ing . But if you were in a high-G turn , if the car did let go , the back end would come around first . Everybody knew that , and the 911 developed a reputation for being too dangerous for mere mortals to drive , especially the turbo version . I had an ’ 87 for a long time , and never came close to spinning it . So I always wondered if the scary reputation was really warranted , or if maybe it contributed to a sort of a macho factor that owners enjoyed .
Porsche tried to replace the 911 several times . Their most serious attempt was the 928 , produced between 1978 and 1995 . The air-cooled 911 outlived it , and the water-cooled 911 , with the engine still mounted behind the rear axle , lives on today . The 928 had a conventional front engine layout , and by all accounts was just as fast as a similarly equipped 911 . It had far better ergonomics : An hour in traffic in a 911 would have you wishing for a much lighter clutch , a shift linkage that gave you a reliable indication of what gear you were selecting , a heater that worked ( if it was winter ), or an air conditioner that worked ( if it was summer ). On paper , the 928 was definitely the better choice , but people kept buying those terrifying , hard to live with 911s .
So , the Cardinal was killed off for having a reputation for danger that it probably didn ’ t deserve . The 928 died out , maybe because the 911 had a reputation for being more dangerous than it actually was . How much of our flying comes down to a balance between safety on the one hand , and enjoying mastery of something “ dangerous ” on the other ?
I guess what I really want is – a Cardinal converted to a tail dragger …
Question : Hudson – I ’ ve been working on some calculations related to the airfoil choice for a new wing for a Volksplane , and I ’ m not sure I can trust my drag estimates , particularly with respect to laminar flow . If I test a 1 / 16 th scale airfoil with a model in my wind tunnel , will the results still be valid for a full sized wing ? F . Wagoner , Las Cruces
Answer : F . Wagoner , when you scale up an airfoil , you need to consider Reynolds Number . The Reynolds Number is a dimensionless quantity that is used to predict flow patterns under different situations . Basically , it characterizes the ratio of inertial to viscous forces acting on a fluid , and will be relatively low in laminar situations , and relatively high after transitioning to turbulence farther back on the airfoil . Hey , wait a minute – we ’ re talking about your Volksplane , right ? There ’ s going to be so much drag off of your outsized body sticking up out of that little airplane that you ’ re going to get exactly the same overall performance from a Clark Y airfoil as you would with that one John Roncz came up with for the Voyager . You ’ d need a whole lot more engine to go fast enough for small airfoil differences to matter . Is this some kind of trick question ?
Question : Why do you chase me every time you see me ? The silvery colored stray cat in your back yard
Answer : Silvery – if I ’ ve told you once , I ’ ve told you a thousand times : Stay the heck out my yard ! That is my territory . I do not want your foul odor in the grass , on the buildings , or even on the fence . Keep out ! I mean it . If I ever get ahold of you , you ’ ll be sorry . I don ’ t mind my own cats , but I do not care for you at all . Oh , one more thing : The top of the wall over by the gate counts as my territory too . When you jump up there and stare at me , that makes me just as angry as when you ’ re in the yard itself .
Question : Hudson , the national election this year was just terrible . Lots of people are really upset about the outcome , and I ’ m guessing if it had gone another way , a lot of other people would be really upset . What can I do to get through these contentious elections without becoming miserable and depressed ? Bobcat Niven , Las Cruces
Answer : Bobcat – I ’ m not sure I like your name , because I dislike pretty much every cat , except my own . Mostly because cats refuse to play by my rules . Anyway , a lot of times , I just break down everything I encounter into these categories : Things I can eat , things I can play with , things that might hurt me , things I can snuggle with , things I can relieve myself upon . Every once in a while , I find something new , and I don ’ t know which category it belongs in . In that case , I just bark at it . Like , a lot . Eventually , I usually figure out where it fits . Seems like a lot of people are just barking and barking after the election , maybe because they can ’ t figure it out . If I were you , I ’ d just go on a walk and look for other things to eat , snuggle or play with ; otherwise you ’ ll be barking forever .
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