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Determination of Vne & How to Increase It

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batesjoe

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Messages
33
Location
Alamogordo
I have searched through the forums and haven't seen this question raised yet. Hopefully, some insight is out there that can clear a few things up for me.

I am looking to build a single seat kit aircraft. This same aircraft model is also being put through the certification process for LSA in the US. In the end, you can buy a kit and build it yourself, or buy is ready to fly as an LSA. Therein lies my curiosity; one which (for obvious reasons) the manufacturer is reluctant to talk about.

The aircraft specifications list the cruise as 118mph with a Vne of 130mph. On the surface, the 118mph cruise is just within the LSA limitations. The listing of the Vne is likely based on the margin factor of cruise, as is common practice in light and slow aircraft.

As an experimental amateur built aircraft, my kit would not be subject to the LSA cruise speed limit. Without having the engineering data available, I have no way to know if the 130mph Vne is based on structural maneuvering loads or control surface flutter, some other factor or if it is simply a lawyered-up number to keep the sibling aircraft within LSA criteria.

Within the Experimental Category, how would I go about determining a safe increase in the Vne of the aircraft? Could incremental increases, say 2mph at a time be done within the Phase 1 testing period. Ideally, I feel this aircraft would be capable of 150mph, I just want to make sure it is done responsibly.

Any ideas?
 
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