are the wheel pants on a plane aerodynamics?If so, why do so many remove them/?

There isn't a paved airstrip within 500 miles of where I reside. All aircraft owners around here remove the wheel pants because;

- they fill full of mud, grass, debris

- they crack terribly from rough field landings

- they get damaged by stones on unimproved/gravel strips

- brakes and air fill valve are a bytch to reach with them on

- novice passengers keep using them for steps and break them.

Yes it's aerodynamic, and they're often left off for ease of inspection. (The weight and balance should either be adjusted for "no wheel pants" or have a "with wheel pants" and "without wheel pants" column on the W&B... be SURE you know which way you're operating and can point to this if you're taking a check ride!)

The other main reason they're taken off, that I haven't seen is that in places where you're frequently taxiing on snow, they can get snow and ice crammed up in them, which can have a number of unpleasant effects. So, winter-climate airplanes almost always have the pants removed.

(It can stop the tires if you take off with wet snow and it freezes in flight -- which would make it like landing with the brakes on. It can collect up there when you stop, and freeze while the airplane is parked and make the airplane all but immovable until temperatures climb.)

Wheel pants, when installed, ARE aerodynamic and help smooth the airflow over the tires and lower landing gear, BUT they do make it difficult to inspect and service the tires and brakes, so a lot of aircraft owners choose to leave them off, or don't buy them at all if they are an extra cost option on a new plane.

It is an aerodynamic design feature on fixed gear aircraft. For the price of them they do not get as much gain as you would think, for example the 152 I flew gained only 2 mph with the wheel pants on and lost about 25 pounds of useful load. Around my neck of the woods, pilots are always landing on rough fields and breaking the fairings, so they are removed.

Many flight schools remove them and leave them off as said as every 100 hour inspection requires them to be removed. Saves time on the inspection and gains that useful load for the occasional student pilot that is bigger than the FAA standard 170 pounds.

They're supposed to be aerodynamic and usually are, but surprisingly, in many cases they actually add drag... but people keep them for style. They also reduce the effects of sunlight drying and cracking the tire rubber. On the other hand, even when they reduce drag they're often removed to prevent accumulation of mud, snow, or ice.

On a plane I used to own, I removed them for the winter, then put them back on again in the spring.

They are aerodynamic and do save fuel, but the savings isn't huge. You will probably find that on airplanes owed by flight schools that fly often and require 100 hr. inspections, they will leave the pants off. It's just easier to leave the pants off making it easier to do the required inspections.

It's a tradeoff: aerodynamics vs. extra weight and limited inspection access.

My favourite Cherokee at school doesn't have wheel pants (none of them do), so you can see everything down there when you pre-flight.

Is the wheel fairing standard or optional? Are they removed; or not included? You've received several answers indicating why they are a bit of a nuisance. If it's your own plane and you're interested in fuel economy you would want them. If you're hiring the plane out you're more interested in ease of maintenance and inspection than what the customer pays for fuel.

They are aerodynamic and increase speed a few miles per hour. Many people remove them because they can fill up with dirt and can be a nuisance to keep clean.

if its on an airplane, you can be sure it is "aerodynamic" otherwise it wouldnt really matter.