Aircraft at CYKZ with wing extensions?

[DanWEC]

This is a shot in the dark question but someone who spends a lot of time at CYKZ should be able to easily answer. I havnt been there in a while.
Often on the ramp in front of the main access door there is a plane parked with extensions on the wings and tail. When tied down it has warning cones around it marking the perimeter for obvious reasons.
I believe it may be a geo sense aircraft.
Anyhow point of curiosity, I'm interested in the wing extensions,I've heard of them on other planes. It's basically a small wing, on a boom that extends horizontally outboard from the end of the wing. The idea is that the void in between still acts as a wing with fluid air flow, essentially expanding the wing surface area with minimal weight and modification.
Anyone know what the hellz I'm ramblin about?

Curious and bored ex physics student.....
Cheers,
Dan

[Blakey]

Does it look like this?

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled ... 120d5d7c0d

I'm not convinced that those wingtip pods are aerodynamic; more likely just separated from the airframe for clearer sensing.

[DanWEC]

Very similar, the tips on the one at cykz are a little bit more streamlined, and wing-shaped.
I wouldn't be surprised if they were just for sensing. It was a group of young instructors at Toronto Airways showing some students around the ramp that this info came from. So it's pretty likely that the instructors didn't quite know what they were talking about. lol

[CL-Skadoo!]

Does it look like this?

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled ... 120d5d7c0d

I'm not convinced that those wingtip pods are aerodynamic; more likely just separated from the airframe for clearer sensing.

That is correct and having flown it, I can tell you it doesn't help the aerodynamics at all.

[DanWEC]

Yeah I'm not surprised. Funny, watching them do the tour (to CPL ground school students!!!) there was zero mention of sensing. They said that it was purely to make the aircraft act like it has more surface area to improve performance.

Amazing.

[CL-Skadoo!]

Well wait, did it have winglets or a drooping wing or was it actual pods like the Cessna 206 that Blakey posted?

If it was the pods, they generally contain some kind of electrical field sensors or something along those lines. I haven't been in a geophysical survey aircraft in a long time.

[DanWEC]

No, no droop, leading edge extensions, or upswept winglets. They looked exactly like the pods in the pic Blakely posted,

It's definitely a geo survey aircraft, as it had the long tail boom as well.

I was really skeptical as to what these guys were teaching that group, as I hasn't sure how it would be possible for it to work. Boundary layers are pretty thin, generally the distance from the surface to where the air flow velocity is 99% of the overall airstream speed. Like 1/8 of an inch to 1/2 inch. Not 2 feet. The only thing that would make sense for an extension is if were a control surface of some kind and needed the extra leverage.

Another argument as to why we don't need students/low timers as instructors! lol

[RenegadeAV8R]

It was a group of young instructors at Toronto Airways showing some students around the ramp that this info came from. So it's pretty likely that the instructors didn't quite know what they were talking about. lol

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

[ArcticKat]

What is the Ident of the aircraft? Most likely Airliners.net would have a picture of the actual plane. Look up Triaxial Gradiometer, that might be the role for this aircraft.

[totalflyer]

Back this summer there was also Kiwi Air of New Zealand (Initially with UTS Geophysics decals and became Aeroquest while there)
that had two of their planes there. The aircraft were Pacific Aerospace P-750 an aircraft manufactured in New Zealand.
The registrations were ZK-SWA (the first one at YKZ) and ZK-XLB.

The company I work for did some work on the aircraft to clean them up and protect the paint.
(The SWA as UTS Geophysics was before and as Aeroquest was after... )

[C-GGGQ]

Boy, that is one ugly bird.

[the_cr]

I've seen one of Aeroquests birds here at CYQT. Not pretty but interesting...

[totalflyer]

Boy, that is one ugly bird.

That's what all of us that worked on cleaning those planes thought too...
My opinion was that we made an ugly bird shiny again... lol

[GGCC]

Boy, that is one ugly bird.

That's what all of us that worked on cleaning those planes thought too...
My opinion was that we made an ugly bird shiny again... lol

Well from the pics I'd say you did a great job...

[trey kule]

So it's pretty likely that the instructors didn't quite know what they were talking about. l

Are you sure about this? Because I cant ever recall an instructor not knowing what they were talking about I am sure any of those instructors would be pleased to offer doing a checkout on type.

The fletcher pods, if that is what you are referring to, are there strictly to aid the on board equipment.

They are anything but an aerodynamic mod.

[lilflyboy262]

Ugly bird but their STOL performance is pretty damn good!

(There is a small chance I am a kiwi and there is some bias here)

[C-GGGQ]

The ugly ones are usually the most fun to fly, I'll give you that.

[nimbostratus]

The ugly ones are usually the most fun to fly, I'll give you that.

Only until your friends see you in them!

N.

[totalflyer]

Would hate to see what gravel would do to the lower surfaces after a day or two though...

The leading edges of the wings were missing paint in a few places... The leading edges of the horizontal actually had acrylic
attached to protect them. I'm not sure if this is a normal proceedure or just because they fly them into such remote locations
at times...

[esp803]

Would hate to see what gravel would do to the lower surfaces after a day or two though...

PC12's work out of gravel all the time with the same (although much much better looking) design. I suspect the tail is what would take the beating. You could always do what Manitoba Government does to the Citations, add kevlar to the undersides of the flaps and leading edges.