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ALL RV lovers... RV history

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N624EJ

Member
I had a remarkable evening. I just recently moved back to a small town in Oklahoma which just so happens to be my hometown. I am a curious young man, so I decided to find out who around here flies or builds rv's. I came across one old man. He is a retired, ex-marine, 2 war veteran, 78 year old man who happens to live 20 miles from me, and he just so happened to be a old school RV builder and pilot. I could talk to that man for hours. He had flown and owned numerous great planes in his life.
Greatest of all, he built three flying RV3's . The RV3 is a piece of history to all RV pilots, and there are only roughly 200 flying out there. So that is pretty outstanding in my books.

We ventured out to his hangar to look at his last RV3 built in 1992. It was covered in dust and cobwebs and hasn't been flown in many years. He is in too bad of health to do anything, much less crawl into an RV3. He told me I could clean it up, and throw some fuel in it and putt it around his grass strip. Although I would want an annual done on it before flying, as well as a few minor things fixed.

The plane has a sliding back canopy, instead of a tilt. has a wheel manual trim, which is sort of uncommon. it weighs 709 pounds empty with a converted lycoming O 290gpu and wood prop. has an electric system , and is wired for lights. for a RV3 it was simple but more than I expected.

This is a rare plane, that deserves some love and attention... everyone agree?

More to come after a bath and some engine running, and taxing.

How much would all of you think this plane is worth to purchase?
 
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What a great find!

This plane definitely needs to be put back into flying condition. I have no idea what it might be worth as-is, since that would depend on how much TLC it needs to put it back into airworthy condition and whether the engine has any corrosion in it from sitting so long. See if you can get a look in thru the spark plug holes to see how the cylinder walls look and I'd definitely want to give it a fresh oil change and pre-lube it by spinning the prop with spark plugs removed to try and get some oil splashed around inside the engine before starting it up.

EDIT: I was just looking at those pictures a little closer... it that a mud dobber's nest near the lower left corner of the instrument panel... just above the throttle? If so, then it would be prudent to go over the plane with a fine tooth comb and look for more of them and clean everything up before even thinking of addressing getting the engine started. It would be a shame to risk any harm like maybe to any moving parts in any control surface mechanism from a dobber's nest restricting travel or coming loose and getting stuck in something. If there's one dobber's nest on the plane, there are probably more... deep down in hidden places too. There used to be an old Bonanza parked in the big hangar in my airport, and once day we saw mud dobbers coming out of the tail. Turned out there was huge nest built inside the tail that probably weighed over a pound and was as hard as a chunk of concrete.
 
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yes, i think it was. I was planning on having an RV4 /a&p pilot friend of mine look it over before starting the engine or anything. And full maintenance before flying. I climbed in he plane and moved the stick around and the control surfaces seemed to be fine. if there were mud dobbers in the plane would it be hard to get them out? He told me it wouldn't take much at all to get it flying again. he has been caring for the engine, and plugging up everything that needed covered.

minus the dobber issue, i don't see it needing more than a grand to get flying. what you guys think?
 
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Michael White said:
I'd want to make sure it had at least the "A" mod incorporated, if not both "A" and "B" mods.

See this thread: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=21839

And also Van's website for a pdf on the "B" mod (sorrry, couldn't find one for the "A" mod): http://www.vansaircraft.com/pdf/sb96-03-1.pdf


Best,
Click to expand...

Michael is making a good suggestion.

I noticed the "No Aerobatics" pilot warning sticker on the panel. Van's makes these available for RV-3's that have not had the wings modified with the A and B mod. Since this sticker is installed it probably doesn't have the mods done. If you fly it please keep that in mind.
 
i knew about the wing mods, and no it has not been modded.
I plan to do the mods if I got it.

i just don't know if it is a good deal or not for what he is asking.
it seems good, but i don't know how much will need to be spent to make it airworthy again.
he wants 18k. he said it is pretty much ready to fly, just a little maintenance.
is 18k too much for the condition it is in?
 
N624EJ said:
i knew about the wing mods, and no it has not been modded.
I plan to do the mods if I got it.

i just don't know if it is a good deal or not for what he is asking.
it seems good, but i don't know how much will need to be spent to make it airworthy again.
he wants 18k. he said it is pretty much ready to fly, just a little maintenance.
is 18k too much for the condition it is in?
Click to expand...

$18K is probably a fair price for it, assuming there's no major corrosion problems with the engine or airframe from it's 3 year hibernation.

FWIW, I don't believe I'd attempt the wing mods. They're quite involved, and it would be easy to do more harm than good. If you just have to have aerobatic capability, you could retrofit B wings, but of course that's even more work and money. Van's offers a substantial discount if you retrofit, but it's still expensive, though arguably worth the money.

I would also take a very close look at the wing spar construction, including counting the number of bolts in the center section, and checking rivet spacing. The early wings were completely DIY projects, and there were cases of people changing the spacing of bolts. If I'm not mistaken, that led to a couple of the wing failures.

Good luck deciding. The RV-3 is a mighty cool little plane :)

Rusty
 
the plane was built in CA so he corrosion protected the entire airframe since he was living near the coast at the time. and yea he doesn't care if he sells it or not. It is one of those things were he doesn't need the money but if i want it i can have it.

i am not real concerned with a lot of aerobatics. I am mostly wanting to fly it to build proficiency and waste time while i am building a 7.

I just really want an A&P to give me a rough idea on what it would take b4 i think to much about it.
 
N624EJ said:
also, i am not older than dirt... so fill me in please on the dials and the panel joke.
sorry guys.
Click to expand...

Dial (deodorant soap) used to have a commercial that ran for 20 years and said; "Aren't you glad you use Dial (soap), don't you wish every body did?" (Use the deodorant soap.)
 
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for anyone that has been reading this thread...
i don't think i will buy this airplane.
too many unknown factors, and the fact it has a converted GPU for an engine.
I just really want some t/w time, so I think i will buy a citabria or something for a little while instead.

Someone does need to fly this airplane though.
 
Wise decision

N624EJ said:
for anyone that has been reading this thread...
i don't think i will buy this airplane.
too many unknown factors, and the fact it has a converted GPU for an engine.
I just really want some t/w time, so I think i will buy a citabria or something for a little while instead.

Someone does need to fly this airplane though.
Click to expand...

I think you made a wise decision. Before I decided to build the 3B, I thought about purchasing a working project and converting it. I never got far enough along in the prebuy to even go look at any of them. Everytime, there was something that did not sit right with the airplane. 18K is a lot of money for all of the potential unkowns. I think this is very typical of the older 3's.
 
RV3's Rule!

My first RV flight was in a buddy's 0-290G powered RV3 many,many moons ago out of his AG strip. Before the spar mod was an issue, before the RV6 was even a thought, before pre-punched anything, before A's, and before anybody hamfisted the wings off one. It is a marvelous airplane and the BEST flying RV of them all and rivals my Rocket in responsiveness. The 0-290G GPU built correctly is no worries either, a friends Thorp T18 had one for 25 years. Go to www.T18.net for more info.

Clean it up, get the old gas out of it, drain all the sumps, fly it and have a blast, you'll absolutely love it!
Let me know if he wants to sell it...

RR
RV4ormerly
F16 sadly formerly
HR2 currently
 
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still wondering

i may go ahead and try to get him to come down on the price or have an annual. I like the plane a lot. if i had it checked out from head to toe, and the workmanship is great, with no major problems i still might buy it. i have been going back and forth on it the past few days. i think i need someone to tell me the shape it is in to finalize my decision.

i talked to an A&P friend of mine who is an RV builder/owner and he said the 290Gpu is a fine engine as well. He said it is a little hard to find parts for, and a little harder to resell. other than that it will perform well in that airplane.
 
Buy it !

Buy it !!
the RV-3B kit is over 15,000 by itself.
they make a RV-3B wing kit, reports are, not to hard to install its not major surgery, check on the QB wing kit.
That plane is a rare find.
The 0290G is a good engine, I had one in my first Long-Ez.
Email for engine info.
Dennis
0360RV7A
VAF#1117
Altus, ok
[email protected]
 
be careful

Dennis Fox said:
Buy it !!
the RV-3B kit is over 15,000 by itself.
they make a RV-3B wing kit, reports are, not to hard to install its not major surgery, check on the QB wing kit.
That plane is a rare find.
The 0290G is a good engine, I had one in my first Long-Ez.
Email for engine info.
Dennis
0360RV7A
VAF#1117
Altus, ok
[email protected]
Click to expand...
Yes, $16K actually with the QB wings, no engine, no avionics, etc.... makes $18k sound really good, and it might very well be.
However, while the wing mods are not major surgery, retrofitting a B wing to an existing airframe is major surgery involving replacement of the center section as well as rear spar cross over, fuel system rework, etc...

0290's are not rare, but the parts are becoming hard to find, according to Bart at Aerosport. It also sat for 3 years in what condition? If it checks out and has some time left on it, you might be able to run it for years.

RV3's are not that rare comparatively speaking, unless it is actually well built, then it would be rare. There are a lot of variance in the build left up to the builder, especially on the 3's. When I was looking, I saw one for sale about every month or so, but again, there was always something that scared me away to the point that it was not even worth looking at. At least you can look at this one without flying somewhere.

Find someone who can check it out for you, and if all is well, you could have a lot of fun for $18K. (it would also seriously delay your RV7 build)
You are doing a very good thing by getting all of these opinions, but that is just what they are, including mine. Get it checked out thoroughly and if you like what you find, go for it. It is a very cute airplane and looks promising, but try to separate you emotions from the purchase, a tough thing to do.
 
thanks for the opinions everyone. i appreciate them.
The plane has very little time, only 160 or 180 hours.
I want it checked out, if I am not 100 percent satisfied with the inspection I will not buy otherwise, it may postpone some rv7 building.
if I am 95% percent satisfiend I will hold off for my 7 or something else.
Thank you.
 
Precautions

Been following this since it popped up. As an A+P, the bare minimum I'd recommend here is:

1. New tires and tubes. They look flat in the pics so I would lay money that they are dry rotted beyond service

2. Flush all fluid systems. Oil and Gas, and especially the brakes. 3 yrs is a long time for brake fluid to be sitting still. Wouldn't be surprised if the brake fluid was more jelly than fluid.

3. Yank the prop off and make sure there is no splits or delaminations hidden around the bolt holes.

4. Opening every inspection panel and looking for the aforementioned mud daubers or other possible rodentia infestations.

The rest of the airworthiness inspection is a given!!
 
RV3

Howdy, please let me know if you do not purchase this RV3. I would like to inspect it and maybe make an offer.


Jim Tillman
RV8
Falcon Field
 
the big news is... it is now in my barn. :) after 4 years the airplane still set in the same old small town hangar and the builder had moved into a home. So the price came down significantly. Since i already own a certified airplane, but really couldnt pass up flying an finished rv3, dlomheim (rv9a) and I went together, bought it, and trailered it home. wings were a pain to get off. dlomheim had the worst of it. then we loaded on a flat bed trailer and drove 48mph 110 miles home.


I will try to post pictures soon.

ran the engine. seems strong, but curious what the compression check will read. tons of misc things to tweak and inspect here and there or clean up from a 10+ year hibernation in the ole hangar. also new carb heat, ignition switch, seals, tires tubes, etc. mud dauber cleanup also. flush all fluids. overall great airplane so far. excellent workmanship. paint is decent, but ugly color scheme. might fly it a while, or might paint it. not sure yet.


should be flying in 2-3 months. very excited.
 
I just finished reading all the posts and didn't notice until I was half way through and tried to look at the pictures (link didn't work) that it was 4 years old! Nice job finding and keeping up with this plane. It pains me to see airplanes that could be flying sitting in a barn or hangar not getting any use.

Good luck on the rebuild. I am interested in seeing how it goes.
 
Glad to hear that you picked it up - and that you're going to get Doug into a FLYING RV!! ;)
 
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3 and 3A versus 3B

My 3A was built in 1992, also, by Thomas Benton. He sold it too quickly, missed it, built and worked on several other RVs. If you own an RV with a reg number ending in TB, it was most likely built by Tom Benton. I bought his 3A in March of 2010 from Robert Ruggles in AZ and flew it home from Phoenix to NH. I knew I would love it as soon as I strapped it on, and the feeling just grew from there.

Tom worked on other RVs as well. He really liked his 6A but sold that one too. He finally built himself a 3B in 2002, which he still flies. (He's 79 this month and in great shape, hope he doesn't mind me saying). He painted it the same paint scheme as mine. I flew down from New Hampshire to South Florida this past weekend to meet him for the first time, on Father's Day June 17. We put the two planes nose to nose for the photo session, one 10 years old and the other 20, and you could hardly tell them apart.

Having reviewed all the usual docs and reports on the spar issue and related accidents, and having owned and flown mine for more than 2 years now, at this point I have much more confidence in the 3 and 3A than some folks. Anything can be broken. Its all in how you treat it. I would not hesitate to buy and fly a well constructed 3 or 3A which I think you can do for about 1/2 the price of a 3B. And you will love flying it every bit as much.

One small but important (to me) difference in the two planes that I thought of after the visit is that the header tank in the 3A is a perfect configuration for using a calibrated fuel stick. The stick inserts on a good angle from the filler to the bottom of the tank, which tapers to the low point. You get a much more defined range between gallon markings, especially at the low end of the scale, than would be possible with the 3B wing tanks. I can measure precisely, add as appropriate for the mission and fly only with the fuel (weight) that I need. I finish local flights with 3-4 gallons remaining, routinely, with confidence, because I know exactly how much I started with.

For cross country work, e.g. my trip to Florida and back, the 24 gallon capacity is far greater than my bladder capacity, so 6 more gallons would just be another 30 pounds to lug around and never use. And of course the single tank system is very simple; another plus.

Enough selling of the 3 and 3A, I guess. I'll leave it to the 3B guys to tell you what's better about having two tanks and a super spar system.
 
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