109 E tailplane strut fairing query

[Mark Robson]

Hi All

 

We are going through our kitset CAD with a fine-tooth comb and comparing it to WW2 images.

 

The vast bulk of the design work has been done by well known CAD guru Radu Brinzan, but local designer Darren Mildenhall is adding his 2c worth.

 

Darren noticed that in many, if not most, of wartime E-4 images where the tailplane strut is visible the upper fairing has been removed. You can see the internal "rod" structure of the strut, which had the ability to move as the tailplane incidence was altered.  

 

Looking at hundreds of images, most pics of E-1s and E-3s have the fairing fitted.

 

Does anyone know why it was removed??  Easy access in the heat of battle??  Wear and tear??  

 

And yes, we have asked Lynn, and he does not know....   

 

Cheers

 

Mark Robson

Kotare Models  

 

 

[Iain]

Just thinking aloud Mark - but was it just to aid visibility of the mechanism on a pre-flight walkaround? Were there any known failures in that area?

 

Iain

 

 

[LSP_Mike]

The simplest reason is probably the closest to why. Walkaround? Ease of adjustment? No effect on performance?

[pvanroy]

If I remember correctly - but please do check! - the top of the fairing on the upper side of the strut is made of a flexible rubber boot, to allow the tailplane incidence to be changed. I can imagine that under intense use and combat conditions, this rubber boot would wear quite quickly, requiring frequent replacement. If that was the case, this may have led ground crews after a while to just discard fitting the upper fairing at all, which in turn possibly might have lead to it being dropped from production (although it does seem to be present on some E-7, like S9+CS). To be very clear: I am not saying that this is what happened and that this is the explanation - this is just me surmising what might be a plausible explanation for the sudden absence of the fairings from a certain point in time forward.

 

Edited August 5 by pvanroy
typo

[RBrown]

Interesting observation!  Here is a factory fresh WNF E-3 W.Nr. 5117, without the fairing.  

 

 

 

 

[D.B. Andrus]

Mark

 

Would optional kit fairings be possible?

 

Damian

[Kagemusha]

Maybe it was restricting movement, causing stress, why were the struts dropped after the E series, might have your answer there, in a left-field way.

[nmayhew]

Every day is a school day - I never even noticed this absence of a fairing

 

i agree that having one set of struts with, and one set without the fairing would seem the best way, given Kotare’s desire to get things ‘just so’?