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Category Archives: Aviation
What about wheel pants?
Interesting question about wheel pants.
The question came up about buying an aircraft that doesn’t have wheel pants (fairings). Is it really worth the money just to make it look better? Or is there more value to fairings than just looks.
My thoughts, of course, it also depends on the aircraft.
Wheel fairings or wheel pants do more than just look good. But some aircraft are designed with a landing gear that doesn’t support wheel fairing (trailing link gear like the Beechcraft Sundowner).
Fairings can also increase the cruise and flight performance of an aircraft. Although it is usually only one or two knots. While that is not much of a speed increase, any boost in cruise speed is better than nothing.
Wheel fairings can also protect the aircraft from being damaged from inadvertent rocks being thrown against the wings, cabin or tail surfaces. If you are flying from dry smooth or paved runways its probably a good thing to have fairings. If you are flying from dirt mud snow or worse, leave the fairings in the hanger. Same goes for unimproved strips. Rough terrain will just break the fairings into pieces.
Even though, if you think about it, this is probably where you need them the most. Because they also have a few drawbacks like they can be clogged with rocks, snow and mud. And they can be damaged by rocks and debris picked up on the runways.
Oh, and fairings get in the way when airing up those low tires and fixing a flat.
And those Cessna nose wheel shimmies, that can destroy a wheel fairing.
I guess it really comes down to the aircraft, how you are using it and where you are going.
But personally, I like the looks of most aircraft when they have wheel fairings.
EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2023 – final statistics
EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2023
FACTS AND FIGURES FOR A RECORD-SETTING YEAR
Comment from EAA CEO and Chairman Jack Pelton:
- “There was so much going on during the week that encompassed the entire world of flight, from the presence of the U.S. Air Force Training Command and NASA, to magnificent aircraft restorations and exciting new flying technology. Oshkosh was again the place that brought the aviation world together.”
Attendance: Approximately 677,000 – A record total (previous mark: 650,000 in 2022). Comment from Pelton:
- “We had record-setting totals of campers, exhibitors, volunteers, and more. It was also a challenging year at times with weather, logistics, and other factors, which makes me even more proud of the efforts by our volunteers and staff to organize an outstanding event.”
Total aircraft: More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin. At Wittman alone, there were 21,883 aircraft operations in the 11-day period from July 20-30, which is an average of approximately 148 takeoffs/landings per hour when the airport is open.
Total showplanes: 3,365 including: A record 1,497 registered in vintage aircraft parking, plus 1,067 homebuilt aircraft, 380 warbirds (up 3 percent from ’22), 194 ultralights, 134 seaplanes and amphibians, 52 aerobatic aircraft, and 41 rotorcraft.
Camping: More than 13,000 sites in aircraft and drive-in camping accounted for an estimated 40,000 visitors.
Volunteers: More than 5,500 contributing in excess of 250,000 hours.
Commercial exhibitors: 848 (record number).
Forums, Workshops, and Presentations: More than 1,400 sessions hosted throughout the week.
Social Media, Internet and Mobile: More than 18.3 million people were reached by EAA’s social media channels during AirVenture (up 78 percent over 2022), with engagement of 1.9 million; More than 189,000 hours of viewing EAA video clips online also occurred during the event (more than double the 2022 total).
International guests: International visitors returned in a big way in 2023, with 2,372 attendees registering the International Visitors Tent from a record-tying 93 countries outside the U.S. Adding a significant number of international visitors who do not register at the tent when they arrive, the actual total is much higher.
The Gathering shines: The EAA Aviation Foundation’s annual event to support its aviation education programs attracted more than 1,000 people and raised more than $2 million dollars that will be focused on EAA’s mission of growing participation in aviation.
Media: 863 media representatives on-site, from six continents.
Economic impact*: $170 million for the five counties in the Oshkosh region (Winnebago, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Brown). * – based on 2017 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh economic impact study
What’s ahead for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 (July 22-28, 2024)? Comment from Pelton:
- “We’ll start planning for EAA AirVenture 2024 a little later in August, but we are already looking at a number of big activities, including the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Plenty of ideas have also been forwarded to us from EAA members and others that will be part of the planning for 2024.”
Information updates posted at www.eaa.org/airventure