"BobR" wrote in news:1175092590.355514.234030
@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups.com:

On Mar 28, 8:51 am, Nathan Young wrote:
I have a Cherokee 180, with the short hershey bar wing. While I love
the plane, I always wish it could go a bit faster, or use a bit less
fuel to get to my destination.

I have followed the composite homebuilding movement for many years,
and am amazed at the sleekness of a composite wing. The wings on
most
composites tend to be the complete opposite of a Hersey bar wing:
high aspect ratio, low thickness, no rivets, no screws for fuel
tanks,smooth curves faired into airframe, and streamlined landing
gear
structure.

So my question: How much drag does a wing on a Hersey Bar Cherokee
generate, and and hypothetically speaking, how much faster could the
plane go if it was retooled with a sleek, composite wing?

I can't remember if it was Kitplanes or SportAviation that had a
recent article on a Piper knockoff being produced as a kitplane in
South Africa. That might be a good starting point for the difference
in performance between the different planes as well as a discussion of
the differences in design and construction. Much of the difference
has to do with better airfoil designs being used but also weight
differences.


Well, that airplane is "inspired" by the Commanche and it's really just
comparing apples and oranges since there are so many other differences
in the two airplanes, but having said that, it's better than comparing a
cherokee to a Cozy, for instance..

In any case, the Ravin Commanche is here
http://www.saravin.com/review.htm

ALC