New RV-9A owner - Minnesota

[MacCool]

I've been looking around for airplanes for a few months now and as I gravitated toward Experimental, it became clear that Van's was going to be my leading contender. I ultimately found a beautiful RV-9A (thanks to VAF), bought it, and flew it 500 miles home (KBRD) this past weekend with a buddy who has 5 decades of flight experience and is a CFI and past RV-6A owner. Flying it home was a joy...it was the plane I was hoping it would be.

I'm the third owner. The plane is very well equipped and very nicely finished

• Lycoming IO-320 160HP, factory new 407 hours
• MTV Constant Speed Prop
• E-Mags
• dual batteries
• bunch of Anti-splat stuff
• Flightline interior with leather seats.
• Whelen lighting
• heated pitot
• The usual Anti-splat Nose gear mods
• Smoke system
  
• The panel is IFR-capable with Garmin/AFS/Uavionix instrumentation and a DigiFlight autopilot

I started transition training on the 3-hour flight back. Sweet plane. In 50 years a pilot, I don't think I've ever flown anything like it. VAF has helped me a bunch already...thanks. Looking for the "donate button"...

[kaweeka]

Sounds like a real winner! It's the most enjoyable aircraft I've owned. Didn't build mine but I've enjoyed "making is my own" and learning through other builders. Enjoy

[odens_14]

Congrats on the new bird! If you see a polished/blue -7 on the line come say hi. Wings cafe at your home field is a pretty regular $100 breakfast spot for us.

[MacCool]

KAIT in Aitkin is a nice, quiet-but-very capable airport, and has an EAA chapter. I keep thinking it would be a real nice place for a Minnesota or upper midwest fly-in someday.

[RickWoodall]

Fly lots and enjoy life.

[Shark]

Congratulations, Hopefully we cross paths soon

[MacCool]

Thanks for the welcome. Sadly, the plane has been a bit problematic and I haven’t flown it at all other than the flight back.

Coming back with my CFI/buddy, we noted that the 430W wasn’t sending GPS data to the EFIS. That was annoying, but not a deal-breaker relative to the flight. I could navigate just fine off the Garmin (and my iPad). However after landing for fuel, restarting showed that the engine-driven fuel pump had failed. We found a mechanic that would come out on a Sunday to fix it, but the only pump he had, pulled off a rebuild, wouldn’t generate enough pressure for this IO-320. We drove his courtesy car for the last 200 miles to get home while he ordered a new pump.

Fast-forward...my buddy drove the courtesy car back to Iowa and retrieved the plane. Runs great but we still have the 430W -> EFIS issue, so he kept the plane at his airport in his hangar in St. Cloud while his airplane is in his son’s hangar at KBRD and his son’s airplane is in my hangar. Musical hangars. He has spent hours under the panel of my plane looking at configuration, software, and wiring issues. An hour on the phone with Rob Hickman and someone from uAvionix as well...no joy. Best guess at this point is that it has a dead ARINC interface.

My friend/CFI/avionics wrangler has been flying for 5 decades, so I’m confident that I have a good guide through this, but I am anxious to get transitioning.

I hope that your aviation week has been less frustrating than mine...

[Zuldarin]

Hi Mac, I would suggest a quick message to G3Xpert at g3xpert@garmin.com. The connection is pretty simple really and if the wires between the 430, GAD29, and EFIS are correct then you need to make sure the EFIS and the 430 are configured properly in 'Settings'. You can also check the status of the GAD29 by looking at the LED indicator. If its green its probably working.

Disregard...I just read your other post and you already have the experts helping you out. :-)

[Dugaru]

Such great airplanes.

[MacCool]

Originally Posted by Dugaru

Such great airplanes.

I have a couple of hours flying it on the return but only a couple of landings. The plan was touch and go's at KMCW after fueling but that's when the fuel pump died. I do love flying it...it's truly a blast...but note that decades of Cessnas and Pipers has left me with something of a tendency to over-control a responsive plane like an RV-9A. Certainly nothing a couple of hours in the saddle won't fix, but gotta wait for the avionics bugs to sort out.