to confirm its findings. The square tip is a flat square, unrounded shape. I've shared before my curiosity of the wingtip Steve Wittman used on his W-10 Tailwind design. I think it ugly but I also think Wittman tested things on real airplanes. Whee might be surprised by his square tip performance. Mooney likes the square tip.

https://www.eaa.org/eaa/news-and-pub...viation-browse
 
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For STOL performance tip plates probably work 60 to 90% as well as something more complex, at the cost of drag. Hoerner tips are not that different than tip plates, with a big fairing between the wing and the plate.
 
Having done a lot of research, this is true for LSA / microlights ^
For heavier aircraft with double (or more) induced drag at the tips, the differences show.
Bolting either kind of wingtip onto a standard Bearhawk wing, a tip plate and 16" aerodynamic hoerner wingtip will be chalk and cheese. The increased span alone makes a huge difference, before considering the shape factor.
 
Yeah the extra span definitely helps.

I do think that a better tip helps an airplane like a BH more than a high aspect and/or tapered wing. A larger percentage of wing area is affected than a tapered/elliptical/higher aspect wing.

Better tips I would buy if I could now because I haven't installed the kit tips yet., but they are farther down the improvement list if I have to make my own. Lighter doors are probably #1 after I get 'er flying.
 
I made some as a side project. Bearhawk builder Graham Johnson showed me how he did his and loaned me his Hotwire and rib templates to cut the mould from polystyrene. It was relatively straightforward and the results were very pleasing.
 
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Bcone1381 said:
Can you tell us more about the results? Before - after.....Are they on your aircraft right now for good?
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I can't find where I posted about it previously, but the thread HERE gives a good overview about how to cut the moulds. The main benefits for me were a much better fit than the factory wingtips, lightweight, and athletically pleasing. I believe I saw perhaps a 1 knot reduction in stall speed.
 
Nev said:
I can't find where I posted about it previously, but the thread HERE gives a good overview about how to cut the moulds. The main benefits for me were a much better fit than the factory wingtips, lightweight, and athletically pleasing. I believe I saw perhaps a 1 knot reduction in stall speed.
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That post provided the info I used to make mine. Mswain references a video that I found helpful in visualizing the whole process. My tips took me a full 3 months to make. I consider it time well spent, am very happy with them, think they look great, will never know how much they improve performance. I originally bought the tips referenced in Beartracks. Just didn't like the shape, knew they would be draggy, sold them to another builder.
 
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I had to look up the meaning of "Chalk and Cheese." It means the two are very different from each other...nothing in common. I suspect others might wonder too.
 
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