Jon Johanson Quote

"I was pretty well convinced that there wasn't another airplane on earth that flew as well as the RV-4, but Van wrecked all that when he let me fly his personal RV-3. It's light and simple, just the kind of airplane you'd think Van would have, and in the air it is just lovely. Now I want of those, too..."


(from his travelogue on Van's web site...)

Got my eye on an RV-3A, the devil is in the details! Any good mechanics available in the mid-Atlantic East for a prebuy?

Ryan in Madison

Rv-3 purchase

Great quote! How's the transition training going?

Best of luck on the pre-buy. Suggest you find a advisor familiar with the old wings. The non-3b wings I found to be very challenging to understand (OK, I'm a RV newby). VAF forums and Randy Lervold's website helped alot, everything he says in his summary about the type 1 and type 2 wings is dead on, but reading it and understanding it are very different I didn't really know what I had bought until pretty far into ownership; comparing the wings to pictures of other wings and studying the Van's documentation (off which only some is availabe online). There are drawings in the wing upgrade kit that will help you understand the status of the spar. Be concerned about both front and rear spar. Van's sent me the documentation sans bolts and aluminum, I'm not sure if I'm going new 3b wing or the modification route (will know after close inspecton of the wing).

Transition training hasn't really started yet. Old man winter has set in here in Wisconsin and limited the VFR flying opportunities, or to meet up anywhere where one can get RV time.

The aircraft I'm interested in apparently has the CN-1 mods done when it was built in 1997, and I sent the links from:

http://www.romeolima.com/RV3hq/Info/info.html#WingSparBackground

...to the guy who can hopefully do a pre-buy on the aircraft.

We'll see. I'm excited to fly it, I'm very much wanting to upgrade to the RV world, and an RV-3 fits the mission profile quite nicely since I'm alone most of the time when I fly, and I already have a 172 for the family trips (at least until I get to the point of buying or building a -10!).

Thanks!

Ryan

Rv-3 prep...

Well, sorry no transition training yet, you can always take that 172 and practice lining up perfectly straight down the runway for landing Come to think of it, might try flying it from the right seat to start reprograming those hands. A bit weird at first, but now I don't really think at all about the reverse controls.

I've had the same thought on the airplane quiver. Rv-3 for horsing around, solo trips, then the family trips and hauling with the 172. I hadn't thought about an Rv-10 until seeing a recent thread about a Rv-10 going backcountry with bigger shoes and rolled up pants. Goes everywhere a 206 can? Hmmm.

CN-1 already being done jives with the dates. The rear spar mode came out early enough, seems many of the type one spars had the mod done during construction- mine included.


holler if you or your inspector need anything...