"RV Aerobatics" forum presentation at AirVenture

[SHIPCHIEF]

Love those Harbor Freight resin tool carts! I have several, they have become 'job specific'. (stay with one airplane until the job is done, then put tools away and stand by for next job)
I never thought about Hot Rodding one!
I'm all over it now!

[912ry]

Wish i could be there. Will it be taped?

[Saber25]

I'm curious, how was the attendance and possible converts to RV aerobatics.

In this part of the country and half a dozen contests flown, I have not seen any RV's participate. They sure are more comfortable to fly enroute to a contest than my S1S :-)

Cheers, Hans

[Gash]

I was at Ron's presentation, front and center. It was an EXCELLENT introduction to everything about RV aerobatics and how to get involved in aerobatic competitions. The competition part was really useful to me--I really just needed somebody to push me off the fence. Ron's presentation did the trick. I went over and signed up for the IAC right afterwards.

Next things on my list: 1) a parachute and 2) inverted oil.

Great job Ron. I really enjoyed it!

[Capflyer]

I really wanted to attend this one but ended up missing it. However, I did go by the IAC building and sign up for a free six month membership. One of my buddies competes with his Super Decathalon and can help me get started.

Question for the competetors: How necessary is it to have an inverted oil system to compete when starting out? The plane already has a flop tube in one tank for gas.

[BillL]

Originally Posted by Bill Boyd

So this is a hat-tip and shout-out to Smokey, all-around great stick and great guy
[url=http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/sportav8r/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpszdlgicsz.jpeg.html]
Go show 'em how it's done, Ron. All the best for your RV acro pursuits.

Wow, my tools are not trained well enough to stay home (if not fenced in), the organization is impressive. Well done.

[Bill Boyd]

Sure saves a lot of steps around the shop once completed. Ron made the original, and was my inspiration. I hope it will help as much with maintenance in a few years as it does with building now. Wife wants one for her crafts, too.

Presently unable to locate the thread where Smokey first posted his tool cart pics, but they were impressive - as is his workmanship and his flying.

[f14av8r]

Originally Posted by Capflyer

I really wanted to attend this one but ended up missing it. However, I did go by the IAC building and sign up for a free six month membership. One of my buddies competes with his Super Decathalon and can help me get started.

Question for the competetors: How necessary is it to have an inverted oil system to compete when starting out? The plane already has a flop tube in one tank for gas.

Obviously I meant COMPETITION aerobatics in the title!

Hi Mike,
The short answer is - NOT NECESSARY. Now to the full story.

Were I building an airplane, as you apparently are, I would definitely include an injected engine and a full inverted oil system.

That said, I'm competing in my RV-4 and I started without either. After my first contest, I installed the Raven air/oil separator (commonly called a Half Raven System). I'm debating injecting my O-360 but have many hours now flying the Sportsman level figures with just a carbureted motor.

The lack of injection will result in your engine cutting out during many of the figures that produce less than one G. That alone is no big deal, it just limits your performance some. At the Primary and Sportsman level, you won't spend enough time inverted for that to be a big limitation. A heavy, constant speed prop like mine really helps as it keeps the engine turning even when you get slow.

When it comes to oil, I would highly recommend either a Raven or a Christen air/oil separator as a minimum configuration. Unless you have an inverted fuel system, and want to do extended inverted flight, the full Raven or Christen systems really won't provide much benefit. The air oil separator though is a BIG deal because without one, you'll lose quite a bit of oil during a Sportsman level sequence, and especially during practice flights. That's not a safety issue but the oil will make a terrible mess of the bottom of your airplane and your ramp / hangar. It also makes tracking your oil consumption for analytical purposes or doing any meaningful oil analysis program practically impossible. You have to add too much makeup oil.

With a constant speed prop, the other limitation with a setup like mine is keeping oil pressure to the prop. Since the prop drives to full increase RPM when you lose pressure, you'll risk an overspeed if you don't pay close attention. I use a two quart oil accumulator to combat the overspeed problem. A full inverted fuel / oil system would almost eliminate the overspeed risk but not entirely. A counter-weighted aerobatic prop that goes to high pitch (reduce RPM) with loss of pressure is the only true solution but those are rare in a multi-purpose airplane like our RVs.

Bottom line - install a Raven or Christen air/oil separator at a minimum. If you have an inverted fuel system (injection), consider the full Raven or Christen system. An accumulator is a nice addition (with or without a full inverted system) as an aid to maintaining oil pressure.

Good luck with your plane!
Randy

[Capflyer]

Awesome answer....thank you Randy.

My flying RV8 doesn't have an inverted oil system or fuel injection. The RV8 build is FI so my partner and I will take a look at the two systems you mentioned. For just starting out it sounds like the current plane's set up should be adequate.

[Snowflake]

Did they address the myth of fuel in wing tanks not adding to aerobatic weight this year?