Do all RV's fly about the same?

I have heard it said that if you learn to fly one RV, you can fly any RV. Obviously a tail wheel aircraft will be different from a nose gear type, but is there some truth to this? For example, if you train on a -9A, are you ready to fly a -6A as well?

All the multi-place planes fly the same...

The THREE stands alone in a whole better world!

I?ve flown mostly in my -4, but I?ve also sampled the 6,7,8,9. There is a very noticeable difference in the roll rate of the Rv4 vs everything else. The pitch is similar as well as the general light handling, but there?s no beating the rv-4 for handling....except for the rv3 apparently!

Radioflyer said:

I have heard it said that if you learn to fly one RV, you can fly any RV. Obviously a tail wheel aircraft will be different from a nose gear type, but is there some truth to this? For example, if you train on a -9A, are you ready to fly a -6A as well?

Click to expand...

Not really --
* The short wing two seaters can have a high sink rate, power off, much more than the -9/A;
* The higher wing loading of the -10 gives it a different feel;
* The tandem seaters have a different sight picture from the side by sides;
* Power and choice of prop can give different planes different feels.

As it turns out, I checked myself out in all of the RVs I've owned. Then again, I'd had a lot of experience in many kinds of airplanes including gliders before my first RV flight. I did get two landings while accompanied by the previous owner of the -9A, but the other three were tandems. The -8A was a piece of cake, the -8 was challenging because it had a tailwheel steering malfunction.

Learning to fly in one RV will in fact help you with any other RV, but it won't make you comfortable. And differences in instrument panels, systems, and power can slow down the transfer from one RV to another of the "same" kind.

They seem so much alike. 9a owners will know best. More information is needed on differences between actual aircrafts to give you the best answer. The flying part won?t be a big deal, the systems differences could require a checkout.
Engine, prop, fuel management, aircraft op. limitations. Etc.
Checkouts in different aircraft with competent others familiar is best and allows you to relax, learn, enjoy, and makes for a fun flight. First time in any different aircraft is always a hoot and better with another pilot, but not in a 3.

R

Writing as one who has flown every model of RV (except the -5, and that might happen), I’d say that no, they don't all fly alike...but yes, they are all honest airplanes that aren’t out to get you. If you can fly one model, you have the capability to fly them all - but a good checkout in your first few is a great idea.

Taildraggers fly like taildraggers, nose-draggers fly like nose-draggers (just keep the weight off that nose gear!).

The differences you’ll notice are mostly in response rate for given control deflections, and the control forces themselves. Mike Seager has proven that if you can check out in a side by side two-seater, you can easily step in a tandem without a problem.

With good fundamentals, all RV’s are in reach.

Oh...the -1 was the least responsive of the line, but then...it was where Van did his learning. Thankfully, he got everything right on his very next next one, the -3!

Paul

as to how they fly is one thing... another factor is visibility.

Taildraggers are not only landed differently, but close to leaving or approaching mother Planet the outside view is different; Moving for instance from a -3/-4/-8 to say a -6/-7/-14 one might be surprised at the lack of, or very restricted, runway view during the initial take-off and and the flare for landing phases of the flight.

I did transition training in a 6A to prep for my 9A. The only change I needed to make in flying the 9A was to subtract 10 knots from the approach speeds, because the 6A does sink much more. Speed is important, since the -9 will float a lot more on landing with any excess speed, so we prepped for that with no flap landings in the 6A. In the air, I found flying qualities to be very similar. Yes, the roll rate may be different but unless you are really flinging it around, it isn't very noticeable in everyday flight, in my opinion.

Chris

Verrry interesting. So, the answer is yes and no. Training in one model can prepare you for being PIC in another model provided 1) landing gear type is same and 2) quick checkout still advised. Rates and forces are different but not day/night different. Panel layout and systems may be bigger factor transitioning among models than actual flight characteristics. The slow-speed, high sink rate of the side x side (except for the -9) seems to be a characteristic most pilots mention.

Radioflyer said:

Verrry interesting. So, the answer is yes and no. Training in one model can prepare you for being PIC in another model provided 1) landing gear type is same and 2) quick checkout still advised. Rates and forces are different but not day/night different. Panel layout and systems may be bigger factor transitioning among models than actual flight characteristics. The slow-speed, high sink rate of the side x side (except for the -9) seems to be a characteristic most pilots mention.

Click to expand...

I have over 600 hours in the 6A and my insurance carrier still required 5 hours or a check out with CFII for the 10. Regardless of similarity or lack thereof, insurance companies don't seem to think they are in all cases. I didn't really find this objectionable in my case, as the 10 does handle differently than the 6 in the landing phase.

Larry

Another note is VFR handling vs IFR panel. I teach alot of Garmin GTN / G3x stuff and getting you comfortable with your plane and your panel will do wonders when you enter the goo.

I bought an RV-3A in 2002 and had it delivered from Virginia to Washington at my 1700' one way airstrip. I took 3 hours of transition training from Mike Seager in an RV6 with TO's and LNDG's at home before flying my RV-3A (I had no other RV experience but had about 57 hours of tail dragger time 34 years prior). After flying the RV-3A for 10 years, I bought a RV-12. I had 1 hour of dual before flying it back from Oklahoma. There are differences, of course, but there are enough similarities to make for easy transitions --- but it's still important to get a feel for each airplane's characteristics with a qualified instructor.

Ironflight said:

Writing as one who has flown every model of RV (except the -5, and that might happen), I?d say that no, they don't all fly alike...but yes, they are all honest airplanes that aren?t out to get you. If you can fly one model, you have the capability to fly them all - but a good checkout in your first few is a great idea.

Taildraggers fly like taildraggers, nose-draggers fly like nose-draggers (just keep the weight off that nose gear!).

The differences you?ll notice are mostly in response rate for given control deflections, and the control forces themselves. Mike Seager has proven that if you can check out in a side by side two-seater, you can easily step in a tandem without a problem.

With good fundamentals, all RV?s are in reach.

Oh...the -1 was the least responsive of the line, but then...it was where Van did his learning. Thankfully, he got everything right on his very next next one, the -3!

Paul

Click to expand...

Van used the same math on the three, that was used to create the great pyramid.......
https://www.ancient.eu/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza/

It was the base feel for the next 11 models. And what all other kit manufactures would like to achieve.

Thanks Van.

I transitioned in a -7A to prepare for flying my -9A. The 9's stall behavior is definitely more benign, and it will float for days on final, especially if you have a FP prop and a high idle speed!

The -9 can be a real chop-and-drop plane...I find myself pulling out throttle (a lot of throttle) pretty early on base and final to get the right sink rate. I had my co-pilot to Osh (also a 1300-hour CFI) do a few landings en route and while he didn't completely overshoot the runway, he was surprised how far he had to pull the black knob back!