Quote Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood View Post
My friend had a Helio Courier, and I am pretty sure that the wing leading edge slats were just spring loaded and opened when the air flow over them got slow. I don't think the pilot had any control on when or how much they opened , just like a ME 109.

The owner of the Helio thought it was a great plane, even though he kept in on an 6000 ft paved strip and never landed on a short runway or carried any big load. The plane was really noisy.'
Another friend had a Maule and they were always claiming which one was faster( really, neither one was very fast). Finally one day we went on a long cross country trip and there they were , side by side, and so slowly it seemed to take 10 minutes the Maule barely pulled ahead.

For the persons not understanding the concept behind the Helio Courier slat systems. Very simple!
They are driven by air pressure alone, not gadgets such as springs or rubber bands. They slide in and out on or near the 50 mark for speed and higher or lower depending on if the outer or inner part of the wing needs more lift..........
The best designed work/Stol aircraft ever built or will be built pound for pound.