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RV Aerobatics article

T

TractorPilot

I'm New Here
My apologies if this has already been posted in the forums, but in case it hasn't...

The April '09 issue of "Sport Aerobatics" has an article about RV's and aerobatics. This magazine is the official publication of the International Aerobatic Club, which is a division of the EAA. The IAC realized that there are a BUNCH of RV's out there, and that a lot of those RV's don't spend all of their Hobbs time straight & level. Here's a link to the article:

http://www.iacusn.org/schools/reprints/rvsnyou.pdf


If you've ever wanted to explore the full flight envelope that your RV has to offer, I have a couple of suggestions:

1. Find an experienced aerobatics instructor who has some RV experience, and get some quality acro instruction (Yes, it WILL make you a better pilot!);

2. Check out www.iac.org;

3. Have FUN!!!

If you've ever wanted to give competitive aerobatics a try, then I invite you to come to North Texas Regional Airport in Sherman, Tx. June 11-13, 2009 for the Lone Star Aerobatic Contest. Come compete, or just fly in and hang out - It's gonna be a blast!
 
This might be a good time.....

......to start a listing of RV qualified aerobatic instructors for us. I checked out Eddie Merchant in my -6A and another -7 last week. He'll be back in ten days and for scheduling here or at your airport, just PM me.

Regards,
 
I agree

Getting quality instruction will make you a better and safer pilot..Never teach yourself acro, especially in an RV!!!

Oh, did I read somewhere that you don't actually have to be a CFI to teach acro?..I mean of course you can't sign logbooks or be compensated etc but that actually teaching part I thought was legal.

I demonstrate manouvers all the time in both my airplane and from the right seat in others..Never as the PIC of course.

Where is the line drawn here?

Frank
 
RV Acro

An RV-4 is scheduled to perform an aerobatic demonstration flight at the Tennessee Valley Air Race and Speed Dash /airshow on June 13th. Greg Koontz and Billy Werth will be there on Friday the 12th Sat13th, and possible Sun 14th and plan to offer aerobatic instruction and flights in a Super Decathalon and Pitts S-2C respectively. Come on Friday and get some training and race on Saturday. Dinner and social hour for race pilots and helpers and show pilots Friday evening with live music and other fun stuff.

Chris Murphy RACE34

info at www.sportairrace.org or www.tvacenter.com
 
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How do you stay under aerobatic gross with full fuel ,2 pilots and chutes?


Perhaps the pilots are Hobbits???
 
And of course, do note that the article author's had to go to the UK to get decent (Formation) Aerobatic pictures :D

Andy Hill
RV-8 G-HILZ
 
Thanks for the article and the heads up on the competition! I will be flying an RV8 (hopefully) down to Midlothian beginning - mid June to visit my college roommate. I have been looking into the IAC and if I could compete using dad's RV (180hp fixed, no inverted systems). I've had aerobatic instruction and would like to give it a try, even if I don't do well. I will definitely be giving this a harder look at when the time comes.
 
Christopher Murphy said:
An RV-4 is scheduled to perform an aerobatic demonstration flight at the Tennessee Valley Air Race and Speed Dash /airshow on June 13th. Greg Koontz and Billy Werth will be there on Friday the 12th Sat13th, and possible Sun 14th and plan to offer aerobatic instruction and flights in a Super Decathalon and Pitts S-2C respectively. Come on Friday and get some training and race on Saturday. Dinner and social hour for race pilots and helpers and show pilots Friday evening with live music and other fun stuff.

Chris Murphy RACE34

info at www.sportairrace.org or www.tvacenter.com
Click to expand...

I got some fantastic acro instruction with Billy Werth in the Pitts a few years ago. Great pilot and instructor. :D
 
Interesting.

A few years back I was the prez of our local IAC Chapter. We had a small group of active hardcore type-A competition types that wanted nothing to do with with RVs and what they perceived as a dumbing down of the sport.

I am glad to see the IAC seems to be embracing the RV community.
 
Acro Instruction - Dallas area

A major part of IAC's mission is to promote safety in aerobatics, regardless of whether it's "gentleman's" acro on a Sunday afternoon or the hardcore Sean Tucker type of acro.

The key to flying acro safely is proper instruction. The RV's are capable acro mounts, but they can build energy (aka airspeed) quickly on downlines due their slick shape.

I highly recommend Four Winds Aviation in McKinney, Tx. for quality acro instruction. They have a Super Decathlon and a Pitts S-2B.

www.tail-wheel.com

Even if you're not interested in loops and rolls, at least look into getting some upset/unusual attitude training with those guys. It could save your life someday!
 
wickedsprint said:
tinman said:
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How do you stay under aerobatic gross with full fuel ,2 pilots and chutes?


Perhaps the pilots are Hobbits???
Click to expand...
Short answer, don't fill the tanks, and don't do acro with heavy passengers seems to be the common theme.
Click to expand...
Old topic and will probably cause some thread drift but I seem to remember fuel carried in the wings does not count towards the acro GW.
 
TractorPilot said:
The RV's are capable acro mounts, but they can build energy (aka airspeed) quickly on downlines due their slick shape.

I highly recommend Four Winds Aviation in McKinney, Tx. for quality acro instruction. They have a Super Decathlon and a Pitts S-2B.
Click to expand...

All my acro training was in Decathlons and biplanes too. With all those struts and wires and wings hanging out there, downline speed management was not too much of an issue. Then going on to aerobat my RV-6 a bit, the contrast is pretty obvious in that regard.

Raises the question for me, is there a acro trainer that gives a better preview of RV downline behavior than a Decathlon or a Pitts? If you could find someone to instruct you in an Extra or a MX2, would that be more like it? I've never flown any of those unlimited aerobatic monoplanes, but they look like they would have a lot less drag; though I don't know, maybe the wing is long and thick enough that the drag is there.

--Paul
 
I think maybe there is too much emphasis on the often repeated fact that RVs gather speed quickly when pointed downhill. Yes, they build speed more quickly than some other a/c types, but regarding performing aerobatics I don't think it's much of an issue for anyone who has had proper aerobatic training and is aware of this. In other words, I wouldn't worry about replicating this characteristic in an aerobatic trainer. I think this characteristic of RV's would most likely get into trouble the person who is attempting to learn aerobatics on their own and botches a maneuver, is too tentative pulling, doesn't pull power, gets near Vne, panics, and then really pulls hard.

Take the loop, for example. Anyone who has learned to do a loop properly will perform the same pull/G's on the exit as at the beginning...and as clean as RVs are, like any other airplane they will LOSE speed if your entry and exit altitude is the same. You will actually have to increase power (if you have any left) on the downline to retain the energy you started with. No need to pull power. RV's are clean, but their ultra low aspect ratio wings generate a lot of induced drag when they are loaded up. So don't be afraid to load the airplane...you won't accelerate downhill as fast as you think. Just don't wait too late to pull. :)
 
I would have to respectfully disagree about not emphasizing the fact that RVs gain speed downhill. There tend to be a good deal of people moving into an RV from a draggy production plane and thinking they can now ease into some home-taught acro. One blown roll ending up in a high speed split-S could be very bad.

I have seen an example of an overspeed and resultant overload of a slippery (non RV) experimental. I was suprised, but very glad, that their plane stayed together after seeing the damage.
 
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Yes, I understand what you are saying. You are talking about self-taught acro which is a bad idea in any airplane. My point was that for folks who have had appropriate training, they shouldn't let the RVs' characteristics cause them any apprehension about continuing on with aerobatics in their RV.

I guess I would rather say "don't teach yourself aerobatics in your RV", than "watch those downlines for speed buildup". The latter seems to imply that as long as you're cognizant and carefully attentive to this, that you can ease yourself into flight envelopes (aerobatics) for which you have no training or have previously experienced.
 
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