Rob wrote:
> As long as we're on the subject, what is the typical cooling drag
> as a percentage of the total airframe drag? My memory from undergrad
> aerodynamics is fading but it seems like it is in the 5 to 10% range.
> For the moment lets assume it is 7%.

Depending on your age, your undergraduate textbook may
have used a Piper Cub, C172, or Beech 18 for the "typical"
example. When extensive natural laminar flow is achieved
on the rest of the airframe, drag might be reduced by
quite a margin. Thus, cooling drag may be a much greater
fraction of the total drag on a slippery Lancair. I wouldn't
be surprised by 20-25%.