Enhanced Flight Group (EFG) of Lexington, Kentucky has received an STC to install aerodynamic wheel well fairings to the Piper Malibu and Mirage. Like many other aircraft with retractable gear, the main landing gear and tires on the Malibu are thicker than the wing they retract into, leaving a portion of the tire protruding below the wing and into the air stream. The fairings are designed to smooth the flow of air over the exposed tire to reduce drag, adding approximately 3-4 knots true airspeed at high altitude cruise.
The fairings are sold in a set of four (forward and aft, left and right) with all necessary hardware to install in about two hours. Each fairing is molded of lightweight composite materials and comes ready to install, already primed and painted white. The fairings are easily attached with stainless steel screws (no riveting) to the wing skin. They do not attach to or interfere with the landing gear or flaps, or structural rivets.
Price: $2,995. For more information: EnhancedFlight.com.