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An old letter Don recieved some years ago-
Greetings. I received an e-mail from Don that you wanted info on his Headwind design. I have owned a VW powered Headwind for about three years, and regret to say I only fly about 50 hours per year, or have accumulated abut 100++ hours on it. It was built between 1979 and finished in 1982, and flown by the builder about 250 hours before I purchased it.
I took a taildragger refresher course of 5 hrs in a Decathalon and 2 hrs in a Champ to get ready for this adventure, and learned on my first flight how docile the Headwind handles. It is absolutely straightforward...no surprises, and can very much be compared to the Champ in performance, except the Headwind climbs out a little stronger due to power to weight ratio. My cruise is about 85 @3000 rpm with a 54" prop, and my engine is de-tduned to 1774 down from the stock 1835 VW
due to smaller pistons. It is very smooth, and fairly quiet. (I wear a headset as I fly form a controlled field). I like people to know that I fly it off the ultralight area of my airport to stay out of the way of the heavy metal. So, our traffic pattern is 300'AGL and our runway is 900 ft long and maybe 15'wide, and so you can imagine how agile it is. Stalls about 40, and I'm on final about 55-60. Probably a little too fast, but I make the base to final turn at 150 AGL, so I want my speed up.
The plane generates a lot of interest at other airports, and is trophy quality, thanks to the efforts of the original builder. If one wants a single seater that is cheap to fly with the reliability of a 4 stroke, I can't think of a better plane. I trust it completely, and it's a ball to fly. Slips like a charm. Again, if you can get an hour in the front seat of a Champ, that's about how it feels, except for some reason it lands easier. My fear of the ground loop has never even come close, and the visibility is such that you can land on one wheel and watch it touch.
Please don't hesitate to call me at home if you have questions..
Sincerely,
Bob Benveniste Los Angeles California
Another Letter Don received-
Don,
We have enjoyed flying the Headwind for a number of years since completing it but occasionally wondered what vortex generators might do. A number of Cubs at our home field had VGs installed and were enthusiastic about them. We decided to design our own Vortex Generators since the Headwind is experimental. Using a homemade wind tunnel and smoke generator, we tried many different configurations to arrive at what we feel is the optimum design. Also, being formed in pairs our Vortex Generators are much easier to install.
With the Hall Brothers Vortex Generators installed there was a definite improvement in the takeoff, climb, and landing performance of the Headwind, but the biggest improvement was in the handling and stability. It just "feels" better was one pilots comment. It takes less rudder input to fly a coordinated turn. I believe this is because the ailerons are more efficient now, rolling the wings with less adverse yaw. We didn't experience any reduction in cruise speed. I believe this is because even though the VGs create some drag where they are located on the wing there is a reduction in drag downstream from the VGs on the wing because of better flow in that area.
The Headwind is a fine little airplane, and is even better with Hall Brothers Vortex Generators.
Sincerely, Larry Hall
Here is a weblink to a pilot report Budd Davisson did on the Headwind- http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepPeanutHeadwind.html
Below is a pdf file for down load to read about the Stewart Headwind.
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