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Smoke system front or back???

Mhesser

Member
Putting a smoke system in my 8A and contemplating where to put it. for space usage, ease of install, ease of smoke tank filling and removal of tank if needed the lower front baggage compartment sure seems to be the easiest/best option.
BUT
without a passenger or weight in the back I run out of trim on final due to the excess forward CG, I really like keeping the plane in trim at all times. So the front tank isnt ideal without a passenger or aft ballast

With the weight of the tank in back and with or without a passenger the AFT CG is still in limits and fly's well.
I would love the convenience of not having to run tubing all the way up front and the ease of filling in the front BUT to stay in the proper W&B and keeping the ability to trim I'm thinking the tank needs to go in the aft baggage

HELP with ideas on how to make the tank in the aft baggage are not suck! I am looking at the smoke system helper products
 
Unless you need 15-20 gallons of smoke oil, put it up front in the recess. The tank won't always be full of smoke oil.

If you need a few pounds in the rear baggage, add more to your tool bag that you put back there.

You will thank me later. :)
 
Interesting
Putting it in the forward baggage compartment would limit you to a 3.5 gal system. On my -8 solo 1/2 tanks 1370# 80.4” CG adding 45 pounds in front would move the CG up to 79.7 within an inch of the forward limit.

Putting a 5.5 gal system in the aft baggage floor would move the CG back to 82.2 which would be sweet.
 
Back

I put mine in the back and made it totally removable. It’s a five gallon system from Smoke System Helper. Works great and cg is helped. Also put the flow adjuster where I can adjust it on the fly during a routine. Sometimes garbage gets in the line and that’s where it will clog the system so being able to quickly wiggle the flow adjuster solves that problem as well.
 
I put mine in the back and made it totally removable. It’s a five gallon system from Smoke System Helper. Works great and cg is helped. Also put the flow adjuster where I can adjust it on the fly during a routine. Sometimes garbage gets in the line and that’s where it will clog the system so being able to quickly wiggle the flow adjuster solves that problem as well.

Same here. I love that I can adjust the CG just by adding/burning smoke oil. In particular for acro where you really don’t want anything that can move on the airplane (do buy the acro vent if you don’t want to oil your fuselage…). The 2-3 times a year I go cross country with a passenger and luggage I just remove it. Don’t have to remove it for a passenger without luggage as I am well within CG.

Oliver
 
Same here. I love that I can adjust the CG just by adding/burning smoke oil. In particular for acro where you really don’t want anything that can move on the airplane (do buy the acro vent if you don’t want to oil your fuselage…). The 2-3 times a year I go cross country with a passenger and luggage I just remove it. Don’t have to remove it for a passenger without luggage as I am well within CG.

Oliver

What is the Acro Vent?
 
Put mine up front in the luggage well. Made a false floor for over the tank so my luggage compartment is completely flat. Easy access for filling and 3 1/2 gallons is plenty. CG is not an issue at all.

IO-370, Hartzell composite, grove gear
 
I put mine in the back and made it totally removable. It’s a five gallon system from Smoke System Helper. Works great and cg is helped. Also put the flow adjuster where I can adjust it on the fly during a routine. Sometimes garbage gets in the line and that’s where it will clog the system so being able to quickly wiggle the flow adjuster solves that problem as well.

I have similar FWD CG issues, I chose to install it in the rear baggage compartment. I put the pump on the top of the tank and installed an smoke oil quick disconnect and an eletrical disconnect. It takes ~15min to install it and about the same amount of time to remove it. :cool:

The smoke oil goes so quick it's nice to have a slightly larger tank than the FWD area would allow
 
THANK YOU

Thanks everyone and keep the comments coming
Sure looks like the debate Garmin vs Dynon, the opinions are pretty even half for the front and half for the back with some compelling arguments with no easy answers. Will definitely post when I make my decision and install it.
I do a fair amount of cross country flights with the better half so space is at a premium but some more aft CG feels so much better flying Uggh not an easy one, I guess if I had tons of cash to blow I could do both
 
Front and rear removable mounts!

I have similar FWD CG issues, I chose to install it in the rear baggage compartment. I put the pump on the top of the tank and installed an smoke oil quick disconnect and an eletrical disconnect. It takes ~15min to install it and about the same amount of time to remove it. :cool:

The smoke oil goes so quick it's nice to have a slightly larger tank than the FWD area would allow

I originally mounted the 5.5g Smoking Airplanes tank in the fwd baggage with a removable mount. My -8 has always had a forward CG issue though; with a Hartzell CS prop, Christen oil system, Odyssey battery on firewall, and pilot with chute weight of 175# I had to keep 10-20 lbs on the aft baggage shelf to stay in limits with the smoke tank full.

So, I added another removable mount on the rear baggage floor, which gives me the flexibility to carry any combination of fuel, smoke oil, baggage, tools, and passengers. Takes < 30 minutes to move the tank without hurrying.
 
This 6 gal tank fits as close to perfect in the fwd baggage as you can get. Tough polyethylene construction. Anchor points for feet on the bottom and pump on the top. With hydraulic quick connect for the oil and threaded DIN style electrical connector for pump power, it can be removed in 30 seconds.

As for the CG, almost all of my flying where I'd want smoke is formation flying, so I want more stability/slight nose down trim. So nose heavy works out fine.

https://barndoorag.com/ace-roto-mold-6-gallon-rectangle-flat-bottom-tank-w-pump-mount-sp0006-2p/?_vsrefdom=adwords&gclid=CjwKCAjwqJSaBhBUEiwAg5W9pxR9fsU6u75xU5dJNWMTi1yUVRfTbUhNAvHbkPhpQK-g2HKJZOEy-BoCZNEQAvD_BwE
 
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This 6 gal tank fits as close to perfect in the fwd baggage as you can get. Tough polyethylene construction. Anchor points for feet on the bottom and pump on the top. With hydraulic quick connect for the oil and threaded DIN style electrical connector for pump power, it can be removed in 30 seconds.

As for the CG, almost all of my flying where I'd want smoke is formation flying, so I want more stability/slight nose down trim. So nose heavy works out fine.

https://barndoorag.com/ace-roto-mold-6-gallon-rectangle-flat-bottom-tank-w-pump-mount-sp0006-2p/?_vsrefdom=adwords&gclid=CjwKCAjwqJSaBhBUEiwAg5W9pxR9fsU6u75xU5dJNWMTi1yUVRfTbUhNAvHbkPhpQK-g2HKJZOEy-BoCZNEQAvD_BwE

You make an important point here.

A lot depends (per usual) on the “mission”.

“Fun smoke” plus safety/be-seen-to-be-avoided smoke is easily handled with the deep well up front.

A lot of my friends during the air show days had a similar setup as you mention and that was adequate for some shows.

“SERIOUS” smoke or “SkyTyping Smoke” required a lot more.

So, in my RV8, I have the deep well up front for normal use. When I need a LOT of smoke (oil), I supplied dimensions to Marvin, formerly of Smoke Systems Help for a tank that goes in the aft baggage compartment and it will hold 15 gallons!!

And some of my buddies have removed the back seat and installed a large tank there.

So depending upon your needs, you have plenty choices.
 
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