Variable inlet guide vanes for varying gas turbine engine inlet air flow

A method for assembling an articulated fan front frame for a gas turbine engine facilitates improving engine performance. The method includes forming a strut (60) including a pair of sidewalls (80) connected at a leading edge (82) and a trailing edge (84), forming a flap (62) including a first sidewall and a second sidewall connected at a leading edge and a trailing edge, and extending in radial span between a root endwall (86) and a tip endwall (88), wherein each endwall extends between the first and second sidewalls, and wherein at least one of the root endwall and the tip endwall is contoured in a radial direction extending between the flap leading and trailing edges, and pivotally coupling the flap downstream from the strut such that a gap is defined between the flap and the strut.