RV-3 question. Please help

I am close to pulling the trigger on buying a
flying Rv-3. I have a question about useful load.
The design gross weight is 1,100 lbs. The empty weight is
827 lbs. With a pilot weighing in at 190 I will only be able to fly
With 13 gals of fuel without exceeding the design gross weight.

Is 827 lbs heavy for an RV-3? Do you Rv-3ers fly above
Gross weight (full fuel) for cross country flight?

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Randy Levold's RV-3 Registry lists a number of RV-3 aircraft and most of the listings have both empty and gross weights. Both vary considerably.

The Registry is here:
http://www.romeolima.com/RV3hq/Registry/registry.html

Dave
RV-3B, still building the wings

Gross weight

Thanks for that link. It seems a number of
3's are flying above 1,100 lbs gross weight.
Many at 1,200. Some at 1,300. At 190 and 10 for baggage, I would be 1,170 with full tanks. Does not seem to be a deal breaker.

You should make sure that you check on the wing configuration - original, original with change notices 1 (and 2), or "B".

On Randy's RV-3 page under weight and balance, says Van confirmed aerobatic weight of 1050# does not include fuel in wing tanks.

What will it weigh when you've made it yours?

Al,

827 is probably heavier than average for an early simple RV-3. But, rather than base you decision on what it weighed according to the most current W&B, consider the potential weight of the airplane after some relatively easy changes. Does it have a factory starter or a lightweight version? If it doesn't already have a lightweight starter, probably 8 lb loss there for a few hundred dollars. Battery? Is it an old, as in a heavy flooded cell or a newer AGM battery? 5 to 10 lb weight saving potential there, even more if you want to try one of the new lithium units. Lightweight alternator? Another easy way to loose some weight depending on what it already has. Radios? The old ones are generally lots heavier than the new units available.

wilddog said:

......says Van confirmed aerobatic weight of 1050# does not include fuel in wing tanks.

Click to expand...

Maybe a silly question, but... aerobatic weight? Does this mean the max weight the a/c should weigh before doing aerobatics?

Maybe a silly question, but... aerobatic weight? Does this mean the max weight the a/c should weigh before doing aerobatics?

Click to expand...

It means the maximum weight the structure was designed for to fly at +6/-3g.

If weight is >1050lbs, the 'g' limits revert to Normal or Utility )cannot remember which - somebody will).

The debate about wing fuel will roll on. Given the RV-3 was designed with a fuselage wing tank, and was good for 1050lbs, then moving to wing fuel would seem to indicate that fuel can be excluded, provided the "weak point" is the wing/fuselage junction (unfortunate early RV-3 evidence would indicate this).

The RV-3B uses an internally redesigned wing, based on an RV-8 design. The early RV-8 accident had the wings fail mid-span, and that would not support deducting wing fuel before determining weight for aeros. But the RV-8 wing was then re-designed (-1 wing).

Randy has the word from Van, but currently Vans will not support that (but to be fair, they will not "support" much of the RV-3 given the time, records and personnel changes). I doubt you will get a definitive answer supported by engineering data, but then it is experimental

My '92 3A has an O-320 and low pitch prop (great for climb) and a fuselage tank. It was registered by the builder with a higher gross weight, but I limit myself to 1050 pounds for my weekly aerobatic flight per Van's guidelines. I limit intentional maneuvers to 3.5g's, so I'm pretty comfortably inside the stress envelope. To make the weight limit I launch with a carefully measured 8 gallons on board, fly for 45 minutes, and land with 4 gallons remaining. I measure fuel with a calibrated stick. The deep fuselage tank with pointy bottom lends itself to a very accurate stick reading at that end of the scale.