RV-10 Transition Training - 185 days to go

185 days 8 hours 28 minutes and 27 seconds until Oshkosh 2006 (as seen on my countdown timer) and today was a great day with great progress towards Oshkosh.

Today was one of those days that stays with you your whole life. I definately did not waste today in my life and maximized it to it's fullest extent. Today I few PIC (Pilot In Command) in the factories RV-10 with Mike Seager for 2.3 hours and 8 takeoffs and landings (OK, 1 wasn't the greatest).

Late last night my wife and friend Ray flew up to Portland on Southwest Airlines to visit Van's Aircraft and Aerocrafters. This is a trip that I planned about 2 weeks ago. I really wanted to get some transition training and meet with Aerocrafters to finalize the panel so that we can make our goal of flying to Oshkosh. As we were flying Portland the wings were being painted back in Salt Lake City. These are excitiing times when everything is coming together.



We forgot our digital camera so the first stop this morning was Target for a new digital camera. I also brought the Sony GL1 for video (stay tuned for that). We picked up a new Canon SD400 so we could have pictures and headed to Starbucks and plugged in the battery to the new camera and played Blockus for 30 minutes while it charged. We arrived at 10:00 am at Van's where Daryl Sahnow greeted us with enthusiasm and a smile and was more than willing to take us around the Van's factory. The tour was great, and all I could think about was how fun their jobs must be. Here is a company that creates excitement for people in their lives, sounds fun to me.


While we were there we heard that Josh from Direct-2-Avionics was there as well showing them the Chelton system. We were able to head to the upstairs conference room where Gus was talking to him. It was great to see the open space upstairs where Van, Ken, and others were working on their CAD machines. This was a no-frills room where everyone can easily talk with eachother and collaborate. This is definately a low-cost, high efficient, and high energy company. (no wonder they make such great aircraft). After a some discussion with Josh we headed to Wendy's for a quick lunch before Mike was to show up at 1:00pm for transition training. I really didn't think we would be able to fly because it had been lightly raining all day the ceiling was 1500 AGL, but I was hoping.

We arrived back at Van's precisely at 1:00pm where Mike had just arrived in his RV-6 and came into the main office where he was talking with Van as we waited in the main entry room. We went to the lunch room to talk but Tom and others were there on break so we made our way to the upstairs conference room to go through todays flight.



Mike is a great guy and I can not tell you how important it is to come and fly with him. Mike has over 8000 hours in RV's and over 13,000 in total flight time. He has been an instructor for 30+ years and what I learned today about the flying characteristics of the RV was priceless. My insurance requires 10 hours in a tricycle style RV with at least one hour in the RV-10 but after today, I think I may have all 10 hours in the RV-10 with Mike. Mike has a patient voice that makes you feel comfortable in this tiger of an aircraft. I have flown RV-8's, and 6's but the 10 just feels more willing to leap off the ground than any of them and it can be intimidating at first. I have flown an L-39, Pitts S2-B and C but I was more nervous for this flight than any, probably because I knew at some point I would be sitting at the end of the runway all alone in my airplane that I built and I do not want to screw up. Mike took me through todays flight, where we were going and told me to fly the plane and he would handle all the radio calls (this was going to be fun).

Part 3

We went out to the plane, preflighted, and pulled N410RV out of the hanger. Mike went through start up procedure with me and the engine fired with no problems. I taxied out to the active runway 17 and was amazed at how narrow it was getting out of Van's factory between the T-hangers. I had to miss a wood post and stop at an intersection for cars. Taxiing the RV-10 is fairly easy. At 1000 RPM the plane steers nicely with only rudder needed to keep it straight, brakes were only needed once in while for correction. The run-up was fairly standard, and we taxied into position for takeoff.



I was lucky enough to have been able to bring my wife and my friend on the flight as well.



The takeoff was incredible. With four people and 50 lbs. of lead in the back the RV-10 accelerated like mad. Mike had me pull the nose off the ground early in the roll and hold it until the plane wanted to fly off the ground. This took some practice for me. After a nice, constant push on the throttle I quickly pulled back on the stick (felt like 4-6 inches) to get the nose off. Once the nose was up the stick moved back forward a couple of inches to hold a nose high attitude. Quickly the plane was off and we were climbing at 1800 fpm, WOW!

Part 4

Once off the ground we pulled the throttle back to 23 inches and 2350 RPM. There was a tailwind and our ground speed at 1200 feet (1000 AGL) was 172 knots (am I in heaven?).

We headed for KSPB (Scappoose Industrial Airpark)http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSPB which is Mike's home airport. Once we shot the gap the ceiling rose to 3000 ft and we did turns, slow flight, power on stalls, power off stalls and full flap power off stalls. Now it was time for landing.
In our breifing Mike gave me the numbers to look for, 130 mph on downwind, 100 mph flap extend speed, and 85-90 mph on final. The landings were fairly easy with Mike as your guide talking you through it and making you feel like a 10,000+ hour test pilot. On downwind I slowed the plane to 130 mph with about 15 inches. Then pulled the throttle abeam the numbers to slow the plane to 100 mph and added two notches of flaps. I then added 14-16 inches to acheive 90 mph on base and added the last set of flaps. The RV-10 trimmed nicely for 90 mph and I headed for final. On my first landing I was landing it like a 182. As I got 100 feet off the ground I started to level off the decent and Mike calmly instructed me to keep the nose low. As I found later this is very important in the RV-10. Did I mention we hit a little rain?

Part 5

Once we were 40 feet off, I pulled the throttle completely and continued the decent into ground effect. Once in ground effect the plane slowed quicker than I had planned. It wasn't a hard landing, it just wasn't slow as much as I would have liked. Well, there it was, my first landing in an RV-10. It was quick docile and slow, nothing like the Pitts. I was very impressed with the speed at which we landed. We pulled off the runway and headed to the gas tank to fill up before continuing our flight.

Once the tanks were full we headed back to the runway for the take-off. This time I was really going to nail the take-off and hold the nose at the perfect attitude. The throttle came up smoothly and the nost predictably came off and before I knew it we were defying gravity again. I cannot tell you how much fun I was having at this point. I was started to become more confortable with N410RV's switches and systems and the flying characteristics of the plane. I was really starting to enjoy the aircraft's personality at this point.

Part 6

We did another 4 landings at KSPB and then headed back to Aurora. By this time I was really getting more comfortable with the take-offs, the time it takes to get to pattern altitude and turns to downwind. I was getting the timing down on the turn to base and final so I didn't have to keep too much power in and could make the airport if the engine failed. We went back to Aurora at 23 / 2350 again but this time the ground speed was 142 knots (quite a headwind). Still, we were moving pretty good. TAS was 175mph at this point.

I crossed the airport at mid-field and entered a left downwind for 17. Everything was set-up perfectly but I was a little lower than I had perfected at KSPB. Mike saw I would be slow over the numbers so he instructed me to add power which I did. I held it off the ground until I felt I was in ground effect and pulled the throttle, but when I did the plane dropped. It wasn't a hard landing but I wouldn't say it was one that I would be proud of. I stopped the plane and again Mike patiently turned to me and began telling me how that was a great example of how this plane handles when the power is pulled and not in ground effect. The wings are still short and like the airspeed. That was a great lesson learned for me and many of you will understand this feeling when you fly with Mike. The RV is an amazing aircraft but also likes to come across the numbers at 90 mph and wants to be in ground effect as soon as possible. All I had to do was bring the plane down a couple more feet and the landing would have been as smooth as silk. But as Mike said, "that is why you are here."

Picture or Van's factory from the air during our stop and goes at Aurora.

Part 7

Today was great day and tomorrow will be another. I am now in the Super 8 Motel 2 miles from Lancair. I am going to finalize the panel tomorrow I hope. Now there are 185 days 6 hours 53 minutes and 53 seconds to Oshkosh. It is amazing how time fly's.

Thanks Mike for a great day of flying and learning. My goal is to fly around May 1st and I will be back before then for some more training.

Many of you may be higher time pilots than I but we can always learn more and when you have a guy with 8000 hours in RV's sitting next to you I guarantee you, you will learn more.

Good luck in your projects.

Great Write-up Scott!

Makes me want to fuel up and fly to Van's, just to check it out!

Paul

See you at Oshkosh

Great post Scott.
Can't wait to see you and N104XP at Oshkosh.

Larry
<http://lrosen.nerv10.com>

Van's RV10 panel

Great post, Scott. I look forward to more!

One side question - does anyone know why Van would install an MX20 but not spring for an attitude indicator?

rv8ch said:

Great post, Scott. I look forward to more!

One side question - does anyone know why Van would install an MX20 but not spring for an attitude indicator?

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Was wondering the same exact thing!

I think it is because Van doesn't think the RV is an IFR plane at all. He is a day VFR guy which is great. But for training purposes it would be nice to have for doing 45 degree turns and even steep turns.

Only one reason, dollars!! AI's are expensive in comparison to a turn and bank and I guess if they caught in IMC the turn coordinator can get them out. I also would guess that the MX-20 was given to them for the demonstrator for advertisement.

rv8ch said:

Great post, Scott. I look forward to more!

One side question - does anyone know why Van would install an MX20 but not spring for an attitude indicator?

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Thank You

Inspiring post Scott!
Thanks.