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How did your new RV fair the first year?

Weasel

Well Known Member
Well today is the day 1 year latter from the first flight for the "School Bus".
It now has over 290 hrs on it.

Man it seems like yesterday that I was privileged with riding into the air for the first time after 22 months of hard work.

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Through the 1st year there are a lot of memories that we were able to make.


The long cross country flights really make you appreciate usefulness of these little airplanes.

I will list a few here for motivation to the builders.

1. Left around 8:30 local in central Mississippi went to Harrisonburg, VA. stopped for a few minutes and had a burger and coke at the restaurant on the Field left there and went to a small airport on the outskirts of Canton, OH. Looked at a C-172 for a friend and flew it around the pattern, then left Canton, OH and flew back home to Mississippi and was home by 6:00PM local.

2. Left home went to Lake City, TN - to Sturgis, MI - to Kokomo, IN - to Lake City, TN all in 1 day (actually more like 10 hrs including stops)
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The long flights are fun but also there were the fun short hops to local grass strip fly-ins that were great.

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Sooooo what was your first year like?
 
Just finished my first year (after phase 1) with 150 hrs and several nice cross countries. One I documented here on VAF. One day, 9.7 hrs, from Venice, Fl to Georgia, Mississippi, Texas and final stop New Mexico 30 miles East of Albuquerque. Not bad for a long day. VAF Link Here: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=90545&highlight=mexico

Great machines and great friends (I am actually out in New Mexico for a daughters wedding and just visited an RV-6 friend I made on the above trip) I hope to get a chance to visit a few more in the next few days.

It doesn't get any better than this. :)
 
You guys are living the dream. It thrills me that people are building planes and using the heck out of them. Almost 300 hours in one year. That is great. Gary - 150 hours - amazing. I can't wait to be posting the same thing!
Great motivation.
 
My RV did well the first year. Nova Scotia, Vegas, Death Valley and frozen lakes you know it. Not many hours though... :D



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the year was dec 1999. i bought a rv-6 from my local airport that was brand new. $75,000. never looked back. a year later 600 hours of rv fun. another year later, another 600 hours. been down hill since then. get flying. rosie and i are in a race to the finish this year. miles that is. garmin miles. :):):):)
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190 hrs first year on RV-NINE with a Superior IO320...

...first 40 hrs in ten days, then 150 hrs going home and taking trips from south texas to as far as Oshkosh, Colorado, and Northern Arizona, not to mention local flying in South Texas and numerous trips back and forth to oklahoma city. only issues are a tail wheel that separated rubber from hub and needed shoe-goo, and two falcon instruments - an HI and an AI - that became paperweights both before 150 hours. overall, almost as dependable as a toyota!
 
First Year Hours

I did 190 hours on my RV6 its first year. Oct 1996 to October 1997. Since then I have built 4 Rvs, 2 RV6s and 2 RV8s.
The first RV6 had 500 hours when I sold it. I flew it to Vans Home Coming 1997, 1998, , but most the first year was arounf Texas , Oklahoma and Colorado.
The First RV8 had 62 hours when I sold it. One trip to Lakeland, the rest was local.
The Second RV6 had 998 hours when it was sold. Vans Homecoming, the first year but mostly local flying, about 160 hours the first year.
My RV8 'Borrowed Horse has 500 hours now, but sits home a lot because we fly the Cessna 180 on Camping trips, 310 hours in the last 3 years. I flew to the Bahamas its first year, and Wattertown , New York it firs year. but only about 150 hours that first year.
'Shooter' My 180 hp home build Super Cub has 600 hours since its completion in 2004. I has been to Johnson Creek, Idaho7 times. But only twice its first year.
So this race to see how many hours and such is hard to measure for some of us. Rosie only has one RV, Turbo has a gyro and a helo, but Turbo has most of us beat,, like a red headed step child. He is a champion crusier in my book!! Rosie too! I have more Island time than both of you. only because I lived on St Martin 8 years wth my Cheorkee 6 and my Bonanza, right at 1200 hours flying the Caribbean, Florida to Trinidad.

Only had my RV out to the Bahamas once, since I live in Texas now.
I wish i could afford to spend another year in south Flordia. You pilots there are having some fun!!! With the Bahamas so close, I know I would fly over there a lot if it were closer to me. Love that island water, so beautiful.

Carol and I plan on flying the Borrowed Horse to Oshkosh 2013 , then to Virginia and up to Maine this year.

We will fly to Colorado, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Utah, and New Mexico in June in the Cessna 180. Loging miles and good times!!!. Hope to see a bunch of you at Johnson Creek June 12 to 17th this year. ;)
 
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