Hoerner wingtips are said to improve controllability at landing speed by delaying the onset of the stall so are a good thing. Wing root fillets are major drag reducers. They don't tend to make a 'Max much faster, Wayne drew the wing section for lift, not speed but they reduce fuel burn quite markedly having the effect of another half gallon of range. Balsa fairings on the axle, tailplane struts and gear struts are a cheap improvement too.
A good aeronautical engineer calculated the effect of streamlined struts for a MiniMax and found it to save more than half a gallon an hour at 60 MPH. The aircraft was designed to part 103 restrictions. There is a lot that can be done to improve the aerodynamics. |
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