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RV-3 questions

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Kevin Nugent

Member
Hello group, I'm a new owner of a set of RV3 preview plans. I'm starting over as I had a RV8 tail and wings(slow build) that I had to sell in lean times. I have an O-320 E2A from a Cherokee 140 that I feel is an ideal powerplant for a 3. I have never flown a 3 but I have flown a 4 from both seats a few years ago. How does the cockpit size between the two compare? I was told the 3 is a little more comfortable than the 4. I'm 5'11" and one biscuit under 210.Many years ago my brother and I had a RV3 kit from Van that was serial#21, it was part of my Father's estate. It got away from me before I could get to it. Thanks
 
I do believe the 3 should have the same pilot "area" as the 4. You might flip through those preview plans and see what the distance is between the seat back and the rudder peddals. I'd say on the 4 it's about 40 inches. The width is 24 inches at the panel and 26 at your shoulders. Good luck on your build, and welcome to VAF!
 
All -3's and -4's are built a little differently, but I tried on a -4 before I bought my -3 and did not fit in the front seat. I had to remove the cushions and sit on the seat pan to close the canopy. My knees were bumping the panel...but then I'm 6'-3 1/2". I definitely fit better in my -3. One nice thing about the -3 is that your face is not so close to the panel and your head can use the full height of the canopy. You should have no problems.
 
Ditto to everything Eric said. The -3 cockpit is way more comfortable to me than the -4. I'm 5'10" and ate the biscuit you left on the plate. 4" of foam in the seat pan and 1" on the back provides 2" of headroom.

Tony Spicer, RV-3B finishing
 
rv-3 fit

I guess that I am the man on the other end of it, because I think that the -4 is a better fit than the -3. I fly a -3 and am building a -4. The -3 you wear, and the -4 you fit into. I am 6'2" @ 186lb. both are excellent flying airplanes, with the -3 being alittle more responsive on the controls, due to a slightly thinner wing. But thats my opinion for what it's worth. Welcome to the "club" we need more -3 drivers out there!!!!:D

Mike Bauer
RV-3 N87LB flying
RV-4 N742MC building
 
Thanks for the replies. I just remember the 4 panel being a lot closer to my face. Since I flew that airplane about eight yrs. ago I have taken up wearing glasses, not by choice of course. I really enjoyed flying the 4 and if I remember right the owner told me empty wt. was 965.I went to a local flyin last weekend and watching flybys an RV 3 just looked like it was really performing well. I'm wondering if a no elec. 3 can be built in the low 700 lb. range.
 
weight

When we built my -3, it came out to 742 with elec. sooner or later you probably will wish that you had elec., and they do have light weight batterys so the possibility of being lighter than that is a real possibility. So much to consider.........:rolleyes:

Mike Bauer
 
rvaitor87 said:
When we built my -3, it came out to 742 with elec. sooner or later you probably will wish that you had elec., and they do have light weight batterys so the possibility of being lighter than that is a real possibility. So much to consider.........:rolleyes:

Mike Bauer
Click to expand...
Well 742 w/elec. sounds good. I'm using an Odyssey battery on my EAA Biplane with C-85. It never has gone down in weekend of flying. I keep it on a motorcycle battery tender when not in use.(It is sold waiting for the proud new owner) Under 750 lbs. with elec. would change my mind. My other airplane is an Aeronca 7AC so I'm used to living with batteries. I do realize when building things just get added on, and on and on. I would like to avoid that on my next homebuilt.
 
Hi Kevin,

I owned an RV-3 for a little while and put about 145 hours on it before I had to sell it for financial reasons... finally got my dream job, but then couldn't afford an airplane!

I was a definite XXL at 5'11" and 70 pounds overweight when I flew the -3. I loved the way I fit into the -3. I used to love to stand around in the background at fly-ins and listen to people talk about the size of the guy who got out of that little plane. As others have said, it's a plane you 'put on' rather than simply 'occupy.'

With all this said, I've flown a couple of RV-4's from the front seat. I was about 60 pounds lighter when I soloed a friend's RV-4 (thanks Jeff). The RV-4 seemed much tighter than my old RV-3--even though I had lost a considerable amount of weight.

I think it'd be possible to make an RV-4 comfortable via seat position changes and seat cushioning changes, but the RV-3 really fit like a glove right out of the box! I'm sure you'll have no problem making yourself comfortable in a -3.

Best regards,

Rod Woodard
Loveland, Colorado (KFNL)
www.mustangflyer.com
 
RWoodard said:
Hi Kevin,

I owned an RV-3 for a little while and put about 145 hours on it before I had to sell it for financial reasons... finally got my dream job, but then couldn't afford an airplane!

I was a definite XXL at 5'11" and 70 pounds overweight when I flew the -3. I loved the way I fit into the -3. I used to love to stand around in the background at fly-ins and listen to people talk about the size of the guy who got out of that little plane. As others have said, it's a plane you 'put on' rather than simply 'occupy.'

With all this said, I've flown a couple of RV-4's from the front seat. I was about 60 pounds lighter when I soloed a friend's RV-4 (thanks Jeff). The RV-4 seemed much tighter than my old RV-3--even though I had lost a considerable amount of weight.

I think it'd be possible to make an RV-4 comfortable via seat position changes and seat cushioning changes, but the RV-3 really fit like a glove right out of the box! I'm sure you'll have no problem making yourself comfortable in a -3.

Best regards,

Rod Woodard
Loveland, Colorado (KFNL)
www.mustangflyer.com
Click to expand...

Rod
i sold my first RV3 to someone in Alabama who later sold it to someone in Colorado. If that was you please pm me.
Tom
 
tin man said:
Rod
i sold my first RV3 to someone in Alabama who later sold it to someone in Colorado. If that was you please pm me.
Tom
Click to expand...

Hi Tom,

I don't think this was my -3. The N number was N99RV. It was built in 1982 by Dick (I think) Pedersen in the Denver area. I bought it from an eye doctor in Denver who was nearing completion on a Rocket at the time (1999).

I sold the plane to a guy in Mullins, SC who then sold it to a Continental pilot in St. Louis who then sold it to someone in Texas.

Last I heard, it was for sale. It was a very cool airplane. For what I've got invested in my Midget Mustang project, I could have bought my RV-3 back and had several thousand left over. Hindsight is 20-20!

n99rv3.jpg


Best regards,
 
Rod, I saw your earlier posts, just our of curiousity how is the fit in an MM1? I sat in one a long while back and the upper fuse (longeron?) angle was gouging into my shoulders. I dont know if it was build narrower than others but it was quite narrow.
 
Last edited:
RWoodard said:
Hi Tom,

I sold the plane to a guy in Mullins, SC who then sold it to a Continental pilot in St. Louis who then sold it to someone in Texas.

Last I heard, it was for sale.

Best regards,
Click to expand...

Rod,
N99RV recently sold. Just this weekend I talked to a friend who ferried it to the new owner in Wisconsin.
 
Hi Guys,

To Wild Bill:

The fit in the Midget Mustang is definitely tight. I'm planning to build fiberglass "ramps" to smooth the transition between the fuselage side and the longerons. Otherwise, as you say, the longerons dig into my arms just below my "shoulder bone." In any case, it is noticeably tighter than the RV-3.

To Craig:

Thanks for the update on the owner status on my old -3. I hope it's got a good home. Maybe I'll see it someday at a fly-in.

I'm hoping to take delivery of my painted Midget Mustang wings from the paint shop later this week. I visited them last week and they're looking great! It's pretty exciting to see this thing coming together... 90% done, 90% to go!

I wish the Midget Mustang folks had as great a forum as the RV guys do. I spend WAAAAY more time over here than I do on the Yahoo Midget Mustang forum. I really miss building on my RV-8. It'll seem really easy and straightforward after working with the Midget Mustang restoration/re-build.

Here's the current status of the Midget Mustang...

profile.jpg
 
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