Longest flight in your RV-10 ?

I am new to GA, I know there is for more to fly'n than point A to point B.

However, I am interested in building an RV 10 to make the world smaller and see more of it. Is it ?practical?impractical? to use private plane for medium length trips 500-600 straight miles ? The seem well within the RV10 range to eliminate the need for gas stops. And the performance of the RV10 will keep air time to aprox 4-5 hours, which is where I get bored (butt ache'n) on our 11 hour car trips.

Any opinion, please share

longest flight

Practical may be hard to define in general aviation. It won't replace the convenience of a car. Depending on VFR or IFR and whether the weather cooperates your plans could get interrupted in an airplane. I have had 4 hr. trips turn in to 24 hr. trips due to weather. It comes with single engine flying. Build for fun, fly for fun, take a flying vacation. But don't depend on it to get you from point A to point B on time, every time. 600 mile trips shouldn't be a problem in most RVs. Longer trips are possible also. If you get tired of flying, just land and stretch your legs. Landing is the most fun part of flying anyway.

Having flown multiple long trips in both a C-182 and an RV-6A there is nothing better than flying vs. driving. If I am going more than 200 miles I never drive unless the weather is realy bad. Having said that I am an IFR 1400+ hour pilot.

If you look at VAFWWW travel articles you will get a really good idea of some great flying trips. North by Northwest is one of mine.

Last fall I did a 10 day trip from LBB - A39 - LAS (overflight Grand Canyon & Lake Mead) - LRU - LBB and it was wonderful. I was able to spend time at the Copperstate EAA regional fly in, the National Business Aviation Assocation conference in LAS, and the LRU land of enchantment RV flyin. 1500 NM in 10 hours flying time & no delays because of weather or any IFR conditions.

Would I have made the trip by car? Not on your life.

I am building an RV-10 to open up this part of the world even bigger and better. Everyone should get their IFR ticket and have an airplene that they can do IFR if they need to, even thought it isn't planned. My C-182 is a marginal IFR platform at best but my RV-6A was a great IFR platform (two axis TrueTrak autopilot).

My RV-10 will have a three screen GRT glass panel with duel AHRS and a two axis autopilot. I plan on flying it to Oskhosh 2006.

Russ Daves

Go for it.

I fully agree with Russ, there are many trips that I would not or could not make in a car. For example, back in March we flew a 182 to the Bahamas from Texas with several other spam cans. Try that in your SUV. I can?t wait to make this trip in my -10 with a few other RV buddies on my wingtip. These are priceless moments that you just cannot equal in your trusty landlocked vehicle.

Like most things in life, there are always pros and cons. Luckily, in flying the pros far outweigh the cons. As Jack stated, due to weather, you cannot always get to your destination on time. Coming back from the Bahamas, we were grounded in Gainesville, Florida for two days. There was a line of thunderstorms across North Florida that we could not get passed (along with tornado warnings). Everything cleared up on Monday and we made it back to Arlington, TX that day. You just have to plan for delays, especially on trips that span a week or more.

So to answer your question, IMHO 500 ? 600 mile trips (and beyond) are very practical in the -10. My personal max driving time is about 4 - 5 hours. I start getting too sleepy at this point. I have never had this problem flying. Especially if you are IFR or utilizing flight following. There is always something to keep you occupied.

Leonardo da Vinci summed it up well

?For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.?

Tommy
RV-10
Wings ordered

Your RV10 will be a lot more comfortable and roomy than my 6A, but I have flown it, from Ft Worth TX. to Kississimme Fl. (7hr. airtime)in a day. Another all day trip was from Buffalo NY to Ft. Worth(7hr airtime). On both of these trip I had two fuel stops. When the weather is sever clear you just want to keep flying.
A lot depends on your stamina, pilot experience, kideys, and of course the weather.

Any RV will cover huge amounts of real estate in a hurry. Keep an open itinerary for weather delays, land when you're tired and never fly on low fuel. Coast to coast flights are done all the time. I personally like to fly two hour hops, land, stretch, (pee!), fuel up the plane and it's occupants, and continue on. Half the fun of RV flying is meeting people, and seeing places for the first time. These airplanes climb so well that getting back up to cruise altitude is no big deal so you don't lose much time at all.

Fly for fun, don't push the weather, and enjoy our network of mom and pop FBO's around this beautiful country.

I love long hauls in small planes

I'm building an RV-8 for IFR Cross country work. I routinely fly a small fuselage Mooney M20-C on very long trips. Longest was Asheville, NC to Durango Colorado. 12 hours flight time (headwinds) in one day. The Mooney is a lot smaller than an RV-10, so I'd vote a hearty yes. From Asheville, I've flown the Mooney on business to: Ottawa, Canada, Boston, Dallas, Miami, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Raleigh.

I do not like driving anywhere long distance, but at the drop of a hat, I'll launch for a 600 mile trip. I love the challenge of getting form point A to point B when there's Weather, so I am INstrument rated, which I suggest for any pilot, it makes you safer and more confident.

I've put long range tanks in my -8. Hotel Whiskey has Extended Range tanks for RV-10's now. A great kit, easy to install and provides an extra hour of fuel. I hate to come down just for a 'bio-break', so I carry a personal urinal setup.

If you have never used a GA plane for long XC work, I'd suggest taking a 600 mile trip in a rental to see if you like it before you invest time and $$ in building