Guest Howard Hughes Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 I see Harv has what sounds like a nice (read affordable) wire braced aircraft for sale in the classified section. As a complete newbie can anyone give me some pointers on the difference between strut and wire braced? What are the advantages/dis-advantages? What to look for when purchasing? What are the maintenance implications with wire braced? What happens if a wire breaks in flight? Are the remaining wires sufficient to carry loads, etc? Cheers, Mark (aka HH). PS: I have fown a drifter before and it was the best stand alone hours flying I have ever done, could see myself getting out on a nice Sunday morning!
fly_tornado Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 I can tell you wires need retensioning on a regular basis. Not sure what that is though. Drifters with tight wiring fly differently to ones with loose wires.
facthunter Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 Wire braced aircraft are strong enough if the cables don't have corrosion, and are correctly swaged? at the ends. They are a bit more draggy but fly well at lower speeds with less power as they are also lighter. I've only ever flown the SB version which in every case, had the more powerful Rotax 582 and needed a good prop to fly well with 2 people. . They are a really pleasant plane to fly with a feel of being right out in the air, like few others have. Nev
c722352 Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 I fly both, but find the WB seems to be lighter on the controls and just doesnt seem to have the heavy feeling that the SB has, could just be me I suppose. As stated as long as you maintain the wires you shouldnt have any problems. The only time I have had to tension the wires in the last two years was when I took the wings off. even then its not a huge job to do. Robert
HeadInTheClouds Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 Thanks for the replies. Getting bored with the King Air are we?
Guest Howard Hughes Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 No, but it would be nice to do some flying when I want to, where I want to, in the weather I like!
Tomo Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 I fly both, but find the WB seems to be lighter on the controls and just doesnt seem to have the heavy feeling that the SB has, could just be me I suppose. Nah, it's true, the WB's are much lighter in the control and certainly feels that way flying too. Your's is actually a really pleasant aeroplane to fly to Rob. They are both lots of fun though!
HeadInTheClouds Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 No, but it would be nice to do some flying when I want to, where I want to, in the weather I like! Good idea I guess you can choose not to fly a drifter into icing conditions!
c722352 Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 They have lots of the de-ice but only on winter days above 2000 sorry couldnt resist
seb7701 Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 Did my ab initio on SB and finished on a wire braced. The first obvious difference was the fact that when you land a SB, you have much more float and time to think as a beginner when landing. When you get to a wire braced, you basically fly it to the ground, because there is far less float (if any) depending on approach speed. As the boys said, WB feels much lighter and I am lead to belief much stronger. Just my 2 cents...
farri Posted March 2, 2012 Posted March 2, 2012 I see Harv has what sounds like a nice (read affordable) wire braced aircraft for sale in the classified section. As a complete newbie can anyone give me some pointers on the difference between strut and wire braced? What are the advantages/dis-advantages? What to look for when purchasing? What are the maintenance implications with wire braced? What happens if a wire breaks in flight? Are the remaining wires sufficient to carry loads, etc? Cheers,Mark (aka HH). I realise that I`ve come in late on this one but here is my opinion! Difference between WB and SB?.. If by difference, performance is meant, then before being able to make an accurate comparison, these factors need to be taken into account. Power plant: Regardles of either WB or SB! .. What size is the engine on the AC?....Is the engine in good condition and developing it`s full power. The WB can have the Rotax 503 with the A or B type gearbox with the gear ratio being, 2.0:1, 2.238:1 and 2.58:1., or, the Rotax 582 with, C or E type gearbox, gear ratio being ,2.62:1, 3.0:1, 3.47:1 and 4.0:1. The SB can be powered by the Rotax 582 or 618, with the C or E type gearbox, gear ratio as above....The gear ratio is important in determining, the type, diameter and pitch of the pro, also the performance of the AC....Keep in mind that the performance of either AC also depends on all the other factors that effect AC performance and every pilot should be aware of these... No point in comparing apples to oranges, so to speak. Rigging: Is the AC rigged correctly?...Wire tension is important, the WB may not be rigged to it`s maximum performance due to the wires not being tensioned correctly. What are the advantages/ disadvantages?....Without going into minute detail, they vary, relative to the pilots needs! The WB has a king post,therefore, a higher enclosure is required than the SB.....Depending on the size of the pilot, the WB can be fitted with the original, small nose pod, giving less drag and better performance, ( I have the small nose pod )..... it can also be fitted with the large nose pod, resulting in more drag....The SB generaly has the large nose pod but I`m pretty sure the smaller nose pod can be fitted. What to look for when purchasing? There are too many things to list them all here so when in doubt, get someone with experience to look over the AC....Always keep in mind that we get what we pay for and a lot of times a lot less than we pay for, so it realy depends on the reason for buying and the purchase price... If wanting to buy the AC for restoration it should be obvious that the requirements are very different than if buying, to fly it away. Maintenance of WB wires...This depends somewhat on the local area and condition....I`m only a couple of klm from the ocean so corosion occurs at a greater rate than somewhere well away from the ocean,where it is mostly dry with low humidity.... I know a lot of WB Drifter owners will cringe but I`ve found the best way to keep the wires in good conditions is to regularly lubricate them with a rag and clean oil, the thiker the oil the better and any broken strands will show up by catching on the rag. What happens if a wire breaks in flight ?...I don`t realy know so I keep mine in good condition! Finally, Sorry if this post is a bit long, but I`ve realy only covered a small section. Frank. 2
XP503 Posted March 2, 2012 Posted March 2, 2012 As much as I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyy don't want to sell mine.... here is a shameless plug http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Maxair-XP503-Drifter-/170790758194?pt=AU_Aircraft&hash=item27c3ec2732
farri Posted March 2, 2012 Posted March 2, 2012 Hi David, The fact you have to sell your Drifter is the shame, not the plug. If everything is good condition,I reckon your buy now price is pretty fair..Hope you get it. Cheers, Frank. 1
farri Posted March 4, 2012 Posted March 4, 2012 No, but it would be nice to do some flying when I want to, where I want to, in the weather I like! HH, Recreational aviation doesn`t get much better. I`ve already been for my buzz around in the Drifter this morning. I had a spare back seat, you could have come with me. . 81 year old, Ron, is still up there in his Drifter, buzzing around somewhere. Great post thanks Farri! Thank you also for posting the questions. Frank.
Mark11 Posted March 7, 2012 Posted March 7, 2012 As much as I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyy don't want to sell mine....here is a shameless plug http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Maxair-XP503-Drifter-/170790758194?pt=AU_Aircraft&hash=item27c3ec2732 Hi David, I was thinking of getting one - but I only made this decision today... Reading the enthusiasm in the posts looks like a good learning plane? I looked at your eBay add and not sure if it was sold - didn't seem to be.. Regards Mark
Tex Posted March 8, 2012 Posted March 8, 2012 I have found (perhaps obviously) a slightly better cruise speed and fuel economy in the SB; but not so much that you want to worry about it if you had the choice between two comparable WB and SB aircraft. As mentioned the SB will float on a little more on landing in ground effect, personally I love that. SB is heavier (maybe 10-15kg in comparable aircraft of similar vintage?), you can notice the extra weight, among other things I suppose, as the WB just feels more nimble, but once again not so much I would worry about it to any extent. I just like the SB 'look' and not having to dodge as many wires when negotiating around the aircraft back seat and loading up etc) is a real plus... you get used to it for sure, but once you have an SB the WB 'dance' is a bit of a nuisance . Of course the 55 rego is good to have for value adding I reckon... SB...WB whatever just get one 2
farri Posted March 8, 2012 Posted March 8, 2012 Very nice, Tex!..By the look of the grass, either roundup has been used on it or it must be pretty dry there. Frank.
Tex Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Very nice, Tex!..By the look of the grass, either roundup has been used on it or it must be pretty dry there.Frank. Just a bit dry then Frank and not the best soil as it sits on higher ground... been a bit of rain since then and that strip looks grand... as do most in SE Qld ATM
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