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  #1  
Old 09-11-2012, 01:34 PM
the4ork the4ork is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: california
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Default Cant afford RV-4, whats a good stepping-stone?

I cant quite afford an RV-4 yet, but I would really like to pick something up in the mean time thats two place, similar (although this seems like a stretch) performance, and I prefer a tailwheel. (never flown a tricycle)

I was thinking I could pick up a Sonerai 2 for about half-price of the RV.

the performance is about half but i think it would be a good stepping stone to get me up in the air.

any thoughts?
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  #2  
Old 09-11-2012, 01:37 PM
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ccsmith51 ccsmith51 is offline
 
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RV-1 for $16k???

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ad.php?t=90822

Don't know anything about it, whether it is a good performer or not, just a thought...
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  #3  
Old 09-11-2012, 01:45 PM
the4ork the4ork is offline
 
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saw that, but its hard to convince the wife its a good idea to buy an airplane she has not seat in...
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  #4  
Old 09-11-2012, 01:54 PM
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logansc logansc is offline
 
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There are several Thorp T-18's for sale on Barnstormers for between $20K and $25K. They are solid little two place side-by-sides with very good, performance. Probably won't quite keep up with a similarly engined RV-6, but they are very close.

Regards,


Lee...
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Old 09-11-2012, 02:08 PM
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Neal@F14 Neal@F14 is offline
 
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The RV-1 is single seat

If your budget is in the 25K and under range, have a look at the Grumman AA-1 (Lynx/Yankee) you might even find one that has the taildragger conversion done. Two seats, more sporty handling than your typical two seat spamcan, and it has a real aircraft engine.

The Thorp, as mentioned above may be a good option as well. There's one out there with an O-360 for 21.5k.

In the plastic plane dept, there's the Long-EZ / VariEze canards.

A fabric covered Sonerai with a VW engine... I think I'll pass on that, there was one at my field for a while and I wasn't impressed with it... would not consider one for any cross country flying.
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Last edited by Neal@F14 : 09-11-2012 at 02:14 PM.
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  #6  
Old 09-11-2012, 02:13 PM
the4ork the4ork is offline
 
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my only tri-landing ever, was in a yankee. I quickly learned that the hershey bar style wing does not like to have the power pulled back to idle at short final like im used to, having been flying big wing taildraggers
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Old 09-11-2012, 02:21 PM
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Neal@F14 Neal@F14 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the4ork View Post
my only tri-landing ever, was in a yankee. I quickly learned that the hershey bar style wing does not like to have the power pulled back to idle at short final like im used to, having been flying big wing taildraggers
What kind of wing do ya think the RV has?

Granted, the RV wing does coast downhill in a bit more more friendly way than some other hershey wing planes. I flew a Cherokee 140 for ten years and learned for finessing the landings, to carry some power on final all the way until you're over the fence. An RV with a constant speed prop can be the same way... with the prop full forward you can often find yourself coming up short of the runway without carrying some power down final if you didn't plan out your descent just right. I've even encountered that in my fixed pitch RV-6 as I'm still learning how to land this beast well. (IMHO, the -6 is more difficult to land consistently pretty than the other RV models).
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Last edited by Neal@F14 : 09-11-2012 at 02:28 PM.
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  #8  
Old 09-11-2012, 02:23 PM
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RVbySDI RVbySDI is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the4ork View Post
my only tri-landing ever, was in a yankee. I quickly learned that the hershey bar style wing does not like to have the power pulled back to idle at short final like im used to, having been flying big wing taildraggers
I would not expect any of the short wing RV's to be much like your big wing taildragger either. Pull the red knob on a short wing RV and you are going to come down because of their hershey bar wings also.
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Old 09-11-2012, 03:56 PM
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L'Avion L'Avion is offline
 
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Partnership..?????
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  #10  
Old 09-11-2012, 04:49 PM
Paul Walter Paul Walter is offline
 
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Bite the bullet, beg borrow or steal a bit more for an RV 4. You will have a better plane and it will be far easier to sell down the track. If it is just not an option find a 50% share but make sure its in one of the RV models.

Good luck

Paul
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