Jay Masino wrote:
: Tony Woolner wrote:
: Anyone know about AMR@D propeller tip mods and Vgs mod for a Cherokee
: 140. Pros and cons?

I recently ferried a Cherokee 140 with the 160HP mod and the prop tip mod
from K1B9 (Mansfield, MA) to KPGD (Punta Gorda, FL). This airplane has
no other mods, and about 200 hours SMOH. I got a TAS of about 102 to 105
Knots running 70% power (2475 RPM at 6500' DA). This seems several
knots faster than the other 140's I have flown. The airplane has a much
better climb rate than the other 140's I have flown, almost 1000 FPM on
cool days (50 deg F surface temps).

The biggest difference between this airplane and my Cherokee 180 (that I
noticed) was the acceleration on the runway. Oh, and it should be flown
a little slower on final.

: I have the prop tip mod, the VGs, the 160HP upgrade, Metco tips, the full
: Knots2U kit, and the Powerflow exhaust. All together, my 140 went from a
: 115 mph plane to a 135+ mph plane, and it climbs a lot better than a stock
: 140.

Wow, Jay, that's a tremendous improvement. My (almost) stock Cherokee 180
does about 137 MPH, 70% power (I have Met-Co-Aire tips). If you could even
estimate the value that each addition gave I would be grateful. Seems
like if I added all of the mods I would have a 300+ knot Cherokee.

I called AMRD about the VG kit for my Cherokee 180. He said "it's in the
STC listing, but it doesn't make any noticeable difference on a 180".
I haven't inquired about any of the other mods, from AMRD, K2U, or anywhere.

I can already pull over redline in level flight, and the Powerflow
system isn't available for my airplane (I have the dual-muffler system),
so I'm not worried if you can't estimate anything from that. I have a climb
prop (the only one available for my airplane - can't be repitched according
to the TCDS), and it really does climb!

: Without some very precise time trials (which I wasn't really willing to
: do), it's difficult to say how much each piece contributed. That said, it
: "seemed" that the VGs dropped the stall speed a few MPH, and increased
: the cruise by a few. A lot of people scoff at this, and I don't blame
: them. All I can say is that the TOTAL amount I've gained appears to be
: real (based of years of flying, with GPS, in both configurations).

Again, even some estimates would be of value to me. Thanks.
--
Aaron Coolidge (N9376J)