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Tandem or side-by-side seating?

Tandem or side-by-side?

  • Tandem

    Votes: 39 25.8%
  • Side-by-side

    Votes: 112 74.2%

  • Total voters
    151
  • Poll closed .
I voted side by side on the advice of my wife… who refuses to sit in a back seat.

Tandem is fine for the pilot, but do you want to sit in the back?
 
Back Seat drivers

I voted side by side on the advice of my wife… who refuses to sit in a back seat.

Tandem is fine for the pilot, but do you want to sit in the back?

Well, yes if it's an Extra 330 or a Super cub, the back seat suits me just fine.

And if I get offered a ride in an F-18 or F15, YES, that would be just fine also.
Actually it would make my decade, just in case anybody has the ability to make that happen.

:D

I fully expect VANS has done the math on the money, so I would bet 25 cents on the side by side with either lots of baggage space or 2 more seats in the back.
 
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If I remember correctly, someone pointed out in a different thread that they said 'control stick' in their OSH presentation, which suggests side-by-side with center single control, like Zenith 750.
 
They did say they are working on an RV-15 and an RV-16... maybe we'll get a two-seater and a four-seater?
 
They did say they are working on an RV-15 and an RV-16... maybe we'll get a two-seater and a four-seater?

That would be my guess.

RV-15 2+2 with an IO-390 engine (perhaps using the RV-14 firewall forward).
RV-16 as a side by side two seat with a Rotax.

But shoot fire, a word or two from Van’s right about now would be nice.

Carl
 
They did say they are working on an RV-15 and an RV-16... maybe we'll get a two-seater and a four-seater?

I still think the -16 will be the tandem -14. Bigger than an 8, uses the -10 wing, can take the bigger engine. But I've been wrong before.

On tandem vs. side by side I greatly prefer the pilot experience of the tandem for the 99% of my flights that are solo. But tandem is much easier to load and keep in the CG range. My -8A is more limited in who/what I can carry by CG than by gross weight.
 
Just one

Well, yes if it's an Extra 330 or a Super cub, the back seat suits me just fine.

And if I get offered a ride in an F-18 or F15, YES, that would be just fine also.
Actually it would make my decade, just in case anybody has the ability to make that happen.

:D

I fully expect VANS has done the math on the money, so I would bet 25 cents on the side by side with either lots of baggage space or 2 more seats in the back.

Preferred seat configuration? Actually...
ONE (30 degree reclined)Seat,
ONE (GE-F110) engine.
Trust me, 24 years flying it (F16C) tends to ruin one for anything else.

The RV15 however I agree will have FOUR seats, much like a Vans Cessna 180 or a 2+2 ala Glastar.
:)

Smokey
 
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Tandem. Like a 180

Tandem,, like a 180.

Talking Grass strip capable here…
An airplane to use for camping trips? To the beach. Carry a load. What do you see most often…? 180. And Super Cubs

The Standard / Utility / Back Country / Family every day airplane is the Cessna 180 182 series. And the Super Cub type ,, Husky, Legend, Carbon Cub..

Van’s will make an offering that will fill this need in the kit plane industry.
Super Cubs are many, ,,,,,lots of choices. Market is saturated.
The market is filled with small rotex choices,,, Highlander , Rans, Kitfox, no need for Van’s to go there.

What’s missing is a 180 sized airplane. Minus 400 lbs and two cylinders.

The experimental Van’s 180 needs to be 1300 pounds empty. O-360 to IO-390 lycoming. Featuring Sticks, struts, 66 gallons, large baggage door.
 
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The Mighty Maule

The experimental Van’s 180 needs to be 1300 pounds empty. O-360 to IO-390 lycoming. Featuring Sticks, struts, 66 gallons, large baggage door.

Hey Jay my brother!
Great post! (not surprised)

Your description of the "Vans 180" (or in my case Maule) is my current airplanes (M5-180) numbers almost to a tee. I will add it to the list, the RV15 prototype IMHO!
:)
V/R
Smokey

PS: yeah I'm RV-less right now but enjoying the M5 immensely. Gotta chat, may visit to build, again!
 
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That would be my guess.

RV-15 2+2 with an IO-390 engine (perhaps using the RV-14 firewall forward).
RV-16 as a side by side two seat with a Rotax.

But shoot fire, a word or two from Van’s right about now would be nice.

Carl

RV-16 as a side by side two seat with a Rotax.

With Rotax 916 :)
 
Clue about seating arrangement?

On the recent Super Aero Live video, Greg Hughes said the wooden "Pigeon" ergonomic mockup is done. However, they still wont reveal the seating arrangement. This makes me think it may have two side-by-side seats, with a large baggage area that may or may not include two more seats (2 + 2). Whether they have two more seats in the back may be contingent upon their flight testing and load carrying capability. Essentially, they could be wavering between a Glastar style 2 seat vs. the Sportsman 2 + 2.

If it was a simple question of 2 in tandem vs. 2 side-by-side v. 4 seat, you would think this should be set in stone sufficiently for them to reveal that aspect of the design.

Who knows. Maybe they enjoy laughing at all the speculative discussion too much to give us more facts.
 
Here's my thought process/conjecture. Vans has mentioned it will be a tail dragger to start with tricycle gear option in the near future. While a tandem taildragger looks very cool you don't see a lot of GA tandem in tricycle gear. Therefore side by side seating.

As far as seats it will be a two seater with a moderate amount of cargo capacity but I doubt it will be a 2+2 for the simple reason that the vast majority of RVs are 2 seaters and Vans will be designing it for the majority of fliers who aren't going to be hauling a moose out of Alaska (which would be really cool to do).

Engine size will be O-320 to 360 range, again not a mega load hauler but a good performer.
 
Bush

I would think that a side by side would be harder to taxi thru the bush. I agree that rv15 will probably be a tandem.
I think the rv16 will be the side by side 4 seater. ( see i didnt forget what was said at osh)

I hope the 15 is a tandem, then i can put the throttles on the left, like God intended ( or was that dog?)
 
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Well if these pictures are real then Vans decided to go side by side and I'll sadly have to look elsewhere for my next plane. I wish they would have made it tandem because then it would really stand out. There are plenty of side by side small back country taildraggers, but almost none are tandem and all metal and new.

Vans is calling it the "RV8X" for now to distract?
 

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RV-15 Sighting?

The plane in those photos looks like a Cessna 150 fastback taildragger. If it wasn't for the placement of the baggage area windows, I'd say it looks identical.
 
VANS designers are good but there's only so much you can do to a plane. Maybe they'll make it cruise faster with a lower stall speed, and more fuel efficient, and all of this with a smaller engine, but the looks can't be changed too much.

That's why I was hoping for a STOL, tandem, all metal plane. How many of those are out there right now?
 
RV-15 Sighting?

VANS designers are good but there's only so much you can do to a plane. Maybe they'll make it cruise faster with a lower stall speed, and more fuel efficient, and all of this with a smaller engine, but the looks can't be changed too much.

I agree completely. I figured it would look very similar to one of the existing high wing designs. As long as it performs better, and has more room than the Cessna 150, many would be content.

Still way too soon to determine what boxes this design will check off.
 
Boot leg pictures

That airplane in the above, grainy pictures ,,, looks like,
(to me and Stephen)

RV14 VS
RV 14 Rudder
RV14 rear fuselage
RV14 HS
RV14 firewall forward.
Base on ball,,,, not a home run.. not a 180 replacement.
I like the idea of a High wing RV14,, !! Pretty nice improvement.
 
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Well if these pictures are real then Vans decided to go side by side and I'll sadly have to look elsewhere for my next plane. I wish they would have made it tandem because then it would really stand out. There are plenty of side by side small back country taildraggers, but almost none are tandem and all metal and new.

Don't forget about the RV-16. Maybe it will be the tandem.
 
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