Cerberus
DESIGN WORK began on Cerberus three years ago when it was concluded that there weren't any planes around that were well suited to pattern flying at a field elevation of 7000 feet. The largest shortcoming of current planes was their inability to sustain momentum in vertically oriented maneuvers. Certainly the appearance of most, and their grace in flight, could not be faulted. Yet, I was convinced that induced (i.e., maneuver) drag could be reduced and that a light plane with good pattern and landing characteristics in windy conditions could be obtained. Looking at generally winning airplane types it was easy to conclude that open gear wells was one of the most costly sources of drag-and produced its worst effects during pitch maneuvers. Furthermore, it appeared that second order sources of induced drag would have to be minimized as much as possible through considerations of low speed aerodynamics.
