OK there are 5 noticeable aero mods to this airplane, which I shall list in order from most boring to most exciting.
#1: Boring: Wheel tubs. Someone decided that air swooshing around inside the landing gear wheel wells was slowing down the airplane, so they designed some ultra-light carbon fiber tubs to fit snugly in there and keep air from swooshing all around in there and adding drag. They might make the plane go a few miles an hour faster.
#2: Boring: Aileron seals. Someone decided that little jets of air raced up through the aileron attach-points to the wing, creating little jets and eddies that slowed down the plane. So, RDD simply added a few layers of carbon-fiber over the mounting brackets to tighten up the seals. It makes it a total bee-yatch to hook up and rig up the ailerons, but it might make you go a few miles an hour faster.
#3: Kind of boring: Deck mod. In the regular Evo image below, you will see the nose goes back sort of straight, and the windshield then pops up like the bubble-canopy of a P-51. It does not really LOOK like the swooshy nose of a Lancair. So RDD developed a little carbon-fiber fairing that sits on top of the nose to make the transition from nose to window more smooth! Now, it is smoother and looks more like a Lancair! Will it make me go any faster? Prolly not. But it will LOOK faster!!!
#4: Kind of boring: Tail mod. In the regular Evo image below, you will see the tail goes back sort of straight, and then pops up like the tail of a P-51. It does not really LOOK like the swooshy tail of a Lancair. So RDD developed a little carbon-fiber fairing that sits on top of the tail to make the transition from fuselage to vertical stabilizer more smooth! Now, it is smoother and looks more like a Lancair! Will it make me go any faster? Prolly not. But it will LOOK faster!!!
#5: Not even slightly boring: Cowling. In the regular Evo image below, you will see the air inlet under the nose juts out sort of sharply. I think it is not quite aligned with the local airflow! To see what we are doing about that, see here: the cowl, which is not quite normal! I really think this will add some speed. AND it makes the plane LOOK swoopier and smoother, like a Lancair.
So, those are my aero mods. Will they make 844X any faster? Dunno for sure! But my gut says they will give me 10 knots at least. Maybe 15. And it will LOOK faster. Yaaahhhhhhh baby. Then, since we are also running an 850 hp engine, not a 750 hp engine, and this 850 hp engine holds it's power up to higher altitudes with it's extra compressor turbine, we will get plenty more power at high altitude as well! This will also add speed!
Below, you see the standard factory demonstrator Evolution (927LE) and below that my airplane (image obviously swapped left/right just to line up).
You should see the smoother nose, smoother tail, and sleeker inlet aligned with the streamlines around the cowl, withe nose also being longer to carryer the longer engine with the extra compressor and 100 hp. How will this plane run in speed as a result? How will it look as a result?
We START with something GOOD...
And wind up with something even MORE groovy!