What do you guys think about the Horner Wingtips. I put some on my first plane , a 172 and I liked them a lot. I didn't fly it much before I switched and I definitely stayed away from pushing the limits as I was just starting out. They have some pretty amazing claims for such a small mod. I was wondering what you guys thought.

The theory is 100% valid, they "throw" the wingtip vortex outboard a few inches, increasing the wing's "effective" span. But I have not owned or flown an airplane with them to make an actual real-world observation. Dr. Hoerner was a brilliant aero... and the Germans always test the shit out of whatever aero stuff they come up with. I have a friend with a Comanche who says they work a little. It's not like a Nitrous bottle or anything. If you want a wingtip that does something significant, look at the small Dornier turboprop airplane, the Discus sailplane, and the non-winglet wingtips on any modern airliner. BCP member 182STOL has used the big Demers droop tips, and reported they work, but he did remove them from the airplane for some reason I'm not sure. Check with Bill to learn more.

For what it's worth, the Zenith 701, 801, and the ICP Savannah use Horner wing tips. Here's the discussion on the Zenith site:

http://www.zenithair.com/stolch801/design/design.html

You will have to scroll down the page aways to get to wing tips.

tom

I've got Hoerners on the RR...definitely happy with them.

Got the Hoerner wingtips on my Cherokee 180 - installed by the original owner. Seems like most Cherokees get this upgrade sooner or later. If nothing else, they look a helluva lot better than the original equipment fat Cherokee wingtips. They also just look a lot more aerodynamically efficient too. Form following function, apparently.

I bought a set for 64Z first stc I did on that 180, they gained me 3-5 mph I just know they did also gave me 75 fpm more climb I can really tell

A Cherokee guru named Art Mattson has an STC'd mod for Sensenich 76DM propellers, where he modifies the blade tip to a sort of undercut hoerner configuration. He makes the claim that it will turn up like it has 2" less pitch, with the resulting improvement in takeoff & cruise speed. When I needed a new prop, I bought one from him with the tip mod. I'm comparing apples to oranges (or cocnuts), but it turns up abut like it should for the pitch, so I'm not sold on any hoerner improvement. I admit that they sure look nice though. In the spirit of fair play, my cessna has the stock droop tips & I kinda doubt they do much either.

I would like to think I'm doing 3-5 faster and climbing 75 FPM faster, you really need a good firm basis line, I think I did gain but 3-5 is hard to see, it depends a lot on the variables and all data measured accurately for comparison.

EZFlap wrote:BCP member 182STOL has used the big Demers droop tips, and reported they work, but he did remove them from the airplane for some reason I'm not sure. Check with Bill to learn more.

An often-heard reason for removing the Demers droop tips is the decreased lateral visibility that they incur.

Mine caused me to make a precautionary landing one time. During climbout, I looked over and saw clear fluid sheeting off the right wingtip. Playing with the bank angle and the fuel selector had no effect. Once on the ground I discovered that there is a small drain hole at the aft end of them which I had not been aware of. Turns out they can hold a considerable volume of rainwater if the drain hole gets plugged.

-DP

The Hoerners effectively add lift to the end of the wingtip on the 701. Instead of air falling off the end, making the sharp corner and circling under, it becomes shorter for it to go over the wing and provide lift. Path of least resistance.

I have droop tips on the Tundra, the only down side I can think of is the loss of visibility. On a high lift wing I value them in a cross wind for helping keep a the wing down in landing and taxiing, that in itself is of help in many areas of the country. Can't speak to whether they add lift.