This could, and probably should, be mentioned in the engine section too.
My idea for a slightly revised NACA scoop..
how about leaving a small lip in the inside on the bottom with a small hole (say 3mm) returning back outside.
The idea being that rain water it collects when parked outside in the rain returns to the outside rather than filling up the inside.
It is also very important to have a rain water vent in the induction scoop too. I was reading an accident report a few days back about a similar set-up on a Glasair led to an accident. After being parked outside in the rain somewhere the aircraft took off then as the nose attitude changed a big pool of "Stored water" which had collected in the scoop when into the engine and put the fires out. Long story short... bugger !
I'm always a bit paranoid about water coming in the cold air vents on wet overnights.. a slight re-design would solve the problem without needing bungs and such. I guess a canopy cover should cover them but they aren't foolproof and mine is a touch short.. I buggered it up when I made it.

Only someone who's had wet feet would have thought of that. Good idea, GR

The other problem area I've heard of is around the fuel fillers.

At Osh in 2005 Duane Root had a bilge full of water one morning because of this . . and I mean "bilge" !
Looking in behind frame 6 it appeared just like the bottom of a wooden boat - complete with oily water sloshing about.

He'd also hadn't drilled holes in the bottom skin each side of each frame, each side of the bottom longeron. (A total of 4 holes per frame . . . get it?)

Although I think I'd prefer to try to stop the water coming in rather than make a collander out of the bottom to let it out.

Agreed on the prevention rather than cure.
My front tank opening was a bit of a problem with that.. it still is a small amount but my main fix was to make a large scupper area bonded to the top of the tank then run a drain line out of 1/4" polyflow down to the top of the nose gear box. the water (Of spilt fuel- which is why I really put it there) flows down and out the top of the nose gear box and on to the tarmac. If I would have made the scupper just a little bigger it would have caught ALL the rain water instead of almost all of it !!
The rear tank needs it but I haven't got around to it.. rain water isn't a problem due to the canopy.

I bought a couple of these. (A30 GS locking - ACS even give the Falco a mention)

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/a ... crewin.php

The bottom bit is glassed into the tank and has an internal thread, the top part is the filler neck which screws into the bottom bit and also accepts the cap.

The top bit has a flange which seals on the outer skin of the fuselage.

You don't have a hinged flap, the whole deal looks more or less like the caps you see in the wing of an RV or similar.

They look nice..
I wished I hadn't put the standard cap on the rear tank .. its one of those thermos type caps.. its a prick of a thing .. I hate it !

Could the drain holes described as above be classified "Outflow valves" ??

Hmm. a pressurized Falco.. there is overkill if ever I heard it.

"Outflow Valves" . . "pressurised" . . . hmm . . reminds me of one of the guys at YPJT who has several endurance records in his Longeze - somewhere in the vicinity of 10 hours I believe.

He has this little rubber balloon type thingy with a tube on the end of it that goes out through a hole in the bottom of the fuselage.

The top end goes . . . . . . . nah, don't think I want to go any further with this one.

George, I think Rob was closer to the mark...

Wow!...just found this post

I remember that all to well! Drilling the holes..on the spot!!!... did drain out the water but I was never crazy about that design. Now whenever I park overnight I ALWAYS tape over the fuel door with electrical tape to prevent that problem. My canopy cover just isn't enough. When the wind picks up like what happened at OSH it allowed the water to get in. It also gets in the battery box as well and I reworked it as well, but still tape it up also. Something to watch out for!

Duane

Amen bro!!!!!.........I would never use that style again.


Duane