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  #31  
Old 11-28-2010, 07:43 AM
Daver Daver is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Albuquerque
Posts: 297
Default 4600'??

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I do fly out of a 4600' msl airport to start with.
What a piker LA

I fly out of 1N1 - 6550'. Sometimes the DA is 8000' or more.

No problem with my 150 HP, wood cruise prop RV9A.

Heck, I even flew to Angel Fire (8400') & back. Did just fine.

I suppose if I had $6 - $8K lying around for a CS prop, I could trim my time to altitude by 3 or 4 minutes but I'd rather buy fuel.

Arn't these wonderful airplanes?

Dave
-9A flying
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  #32  
Old 11-28-2010, 08:07 AM
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L.Adamson L.Adamson is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: KSLC
Posts: 4,021
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You are NOT alone in that sage observation. We can read all the "huff and puff" we want and rightly conclude that opinions can and will be all over the map. Fact is, despite evidence to the contrary some people will continue to cling to the curious notion that more horsepower is always better. But is it ....really?
Some pilots are "happy" with Cessna 150/152s...

Yes, to a point, bigger is better. I discovered that back in the Piper Warrior versus Archer days. I've flown RV's with 150 hp, 160, & 180. And I still would prefer the performance of an F-16!

L.Adamson --- RV6A
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  #33  
Old 11-28-2010, 08:13 AM
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Ron Lee Ron Lee is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 3,275
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daver View Post
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I do fly out of a 4600' msl airport to start with.
What a piker LA

I fly out of 1N1 - 6550'. Sometimes the DA is 8000' or more.
I fly out of 00V at 6874 feet MSL (soon to be KFLY) so I hereby remove the piker moniker from L. Adamson and thrust it onto Daver. Runway density altitude in the summer reaches 10,000'.

Of course it is a matter of time until someone from Leadville passes the piker moniker/baton onto me.

There is no doubt that RVs perform well with any of the Van's recommended engines. Rob seems to feel that fuel flow is the best criteria. That is fine but my understanding is that similar aircraft...one with an O-320 and one with an O-360, will burn about the same fuel when run side by side (same speed).

So why give up the extra horsepower of an O-360? You would be hardpressed to find anyone at my airport who would recommend an O-320. One guy put a 150 HP O-320 in his 8A. He later rebuilt it to get more horsepower. Then he put a CS prop on it. I never did fly with him but assume that he was slower than most people here.

Nothing against guys with smaller engines, but I always tell people building to put no less than an O-360 in their 6/7/8. I recommend against buying any 6/7/8 with less than an O-360.

Perhaps my recommendations are flawed but they are what they are. Or maybe it is something in the water.

Last edited by Ron Lee : 11-28-2010 at 12:27 PM.
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  #34  
Old 11-28-2010, 10:28 AM
gasman gasman is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Sonoma County
Posts: 3,821
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Originally Posted by terrye View Post
Van's instruction manual (RV-9A) says, in the section about propellers, that a constant speed prop at cruising speed will have about a 1 gph advantage over a fixed pitch. That's about $4.00/hr advantage. This and the better climb performance (for mountainous terrain) made me decide on a CS prop. So I think you're right, an O-320 with a CS prop is probably a better choice than an O-320 or O-360 with a fixed pitch.
Break even time would be about 1750 hours providing that you did no maintenance on that C/S prop.
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  #35  
Old 11-28-2010, 11:39 AM
Daver Daver is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Albuquerque
Posts: 297
Default piker baton

I hereby accept the piker baton from Ron (until the Leadville guy shows up)

Its really about budget I guess - some have it; some don't. I'm in the "don't" category but at least my plane flies.

Remind me NEVER to challenge LA to a climb performance contest....

Dave
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  #36  
Old 11-28-2010, 12:27 PM
pierre smith's Avatar
pierre smith pierre smith is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Louisville, Ga
Posts: 7,840
Default While I was discussing LOP operation....

...a poster mentioned that he didn't build a fast airplane to go slow

Good point, neither did I...I just wanted the most bang for the buck, so, yes, horsepower rules. You can always throttle back or run LOP...you can never add more power than what's there.

Best,
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Pierre Smith
RV-10, 510 TT
RV6A (Sojourner) 180 HP, Catto 3 Bl (502Hrs), gone...and already missed
Air Tractor AT 502B PT 6-15 Sold
Air Tractor 402 PT-6-20 Sold
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Louisville, Ga

It's never skill or craftsmanship that completes airplanes, it's the will to do so,
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Dues gladly paid!
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  #37  
Old 11-28-2010, 01:08 PM
Daver Daver is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Albuquerque
Posts: 297
Default fast vs slow

I'm confused about pilots who love to fly, but love to fly fast.

A guy flying along at 100 kts gets twice the flying time as a guy going 200 kts.

Unless, of course, you're really trying to get somewhere.

I suspect few of us are really needing to get somewhere but rather are just flying for the enjoyment.

My -9A will do 150 kts or, just as happily, 100 kts and at a few thousand feet above the ground, I can't tell the difference unless I look at the ASI (or GPS).

Someone once said "there's more to life than increasing its speed..."

So you guys in a big hurry with your hair on fire, go ahead and pass me.

I'm enjoying the ride!

Dave
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  #38  
Old 12-08-2010, 10:37 PM
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Marnee' Marnee' is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Rockford,IL
Posts: 3
Default

Positives of the angle valve engine with counterweighted crank:
1. Smoother operation
2. Better cooling
3. No rpm limitations
4. More fuel efficient

I have 655 hrs on my IO-360-A1B6. Highest cyclinder temp I have ever seen is ~350F.

Negatives are the cost.....but that is highly compensated for over the life of the engine with lower fuel burn.

I have a Harzell constant speed and with the battery in the back, balance is not an issue. The airplane still flies slow, lands slow but goes fast and can maintain more power at high altitude.
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  #39  
Old 12-11-2010, 08:05 AM
Thug Thug is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: San Antonio
Posts: 2
Default engine

I am putting a new tbolt IO390 in my RV8. should hve no problem with performance.
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  #40  
Old 12-11-2010, 09:03 AM
Mel's Avatar
Mel Mel is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Dallas area
Posts: 10,768
Default Great Post, Dave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daver View Post
I'm confused about pilots who love to fly, but love to fly fast.
A guy flying along at 100 kts gets twice the flying time as a guy going 200 kts.
I suspect few of us are really needing to get somewhere but rather are just flying for the enjoyment.
Someone once said "there's more to life than increasing its speed..."
So you guys in a big hurry with your hair on fire, go ahead and pass me.
I'm enjoying the ride!
Dave
Sometimes I just shake my head. Same thing with an auto-pilot. I had an A/P in my -6 for about 4 years. Turned it on once a year to see if it still worked. Finally took it out. I like to fly!
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Mel Asberry, DAR since the last century.
EAA Flight Advisor/Tech Counselor, Friend of the RV-1
Recipient of Tony Bingelis Award and Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award
USAF Vet, High School E-LSA Project Mentor.
RV-6 Flying since 1993 (sold)
<rvmel(at)icloud.com>
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