What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

RV-4 landing gear

Paul Best

Member
picx00052tz.jpg
 
Cool

Way cool Paul. Have you flown it yet? Please post pictures in flight, this is great. You have more work in the landing gear than I do in my 9-a QB.
Thanks for the post
Harvey L.
 
Airborne retractable RV-4!

airbornesmall2bq.jpg


Hi Harvey, My plane was built in 1995 and I have been flying it for six years. It has a Lycoming 180 hp with constant speed prop. Regards, Paul Best
 
Nolonger a Vans

While the RV-4RG is intriguing... I think something more interesting would be to take the concept one big step further; "total cruiser".

Start with the fuselage dimensions of the RV-8A. Put a longer thinner tappered wing on it. Why?

- slower roll rate
- improved wing efficiency
- thicker root coord for storing the wheel

You want 6.75 hr endurance on 9gph so 60 gal tanks, 30g/side. On a IO-360 200hp CS, you're looking at 220KTAS cruise on 9gph, 1500 fpm gross weight (2000lbs) climb. It would look/fly a lot like a small T-34.

-Bruce
 
Rv-4rg

Looks cool, a lot of work. Well done. I may have missed it, but where did you put the fuel? Also, what empty weight did you get, what gross did you set and did you strengthen the wing?
 
Rv-4 Rg!

Hi Grant,
The fuel quantity is the same as a conventional RV-4 at 16 gal. per side. The fuel tanks have been moved outboard so that they are outboard of the outboard side of the main landing gear. The main gear retracts inward toward the fuselage and as the gear goes up it presses on a spring that pulls the inboard door closed and it mates up with the gear door mounted on the gear leg. When the gear is retracted the bottom is completely flat. The only real problem is that the battery and the hydraulic pump are both located behind the rear seat and baggage compartment. As a result the C.G. moves aft very quickly with two people in the plane. It is not a very good acro plane with two people. With just me, it's fine. Regards, Paul Best
 
Hi Paul,
Nice RV4, there is another in Germany almost identical.

An AE friend of mine (also former Navy Top Gun instuctor) is building an RV4 with Laminar Flow wings similar to the P-51. It too has RG and will have a wet wing outboard of the LG, similar to the new Mooneys. I'll try to get a couple of photos of the project and load them. Absolutely gorgeous work. Question is, when does it stop being an RV4 and start being something else. Either way, I like it, that's what Experimental is all about.

Hey Bruce, when are we going to see a picture of "your" RV4?

RR
 
Klaus Roth's RV-4 retractable!

verband314fb.jpg


Hi Smokey, Yes that is Klaus Roth's RV-4. It is his second RV-4 and he decided to go with retractable gear. I sent him several pictures of my plane and he also exchanged a lot of information with Bryan Carr the builder of my plane. There are some differences in his and mine. He designed and is using pnematic struts, where mine are tractor springs. Mine work great and I just keep them lubed with WD-40. His tail wheel is exactly like mine. I've included a picture of Klaus's plane along with his first plane. His daughter is flying the standard -4. Regards, Paul Best
 
rv-$rg

Thanks for the info Paul. It all sounds logical. Surprised the CG is aft, with a 180 and CS, plus RG forward of spar I'd have guessed your CG would be well fwd! I saw the weight on the other thread, if you take off the CS weight it worked out not too bad for the RG.
 
Back
Top