Vortex Gen experience

martinwalker1 · Post by **martinwalker1** » Sat Nov 14, 2015 6:51 am

Installed Vortex Generators on my MT-7. Test flew and couldn't believe/stand all of the noise. Sounded like 1000 reeds from high pitch instruments on my wings, extremely noisy (wind/whistle.) Told my wife and she asked if I had my hearing aids on. javascript:emoticon(':roll:')I'm a moron. Flew the next day with my AP/AI without the hearing aids and we didn't hear a thing. Can't believe how much noise VGs make (at a frequency we can't hear fortunately).

Question: Anyone know how many hours should it take to install VGs and a new headliner in a MT-7? Don't want to take advantage of my mechanic...Martin..N814MG

Old Piper · Post by **Old Piper** » Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:24 am

Hi Martin, Pls. Tell on performance changes of lift?
Thanks
Tom

martinwalker1 · Post by **martinwalker1** » Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:38 am

I flew the airplane fast, slow, did accelerated stalls, stalls from slow flight, turning stalls and really didn't notice the difference with the vortex generators other than maybe slightly more effective ailerons and elevator. I didn't notice a difference in stall speed or angle of attack. I didn't see airspeed differences. I noticed significantly better climb performance on takeoff but it was a cooler day than normal so I have to attribute some of that climb to colder temperature.

I don't have much Maule time or experience so I probably didn't notice what differences exist. Also I fly a lot of different airplanes and gliders and I'm not really sensitive to differences between aircraft. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

I think the Maule is a terrific airplane with or without vortex generators...Martin 2001 MT7-235

Loogie · Post by **Loogie** » Sun Nov 15, 2015 4:07 pm

VGs give you more control authority, all the way up to the critical angle, at which the lifting body will stall. VGs do not change the stall speed, they just give you the ability to control the a/c effectively at lower speeds where things get mushy otherwise.

Mauleflyer · Post by **Mauleflyer** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:44 am

I agree with Loogie, best thing we ever did. Serious increase in aileron effectiveness at slow speed. I did not notice any noise increase at all. That's a strange one.

TomD · Post by **TomD** » Tue Mar 08, 2016 4:20 pm

1000 reeds from high pitch instruments

I have Micro Aerodynamics micro vortex generators on my M5-235C and have had for 14 years or so. Either A) my hearing is shot and I don't hear the noise, B) my plane is so loud the mv noise is buried by the other noise, C) they don't make the same noise as you describe.

Since no one else has heard the "1000 reed noise", I am guessing it is not present on my plane.

Have had them so long I cannot remember the performance without them. I do remember noticing much better low speed control on floats when I had them installed.

TD