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Consider this...
Alan,
If there was a prize for stuffing the most stuff in the back seat of an -8 my wife would win, hands down. We have been all over this country with over 1700 hours in our RV-8 in the past 7 years. Kathy makes use of the side pockets and several pockets on the back of the front seat as well as a bit of storage on either side of the rear seat cushion. She somehow finds room for her purse, a good book, the DVD player for in-flight movies, her iPad and iPhone, a snack bag, two bottles of water, her knitting bag and... (wait for it)... our two chihuahuas! :eek: Oh, and don't forget the water bowl and food for the dogs. I do remove the rear stick so I don't have to fight the three of them for control. |
Alan, we're like Smokey and Kathy (sans chihuahuas). I just sit up there and ask for things, and Patti hands them forward. I have no idea where she stows it all, but it may involve a top hat and a wand.
Seriously, my -8 was built for the mission you describe. The big motor hauls a heavy load to cool air altitudes as quickly as possible. The raised turtledeck increases rear baggage volume...a lot. The tip-over canopy is completely out of the way for rear seat boarding (you'll see when your wife tries a slider), and the narrowed sill rails add a bit more shoulder room. The center mounted rollbar is a huge handhold for ladies of a certain age; something to hang on to while on the wing walk, and solid support in just the right place for hoisting in and out. Most of the above is part of a Showplanes fastback kit: http://www.showplanes.com/index.php?...980600jnocvsj6 When solo, small backpacks, etc drop into the footwells on each side of your seat....which illustrates the cabin width difference between an -8 and the rest. See how much space between our shoulders and the canopy? ![]() Quote:
Oops, sorry Bill. That just slipped out ;) -8 owners don't miss a picnic cooler because we get there well before lunch. I routinely flight plan 180 knots chock to chock. |
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But....I will admit to a certain RV8 envy, that's a great plane...although I cant believe its as good for long cross country flights as the 'side by sides' because of the cockpit layout. But...alas, we cant have it all...I'd rather do formation and aerobatics in the -8 so pick your poison. |
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As for stowing "stuff" up front when solo - I have the standard -8 side pockets and rear seat footwells as well as some custom pockets low and to the sides (under the power quadrant and console) that most people cover with an aluminum plate. the cell phone goes on the upper longeron behind the roll bar brace, and the iPod mini clips to the glare shield lip. Finally, because I have a flat wrap windscreen, I have pockets sewn into the glareshield cover for charts, pens, notpad, etc. My wife and I did Osh a couple years ago and even with a tent, tools, tie downs, canopy cover, clothes and food, we were still able to do 6+ hour flying days in relative comfort. Plenty of room with some planning. |
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But back on topic; like the others have said, you will find a way to make it work with the -8 back seat. My spousal unit travels just fine back there with a pillow and a book with plenty of room for water bottles and a lunch bag. *edit* Too late, cat's outta the bag, you already posted the question there as well! It still looks civil so far... |
Except for panel space, I would make a case for the RV-8 as being ?arguably? superior for truly long cross countries vs. the side by side RVs -- In terms of ergonomics and comfort. The -8 really gives you plenty of wiggle room that the side by side RVs desperately lack. There is nothing more uncomfortable than sitting next to someone for 5 hours while having to over-lap shoulders, bump sides, reach around, or squeeze tightly next too. I know it may seem counter intuitive, but the fact is that nearly, but not all, side by side General Aviation aircraft leave a lot to be desired in creature comfort on this specific point. They all seem designed for 1930s versions of humanity in terms of shoulder width. I have flown in RV-6s and -7s and frankly, can't wait to get on the ground after an hour sitting next to a friend. The exception would be the RV-14. Which is the reason it exists ? to address this issue. I am a normal sized guy (5? 10?), with normal but slightly broad shoulders and in the other side by side RVs it becomes really uncomfortable having to sling your arm behind the pilot or passenger just to make room to move around. For short hops it?s not a big deal but after a while it becomes tedious when someone has to move to allow the other just to shift weight or pass a map. Maybe I am more critical of this because I flew an antique/classic for decades, where shoulder room was only a dream.
Conversely the RV-8 has plenty of shoulder room so it?s never a matter of feeling squeezed into a tight space. Your bottom will wear out long before your upper body ever takes note that it?s in an aircraft. In the side by sides, it always seems a battle between shoulders for room. An added advantage of the wide tandem seating is that your passenger has free reign to move about at their leisure. Whether you have a guy or a girl back there, they have far more freedom of movement in the -8. Space for cockpit garbage is abundant. The downsides are of course the following: If you want to feel like an airline pilot with three or four flat panels and a dozen radios, the -8 is not for you. Panel space is plenty sufficient, especially with today?s newer systems, but the gadgeteers and the avionics dependent have to plan accordingly. You?ve plenty of room on the -8 panel, but some folks just want triple of everything and that means a side by side panel. If you have to access large items in flight, it?s not for you. But it will hold a surprising amount of garbage between the seat and cockpit walls. (however, having a passenger pass something up to you is actually nicer than both of you having to shift around so they can get something out of the back). You cannot put an air conditioner in the baggage as easily as you can in the side by side?but it can be done for those needing it. It?s not as ?intimate? as a side by side but the need to hold your gals hand kinda goes out the window two hours into a long trip. Some passengers will love the tandem and others will feel the need to be seated beside you. I?d suggest bumming your passenger rides in both types, and for more than five minutes. Some might feel isolated in the -8 while others love the freedom of movement and the ability to do as they please back there without getting in the way of operations. |
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On the other hand, the RV8 with a ShowPlanes canopy setup is wide enough to fit me..........it is all about how the canopy moves, a slider must have parallel tracks, and the narrow part of the cockpit dictates the track width, while the wider part suffers from that. In the ShowPlanes setup, the canopy is side hinged, and therefore there are no guide tracks in the way. I have test fit both, and if my wife will ever let me build an 8, it will have a ShowPlanes canopy. |
My wife loves riding in the back of the -8. She brings the iPad, pillow, blanket, purse, two water bottles, snacks, etc. etc. and finds plenty of space for it all. The kids are happy with it too. My daughter and I flew to Oshkosh this year from Phoenix with one fuel stop (I have aux tanks in the wingtips). She had a great time back there just playing games on the iPad and chatting with me for hours. I kept asking her if she needed to stop for a potty break. "Nope--keep going Daddy, this is fun." It's really a very comfortable cross country airplane for both front and backseats.
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When we flew XC in our -8 (sadly sold but not forgotten) I looped my purse strap around the welded front seat support crossbar, and it sat nicely between the side of the fuselage and my leg. I put a spring-loaded D-clip on one end of the strap so I could easily detach it from the purse and loop it around the bar. It held my camera, phone, music player (now all one gadget), wallet, water, gloves, etc, and when we got to where we were going, I just unclipped it and away we went. We didn't have the plane long enough for me to fly it from the front seat, but I loved having the back seat all to myself when we went places. My only complaint was that I froze my butt off in the winter. GET HEATED SEATS!!!
And if your wife likes to help with the flying, get a GRT EFIS and she can tune the radios and enter/edit flight plans from the back seat via Android. :D |
The -14 is a perfect match...
...for your mission, as you express it. But, of course, there are no used ones to buy and it is unlikely that you could be in one next year. The -10 would be a great xc machine for you, but they are expensive. So, that's may make the -8 your best match.
However, do not underestimate Katie's comment on how cold the backseat of the -8 is in winter. Unless someone has made significant modifications (and those -8s are out there but not the norm), you will NOT likely want to subject your wife to a long, Christmas-time x-c. Planes built following factory plans are frickin' frigid back there in winter. Nor does the average -8 on the market have the modifications described by Dan or even pockets on the side as many describe. You can build/re-build these modifications into a plane but, otherwise, you will have to shop carefully and patiently. And, I definitely endorse the idea of ensuring that you both get into an -8 before pulling the trigger. I find the space in back to be tight with even just an iPad (hence my gift list request for a mini-iPad!). Of course, I won't give up the stick and the ability to take the controls, if ever needed. |
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