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> ...gear doors closed and the "up stops" temporarily in position about 1/2"
> lower than "approximately level with the fuselage" as the manual calls, I
> still have 1 1/4" clearance between the door and the tire. With the
> miniscule baggage compartment on the IVP, I would like to maximize the
> baggage area by keeping the wheel cover as tight to the bottom as
possible.
> Is there any reason I need more than the 1 1/4" of clearance between the
> tire and the gear door? ...
Tom,
I thought the same about the baggage compartment so I did what I could do to
increase the usable area. Bear in mind I have not flown yet so the
following is only theory and not yet proven by experience. Also I moved the
rear seat back/pressure bulkhead aft a few inches to rear flange of the
landing gear box. Mark at Lancair mentioned this could be done and I
believe it was done on the factory turbine (its been a year and a half or so
since I've done this so I can't remember exactly). What it does is increase
rear seat leg room but further reduce the lower baggage compartment area.
Following the lead set by Bob P. and Jim W. I reduced gear retraction until
it clears the inside of the gear doors about 7/16" to 3/4" (Bob and Jim's
clearance my be different from mine). I cleared this with Mark who saw no
reason for further gear retraction. **Be careful to fully inflate the tires
before you make your measurements** To do this Bob, Jim and I replaced the
lancair-provided high density plastic up-stop blocks with new, larger ones.
In studying the baggage area I felt the main problem was that the "elephant
butt" provided with the kit did not allow easy access to the lower baggage
compartment, nor did it utilize some other available spaces in and around
the wheels due to its shape. Further it seems very heavy. I felt a shape
that fit the contours of wheels and gear legs would not only increase the
volume of the baggage area but allow easier access to the lower area. To
achieve this I placed a sheet of plastic over the retracted gear and wheels
and filled the area with structural foam. I then sanded the foam to a
contour I thought would be appropriate, covered with peel-ply and then with
layers of carbon. The contours of the carbon provide incredible strength.
I tried to utilize the cavities of the lower baggage area (below the
elevator control tube) by making some removable carbon and prepreg
coverplates. See the attached pics and judge for yourself if it was worth
the trouble. I believe the results create a very light, strong, ergonomic
baggage area. (Everyone who sees it says my project is definitely female!)
Hope this helps.
Joe Trepicone
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