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-   -   When did you first see / hear of an RV? (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=134289)

RV8iator 02-06-2016 12:48 PM

Browning Aerial Service
 
It's funny what jogs your memory. Early to mid 80?s I was standing in Brownings lobby at the old Austin airport and up taxiied this little hotrod of an airplane. Must have been a 4. Several of us wandered out to have a look and I rememberd we all remarked on what a hand full it probably was both in the air and on the ground.

Boy was that a wrong impression based purely on appearance.

N5916R 02-06-2016 04:57 PM

Sport Aviation in late 2007 or early 2008. The cover was the Rotec powered Pietenpol. Very nice plane, I have seen it several times now at OSH. Originally based on that article I was inspired to build a Pietenpol. I had a friend who built one in the early 90s, I got to see his plans the day he got them in mail, I got a ride in the plane once he finished it. I remember thinking how odd it was to see someone so excited about building a plane, but I wasn't even 20 yet.

That same issue had an article about a lady who built and flew an RV7. She was based and lived at Hicks airfield in Ft. Worth. If you saw the article, the interior of the hanger was very nice and I spent lots of time reading the property owners association newsletters for Hicks Airfield. Unique situation there in this through the fence world we live to be able to live on an airport that is not a residential airpark.

I then started spending time on the Van's site. I was and probably still am a P-51 junkie, but I will never be able to afford one unless I wind the lottery. But in looking at the RV8, I could see that it would look nice in warbird paint. I had no tools, skills or real plan to make any progress, and I ordered a tool box kit and airfoil kit, and they sat for 5 years.......

Right at a year ago I began tooling up and bought my tail kit. I took the VS down to Jay Pratt and we mostly built it in a day. I love that my plane sort of "began its life" on Hicks Airfield since the article in Sport Aviation had inspired it. The project has been dormant for a number of months for a lot of reasons/excuses. Warmer weather is ahead though and I may return to setting rivets.......

Wantmore 02-06-2016 06:09 PM

I know when it finally sank in.....
 
I had seen several RV's during my primary flight training, and had discussed a few of the models with my instructor, but wasn't too aware of the experimental world or what it really meant and had to offer. The summer of 2012, after completing my private and working on the instrument ticket, I found myself staring at a gorgeous Super Decalthon at the Auburn, CA airshow. A little sleuthing and several attempts at reaching the owner finally paid off. The next month I was in the front seat for my first tailwheel and aerobatic lesson. I loved the arrangement of the stick and throttle, sitting on the centerline of the airplane, and how much I felt a part of the plane. The second lesson that next weekend in September found me instead in the backseat of my instructor's Harmon Rocket II headed for Stead to aid in the purchase of a friends RV-3. I had learned more about experimentals and RV's in the meantime, and even recognized that he had an F1 slider canopy as opposed to the more common flop over. That first takeoff, the effortless cruise (aileron rolls included) to Reno, all 20 minutes of it, had me hooked. Then the nose went down, the throttle went forward, and being that the pylons were still up from the previous weeks festivities, around them we went, 190KTS and 50' AGL. Up until that point I was Mr. 6500' straight and level in the 152, keeping my turns standard rate and my nose clean.....I remember thinking, "now this was the flying I have been dreaming about!"

After a few more certificate and rating rides, some dabbling with Ag airplanes, etc. I made the decision to leave my career in the fire service and pursue aviation full time. That has seen us to Hawaii and now the PNW where, very appropriately, we live about 5 miles from the birthplace of all RV's in North Plains, OR. Given that the life of a freight dog doesn't leave much free time during normal human hrs, a well built airplane to purchase and fly is in the immediate future. The little lady doesn't mind the back seat, it just has to be comfy and have proper climate control (I'm all about custom seats with heaters too after a few winters spent traversing the Cascades @ 18k' covered in ice), as well as ride the bumps and be able to do some rolls along the way. The choice after years of diliberation and the repeated pestering of many of the icons in this industry keeps bringing me back to.....you guessed it, a Rocket! A well built, nice flying -4 would be amazing and a little easier on the pocketbook, but the higher wing loading (yes she knows what that means), bigger tanks, baggage space and power reserve of the Rocket continues to win out over anything else in the similar price range, mostly given that there isn't anything comparable, certified or otherwise. Hoping to be at the stick of my personal fighter jet this summer!

rjbob 02-07-2016 09:58 AM

1983 or '84. I used to tow gliders Issaquah Skyport (no longer in existence). One of the pilots there had an RV-3. I thought it was THE best looking home-built airplane...PERIOD.

Although my favorite RV is the 8, I have a 7 because I need to be able to pack a model airplane in the back and still be able to have my wife along.

So happy all Van's aircraft keep the same beautiful lines.

DeltaFox 02-07-2016 04:19 PM

Really takes you back. I've known since I was in high school (1969 or so) that I wanted to build an airplane, but the dream then was a Volksplane since Popular Mechanics had some articles on building your own plane. I loved the Long-EZ as well but I was never good with composites so that seemed more distant.

Never had the time or money to learn to fly so my dream was on the shelf for 30+ years. For my 50th b'day my wife gave me a discovery flight at the local flight school, which really got me dreaming. I finished my ticket and wondered what on earth I would do to fly - just seemed like an impossibility. Even used planes were so expensive. Over the years I'd buy a kitplanes every few years and have to put it down because I just didn't see how I could ever do it and I didn't want to think about it too much if I couldn't do it.

I started really looking again and found out about Van's. I'd never seen one, but based on the rave reviews it seemed like something I could do since I'd done metal work of various kinds in the past. Went to KOSH in '09 to see one in person and get a demo ride in the RV-9A. I was the first in line on Monday morning. Took my ride with Scott. I was in love before we cleared the threshold on 36. I was stunned at the performance. I told him it handled the way I'd always thought planes would fly when I thought about it. He said he got that a lot. I was still grinning when I flew home a few days later.

I realized after I got home I wasn't getting any younger and if I didn't do it I'd regret it the rest of my life. Started my kit in early 2011 and I hope to finish this year. A friend that just finished his in Oct gave me a ride yesterday. I feel the same way about it now I did then. Just love it.

One other note - better than that is all the wonderful folks I've met as a result of starting on this journey. It's been a blast.

Michael Henning 11-22-2018 03:52 PM

KitPlanes
 
KitPlanes completion section, 1989, it was Pat Hatches and another persons RV-4 that caught my eye. I started building shortly after that.


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