Odd one

[Hagar]

I went down to Popham on Sunday for some practice with my new camera. Look closely at these. Just an ordinary Cessna - or is it? Can you spot anything unusual?

[ozzy72]

It appears to have a rather unusual nose-canard? What is it a handlebar 'tash for Cessnas?
Some sort of aerobatic add-on?

[Hagar]

What is it a handlebar 'tash for Cessnas?
Some sort of aerobatic add-on?

Got in one. Give that man a coconut.

It's genuine but I have no idea what it's all about.  I didn't notice it when I took the photo or I would have enquired.

[ozzy72]

Interesting, after this lesson I'll try and find out some more. I'd imagine it is to facilitate climbing/diving but I've never seen its like before....

[Hagar]

It's registered as a Cessna 182P. http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNumSQL.asp?NNumbertxt=1320s

Here's a close-up. Best I can do. If I'd spotted it I would have taken more.




PS. Sad news. Fences at Popham now so no more close-up shots. Another victim of these H & S regulations.

[Willit Run]

Nice shots!!

  Check this out.  This should give you an answer.

  http://www.260se.com/features.html

[ozzy72]

Great find Willit. Very interesting

[beaky]

Dang, Willit beat me to it: I've heard of that mod:  greatly adds to the STOL utility of that very nice plane.
Especially the 260-hp, "fuelie" 470 under the cowling!! Drool!

But the canard does exactly what it does on any plane: adds a teensy bit of lift, yes, but mostly it will stall before the main wing, letting the nose drop just enough to get the main wing back within correct AOA/airspeed limits. This plane robably doesn't buffet and "break" at Vs/Vso quite like a normal 182 would.  It also keeps roll authority good at speeds well below the recommended speeds for operation of a stock 182, and makes the plane nearly impossible to fully stall, although one might still stall the wingtip in a turn.

And a resounding "Bronx salute" (rasberry) for those who've fenced in Popham...  >:(

[Hagar]

Thanks everyone. I knew I could rely on you chaps to solve the mystery. That didn't take long did it?

[Omag 2.0]

I never knew they tunes airframes!

[ozzy72]

Doug just put on a suitable coloured fluorescent jacket and pretend to be groundcrew

[Omag 2.0]

Or buy a really nice suit and wear it when you go to the airfield! Identify yourself as beeing from CSI Basingstoke. Claim you have a birdstrike on your hands and you need to close the perimeter as a crime-scene... Now you can take all the close-ups you want!

[Hagar]

[quote]Cheer up Doug... all you need to do is save for a nice telelense and hope that the builders used big grated fences at Popham, so you can stick your equipement trough the holes... ehrm... you should probably ignore the nasty sound of that last remark...

[C]

Great shots Doug...

Interesting little aeroplane... Looks like its been Rutanised!

[flyboy 28]

I was going to say the American registration.