What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

IO-540

sheldon957

Active Member
I did a search and came up empty. Has or Is anyone building a RV-14 with the IO-540? I know Vans is pretty solid on their recommended engines but the rockets have been a pretty successful conversion.

I am interested in the 14 after considering the 7 for a while. It seems it is just too new of a design for many options to have been built out there.

How many 14's are actually flying? The order form doesn't have all sections even listed yet.

Thanks,

Sheldon
 
Just one flying, factory prototype. All kits are not released/available yet, my guess at least another year to go.
 
Thanks for the info Ron. Another year before the rest of aircraft is ready? By what I have read here, there are close to 200 numbers assigned. That's a lot of people without a plane to finish. I hate waiting! :D
 
Last edited:
I know Vans is pretty solid on their recommended engines but the rockets have been a pretty successful conversion.

I guess it depends on how you look at it, but the rockets were not really a conversion of an RV to allow for a 540.
It was a new design, planning for the use of the 540 and it happened to use some RV-4 parts.

Putting a 540 on an RV-14 would be using an airframe specifically designed for nothing heavier than an IO-390. Doing so would require some major adjustments to correct the C.G., which was able to be compensated for during the design of the rocket.
Even then only a small part of the entire (re)design equation would have been solved.
Just a couple examples -
Landing gear loads?
Spin recovery?

Both of which were extensively tested (at least some of the reason for a delay in the release of some kit sections).

Put a 540 on the front, and all of that testing is null and void.
 
Another year before the rest of aircraft is ready?

The RV-14 kit is being designed around the same philosophy as the RV-12.
It will be a complete kit.
It will have a few different choices for a complete easy to install instrument panel / avionics, fully integrated to easily hook up to all of the harnesses and other equipment installed during the airframe build.
The powerplant kit will be the same way. Entirely complete and easy to install.

An RV-14 could be built in the traditional sense that RV's always have been, without purchasing these last two kits.

The final (fourth of six for the complete kit) airframe kit should be available sometime early 2015. This is what in RV tradition is called the finish kit. With it, and the other three kits that are available now, a builder can complete an RV-14 in the traditional manner of doing the panel and engine installation on their own (which some people prefer to do anyway).
 
This was a little bit of a surprise to me from the beginning. Build a complete new airframe designed around a fairly new engine that costs as much as the 540 (at least close), and for which there are very few used engines available (angle valve 360's maybe). Why not design something for even better performance and out a 540 on the front from the drawing board?! The -10 has made great strides towards draining the used market for 540's, but they are still out there. Fewer parts to stock, etc. to me hay would have made much more sense for the -14.

All that said, I am sure they had their reasons, and it's their choice how they design it.
 
This was a little bit of a surprise to me from the beginning. Build a complete new airframe designed around a fairly new engine that costs as much as the 540 (at least close), and for which there are very few used engines available (angle valve 360's maybe).

Jesse,
You must comparing the IO-390 to an overhauled IO-540.

The EOM price for the 390 from Van's is actually slightly less than the OEM price of a new IO-360 (200HP)

The IO-360 (200) is also a good engine choice (weight is very close to that of a IO-390). There are still a lot of those in the used market.
 
Scott,

Is the IO360 200hp really a good choice? I have a really smooth A1D and a whirlwind prop (RV200) sitting in the wings if so. Weight is close for the engine, the prop is quite a bit lighter. I question the extra horsepower of the 390 - is the extra 10hp desired or needed?

Appreciate your thoughts.
 
Scott,

Is the IO360 200hp really a good choice? I have a really smooth A1D and a whirlwind prop (RV200) sitting in the wings if so. Weight is close for the engine, the prop is quite a bit lighter. I question the extra horsepower of the 390 - is the extra 10hp desired or needed?

Appreciate your thoughts.

Is the extra power desired? You have to answer that one your self.
Is it needed? No. Particularly for a builder that can resist adding a lot of un-needed weight (full leather interior, etc.)
The 390 was chosen because of the desire to design a larger 2 place SBS RV (with more range, baggage space, etc.) but still have about the same overall performance as an RV-7. If you desire that, then the full 210 HP is needed.

BTW, in reality the IO-390 is about 15 HP more.... my understanding is that even though the IO-360 is rated at 200 HP, a stock, unmodified one will usually dyno at about 195 HP.

But if that level of power will meet your needs, the angle valve IO-360 will be a good engine choice.
Without making some other changes to compensate for W&B, a lighter weight prop (particularly on the slightly lighter IO-360) will cause some loss in utility in regards to your ability to fill that larger baggage compartment.
 
I am a rocket guy and the first time I saw the RV14 I said to myself that I wanted one with a 540. There is a considerable difference in the fuselage structure between a RV4 and a rocket to accommodate the extra weight of the 540. I eagerly awaited the RV14 fuselage kit, hoping that it contained RV10 structural parts in the fuselage/firewall area. It does not. The structure is very sturdy looking but would not in my opinion support the extra weight of a 540.
Of course anything can be modified but this would be a major step, one that I am not prepared to do with this well designed aircraft.
The kit is a marvellous step forward in the RV series in terms of part quality and ease of assembly. Basically there is not much "building" going on in this kit, it is an out of the box part A fits part B kit. My rulers and sharpies are parked on the window sill, never needed. My tin snips get rusty waiting for something to cut.
Edge finishing is likely the most labour intensive part of the project. This is not to say that the edges are rough, they are not, they are very precise, but they still have to be cleaned up and there are a lot of edges. Perhaps the next evolution of the kit will have polished edges included....., man, am I getting lazy.
 
Back
Top