This is N131JF with the pods fitted prior to the first test flight, Cleburne TX, September 2010. I think Jesse's military background showed through here with the primer color...
I made an initial test flight with the pods, cycling up and down the rpm range. A quick test at 3500 feet showed an average top speed of around 173 knots, which is a 8 knot drop from the top speed without the pods. This is a little high for a speed penalty, but I need to run more speed tests. Surprisingly the top rpm drop was only around 30 rpm.
We flew to Rough River to use the pods for the first time. The flight was longer than I expected due to headwinds, which forced us to make an additional stop at Kennett MS for fuel. We could have made it all the way to Rough River on the fuel onboard, but that would have left us with no fuel for local flying or a return to Kennett.
The pods make the plane a lot more stable in roll. The pylons act as a flow fence, making the plane a lot less responsive to aileron inputs. When I removed the pods and handed them back to Jesse for finishing, the plane suddenly felt a lot more roll-sensitive without the pods. Of course it was also faster...