RV Competitors

[Kiwi7]

There’s always these....Very nice.but more expensive http://www.falcomposite.com/furio.php

[Ed_Wischmeyer]

Originally Posted by skylor

I love it when a startup aircraft company advertises stellar sounding performance and range specs for a new aircraft design without having flown a single prototype.

I sincerely wish them the best of luck. I personally wouldn't put down any kind of deposit until they have a flying production aircraft with independently verified performance numbers and all kits are shipping...

Skylor
RV-8

I talked to darkaero at Oshkosh last year. If I recall the conversation correctly, one point of concern was that the person I talked to had little concept of handling qualities, and I thought the horizontal tail size was no bigger than adequate. The second concern was payload, but I'm fuzzy on the recollection. I do recall that I was not optimistic about the very small airplane...

Back to the Wheeler and derivatives. Decades ago, when I was an active aviation journalist, I flew both the original cruciform tail and the so-called large tail, back to back. Both versions are on my do not fly list, and they earned their way onto that list when my risk profile was much broader than it is these days.

The Falco is another plane in the RV performance category. I knew the builder of a Gold Lindy award Falco and got to fly it. Nice flying wood airplane (with all that implies), and they are available used for quite reasonable prices. But for all the good looks and such, published cruise speeds are comparable to my RV-9A. The kits are extremely expensive and require lots of time and craftsmanship but the results are very nice indeed.

I did meet Stelio Frati, designer of the Falco, one year at Oshkosh. He only spoke Italian and French, and I had only English and German. Very short conversation...

As for the composite Falco from New Zealand, the price for all the kits is around $106,000 US... plus engine and avionics, etc. Comparing the original Falco with the composite Falco, the composite Falco "normal category" gross weight is 50% more than the original (!), yet the published stall speeds of the two with full flaps are within 1 mph. Can't tell from photos, but it appears that the composite Falco might have more effective flaps. The published aerobatic payload is a mere 467 pounds.

[DeeCee 57]

Falco: flown 660+ hours on a factory series 3 (experience on that one curtailed by a con-rod failure on climb-out...http://www.aerofun.ch/falco-1.html) and a series 4.
Notwithstanding the sissy wheel upfront, cruise performance on a O-320 was slightly superior to an RV, logical when looking at the sharp wings and tail, and the retracts.
Talking about the retracts, electrically actuated, with a delicate screw mechanism.
Roll feel was similar to an RV say -4 or -6, but pitch was nicer in giving a better response to speed. The Falco is more stable, a superior IFR platform, yet still almost as aerobatic. The cockpit itself is more cramped, luggage space similar to side by side RVs.

Panther: couple of hours flown on a Corvair powered LSA version. It is an LSA and feels like one, everything is light ... nice mimicking of the RV-3, when seen from a distance.
Advantages: quick built using pulled rivets, inside space. The cockpit has a good size which most of you would fit in. Foldable wings, though the fuel tanks are in the wings...
Performance is good considering the 120HP Corvair, but quite noisy with the high revving motor (2850-3300RPM cruise setting). Flight controls kinda mushy compared to an RV, long wings and short wheelbase could lower one's xwind limits.
As a whole, a nice little "cheap" quick-built RV-3 replica, the 2 seater Cougar still being in the works.

[BCP Boys]

Originally Posted by 10builder

My first build was an RV-10, so obviously the bar was pretty high for my second build with respect to kit quality, support, documentation, etc. I wanted an RV-3 but just didn’t have the stomach for the time commitment needed, so I built a Panther. While I’ve never flown a -3 or -4, I’m confident the Panther stacks up nicely. Of course, Paul Dye’s glowing review of the aircraft was all that was needed to sell me on it.

I believe I met this Panther and his owner at a fly-in not too long ago. Very nice plane and the build was very nice. I was shocked that we don't hear more about this plane. I was definitely intrigued.

AB