Langeweische is a sort of hero of mine, hence my monniker! As an aerobatic pilot I find him and AoA indespensible. I really wish you well with your weight/drag increase...
stiknruda,
The device weighs four ounces and has minimal drag at all realistic speeds. The area of the vane is 0.02 square feet and in tests the load at 400mph is only 8lbs, and that's if the vane is meeting the airflow side on, which of course it never does. In any case, the drag of such a device is not a relevant consideration on a Super Cub with a climb prop that cruises at 80-85 knots on 150HP.
In Langewiesche's book, pp 75-77 are devoted to the Angle of Attack indicator and as you know pretty much the entire book is devoted to angle of attack itself. Among other things, he says:
"The most important fact about an airplane's flight condition is not indicated by any instrument. This is not because such an indicator cannot be built, but because designers don't appreciate the need for one. Perhaps they are right -- too many pilots don't know what Angle of Attack is in the first place, and such an instrument's indications would be meaningless to them."
Later, when referring to the Wright brothers' only flight instrument, a tuft of string AoA indicator...
"On today's airplane we could not put such a tuft on the nose of the airplane, since the propeller blast would make it give false indications. Perhaps it should be carried on a pole extending forward from one wing, well as the Pitot tube of the airspeed indicator is carried now -- only perhaps farther forward, so that it would be in undisturbed air and well in the pilot's field of vision. Perhaps every flying school should have at least one airplane fitted with such a forward mast and pennant, and every student should perhaps have a chance to fly it once in a while and see what Angle of Attack really means."
Sage advice, given almost 60 years ago now. It's bizarre that there should remain so many misconceptions about Angle of Attack and the utility of measuring it. Given the choice between an ASI and AoA indicator, I should certainly choose the latter. The only function of the former is to give readings which approximate (often inaccurately) to the Angle of Attack. That this is not appreciated by the majority of pilots is an indictment of our training.
QDM