I'm trying to build the Tailwind to a budget of £12,000 complete and flying so without cutting any corners I am trying to find cheap and elegant solutions to the various parts of the build. Installing a standard fresh air system with car-style vents could cost anything from £75-£150 depending on whether plastic or aluminium vents were used. However Vans Aircraft have designed a fresh air vent kit for the rear seats of the RV10 which they also sell for installation in other Vans aircraft and if it's good enough for the RV10...At $18 for a pair of vents this provides a cheap and neat solution to getting fresh air into the cockpit. The pictures show the left hand vent installed in the cowl cheek just forward of the front door post. When closed the 1.5" x 2.5" vent closes completely flush with the outer skin and when open should direct a nice stream of fresh air into the cockpit without too much drag. Of course it helps that I've got a full set of riveting tools left over from building my RV9A!
