How does the 9A stack up ?

[bugsbunny]

I am in the process of jumping from the Certified aircraft to a RV 9A. I just sold my Piper Dakota, I would like input on Handling characteristics, comfort, speed etc. compared to Certified aircraft. Just some opinions would be great.

Thanks
Don

[mrobert569]

Boy, are you in for a pleasent surprise. The 9/9A handles easier than a Cessna 150 and flies faster on less fuel than the Dakota ever thought of. Our 9A cruises at about 157mph on 7.0 gph. Mind you, I am one of those guys that flies 25 degrees rich of peak. Once you fly one you will never go back.

Mike Robertson
RV-8A, 6A, and 9A

[pierre smith]

Don, the guys at Van's roll the dice to see who gets to fly it to Osh or Sun 'n Fun.

It's a great cross-country airplane!

Best,

[JoeBlank]

If a fast, 2-place, stable cross country machine is part of your mission objectives, you won't be disaspointed... After flying most of the Van's factory aircraft, I can honestly say that the -9/9A is a obvious choice for this role. It would also lend itself to an IFR type mission as it is inherintly stable. The only area it might lack in is as a pure horsepower machine. The 160 (max recommended) HP still allows for a 185-190 mph TAS at a solo 75% power 8000'. It also has a lower Manuevering Speed (VA) than it's short winged bretheren...

http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv-9int.htm

Arrange a ride in one to get the grin...!

[kbehrent]

I love my RV-9A! It flys faster than my Mooney M20F on almost half the fuel and I don't even have my gear leg fairing or wheel pants on yet.

Takeoff performance is awesome with a c/s prop and really comes in handy when slowing down when entering the pattern.

In terms of comfort, there are several vendors who offer interior packages that can easily beat most certified interiors for quality and comfort while still meeting the FAA regs that certified manufacturers have to meet. ClassicAero is an example, there are several more participating vendors on this forum. Whether you plan on a tip-up or slider, they tend to be much easier to get in/out, especially if you are used to a single door entry!

If you plan to build, these kits are easy to build without prior skills. There is also the quick build options that can save you a lot of time and manual labor. Avionics available to us in the experimental market is incredible and much more affordable than the certified market.

It's an extremely easy to transition too from almost any certified aircraft. The performance and capability/utility of this airplane will certainly impress you and will win you over to the dark side.

[RVbySDI]

I agree with Mike. I flew 172's before. There is no comparison on speed and efficiency. Of course the cockpit is a little tighter fit but it is a two place vs a four place with a back seat. Still it is very comfortable. I have not tried to transport a set of golf clubs (I think I could make it work), but my wife and I have no problems packing what we need.

My cruise speeds are similar to Mike's: I plan for 150-160 mph cruise speeds and burn about 7.0-7.5 gph at 25-40 LOP. Here is a pic going to SnF in March 2011 running LOP. We are cruising at 9500'. You can notice in the top left of the GRT EFIS the true airspeed (156mph). Also notice on the GRT EIS the middle bottom number is the fuel burn (7.4 gph) and the RPM is the top left number (2460 rpm). Lastly, notice the ground speed on the Garmin 695 showing 193 mph.



This second picture was taken within a few minutes of the picture above. The speeds are a tad different but settings were pretty much the same. You can see the CHT and EGT LOP numbers on the bottom of the EFIS (all 4 CHT's in the left graph labeled "C", all 4 EGT's on the right graph labeled "E"). CHT's were running #1 310, #2 309, #3 309, #4 308. EGT's in this shot are showing LOP operations. It may be hard to see but they are running #1 37, #2 27, #3 29, #4 35 degrees LOP.


Of course you can always go faster at the expense of burning more fuel. This picture is the same trip, next day. Again, we are at 9500' but this time I am running around 50-60 ROP. I am burning 10.1 gph now spinning at 2780 rpm. My ground speed was the only speed I captured in this picture. You can see it was 219 mph. My TAS was around 180 or so. I was really pushing the plane as we were trying to outrun a storm front and get in front of it before it trapped us on that trip. I do not normally fly with these settings but this is a good comparison of the differences in performance when looking at two different power configurations at the same altitude.



There are other RV's that fly faster than the 9A but when comparing the 9A to other certificated GA aircraft I don't think it can be beat. I have talked mainly about the speed/engine performance above but the handling characteristics are also much superior to any 172 or Cherokee I have flown. I have flown the Cirrus and they do seem similar in handling but they are also much more expensive to own.

You will love flying a 9. It is an RV!!

[bugsbunny]

Outstanding feedback, and Thank You !!!! I been a Vans Fan since the 6 but have been afraid to tackle building. So last year I bought a 9A that had a nose Gear collapse and having a new engine and repairs made by a professional shop. So I will not be the builder.
It looks like early June before it will be in the air.

I sold my Dakota which I loved, however it drinks gas and I find I am alone about 80% of the time I am in the air. The numbers look great on the 9 A, don't care about aerobatics just cross country and fuel savings, so that's why I went this route.

Thanks Again for the input, really has me excited about getting her in the air !!

Don

[N941WR]

Don, since you are in WI, contact Tony Philips. He lives in WI, is a CFI and has a -9 (non-A). He might be able to help you get the time-in-type required for your insurance company. He posts under apkp777

[Finley Atherton]

Don,

The stick forces in the 9A will be less than the Dakota and this can take a while to get used to. In particular you may find it harder to hold a precise altitude on a cross country flight. A two axis autopilot will help make cross country flying a breeze.

The cabin will be noisier than the Dakota so good quality ANR headsets are a must.

Fin
9A

[videobobk]

You didn't say CS or fixed pitch. If fixed it can be hard to slow down compared to about anything except a sailplane. Here, electronic ignition with really low rpm (mine is set at 400 idle) is an advantage. Ditto on all the above, and I have flown about 30 different makes/models. Very pleasant airplane in all respects. Entry/exit isn't the greatest, but I am very comfortable, even with another large person, once strapped in. I am 6' 4", 215lb.

Bob