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Is the RV-6/6A a red headed stepchild?

FORANE

FORANE

Well Known Member
I am considering the purchase of a RV-6A and looked at the Vans website:
http://www.vansaircraft.com/
Figured I would look up the performance specs of the 6A with different engines so I hovered the cursor over the aircraft tab at the top of the page. One model seems to be missing...
 
It's missing from the main front pages at Vans website because it is a discontinued whole aircraft kit model... and has been superseded by the RV-7.

Most replacement parts and even certain sub-kits (wing, fuselage, finishing kit) are still available from Vans.

If you were just absolutely bent on building a new -6 today, you could still buy all those kits and use a tail from an RV-7 on it. But you could finish building a -7 much more quickly and enjoy bigger fuel tanks, slightly roomier cabin, higher gross weight and official blessing from Vans to mount a 200hp engine on it.
 
I think he is talking about buying one. Not building.

He just wants to make sure that Van's still support the aircraft, which they DO!
 
Mel said:
I think he is talking about buying one. Not building.

He just wants to make sure that Van's still support the aircraft, which they DO!
Click to expand...

Right, building is not me; I would be buying one. Good to see ongoing support.
 
Q: Is it? A: Yes!

It is. It is the red-headed stepchild. The only RV ever "cancelled."

But to a great many people, it's the beautiful one. The one the other children should honor and emulate.

I'll never build a -6. But it was my first RV ride, and I'll never argue with anyone who believes it's the best.

--
Stephen

p.s. yes, I know you were just asking a simple logistical question. Something about a warm Friday afternoon just has me feeling happy about the history of RVs in general, and their positive influence on my life these last few years specifically. You needn't worry about buying a -6. There're still more of them than any other model, and the fleet of all -6's figure prominently in most of the trip reports around here.
 
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I bought one myself last year... no worries about support. It's solidly there. And there are not really many unique pre-purchase inspection issues much different from the other RV models either. About the only thing I could think of is if it was built using the really thin 0.016" skins on the tailfeathers, you might want to check for cracks there... but early -6's share that issue in common with many -4's too. Anybody familiar with inspecting RVs in general ought be also qualified to inspect a -6.
 
Wouldn't trade my -6 for any -7.

And let me expound on the .016" skin issues. If built correctly, there is absolutely no problem with these control surfaces. Mine and many more have been flying for over 20 years without a single crack. 99% of the ones that cracked were not properly bent before riveting. Yes that needs to be checked, but if they are not already cracked, they probably won't.
 
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fatherson said:
But to a great many people, it's the beautiful one.
Click to expand...

It really is! :p

The profile view of a -6 (but not the nosedragger -6A) sitting on the ground looks like what a hotrod airplane ought to look like. It's sleek, it's naturally a "fastback", and the original short tail is the perfect aesthetic height.

Imagine this with the canopy closed and the pickup truck and fence not in the background :D
IMG_7306.JPG


EDIT: And BTW, mine does have the 0.016" skins on the tail too and they are in perfect shape. I have seen a -6 that had been flown hard... lots of acro... and it was sporting a few skin cracks.
 
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Neal@F14 said:
It really is! :p

The profile view of a -6 (but not the nosedragger -6A) sitting on the ground looks like what a hotrod airplane ought to look like. It's sleek, it's naturally a "fastback", and the original short tail is the perfect aesthetic height.

Imagine this with the canopy closed and the pickup truck and fence not in the background :D
IMG_7306.JPG


EDIT: And BTW, mine does have the 0.016" skins on the tail too and they are in perfect shape. I have seen a -6 that had been flown hard... lots of acro... and it was sporting a few skin cracks.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. The small tail six is the best looking of the RV line of two place airplanes..
 
The Recorded Speeds of Actual Amateur Built RV-6 and RV-6A Airplanes

I copied this complete record of all 146 RV-6 and RV-6A airplane race flights in the Sport Air Racing League since it started in 2007 and sorted them by speed (RV Blues are 360 powered and the RV Reds are 320 powered):

Date Class Aircraft Type Pilot Speed Kts Speed MPH
10/13/12 RV Blue RV-6 Greer, Charlie 196.75 226.41
7/22/12 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 196.51 226.14
7/22/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 195.26 224.70
7/27/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 194.56 223.89
5/25/13 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 194.51 223.84
4/13/13 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 193.71 222.92
11/20/10 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 192.80 221.87
5/3/13 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 192.30 221.3
5/25/13 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 190.97 219.77
10/27/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 189.21 217.73
10/6/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 189.28 217.68
4/20/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 188.36 216.80
11/3/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 188.22 216.6
4/27/13 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 188.05 216.4
11/3/12 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 187.78 216.09
6/16/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 187.74 216.05
8/25/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 187.68 215.98
10/30/10 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 187.52 215.83
8/11/12 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 187.52 215.79
4/13/13 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 187.26 215.5
10/6/12 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 186.89 215.07
5/20/07 RV Blue RV-6 Attaway, Robbie 186.47 214.58
7/9/11 RV Blue RV-6 Reed, Gary 186.45 214.57
8/11/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 185.39 213.35
4/28/12 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 185.38 213.33
10/13/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 185.33 213.27
8/24/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 185.16 213.08
4/20/08 RV Blue RV-6 Berry, Damon 185.11 213.06
9/29/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 185.02 212.91
4/21/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 184.97 212.86
11/10/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 184.77 212.63
4/28/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 184.38 212.18
4/13/13 RV Blue RV-6 JT Racing 184.06 211.81
5/3/13 RV Blue RV-6 J&T Racing 183.99 211.74
7/7/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 183.99 211.74
4/6/13 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 183.95 211.69
8/18/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 183.86 211.59
11/23/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 183.83 211.55
5/31/09 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 183.81 211.52
10/13/12 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 183.72 211.42
4/2/11 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 183.41 211.07
6/9/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 183.34 210.98
8/18/12 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 183.28 210.92
11/10/12 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 183.28 210.91
10/18/09 RV Blue RV-6 Brooks, Chris 183.15 210.76
5/25/13 RV Blue RV-6 JT Racing 182.77 210.33
4/6/13 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 182.69 210.24
3/31/12 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 182.50 210.01
8/25/12 RV Blue RV-6 Reed, Gary 182.36 209.86
3/16/09 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 182.35 209.85
8/13/11 RV Blue RV-6 Reed, Gary 181.98 209.41
9/10/11 RV Blue RV-6 Brooks, Chris 181.70 209.09
10/29/11 RV Blue RV-6 Brooks, Chris 181.50 208.87
4/14/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 181.47 208.84
5/4/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 181.45 208.81
5/14/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 181.22 208.54
10/2/10 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 181.23 208.54
3/31/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 180.87 208.14
4/20/08 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 180.72 208.01
7/18/10 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 180.62 207.85
4/16/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 180.64 207.79
3/16/09 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 180.43 207.64
8/24/08 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 180.28 207.47
10/19/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 180.26 207.44
4/21/12 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 180.01 207.15
7/23/07 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 179.99 207.13
7/26/10 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 179.83 206.94
4/2/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 179.82 206.93
5/26/12 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 178.74 206.62
8/22/10 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 179.45 206.51
5/26/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 178.44 206.28
6/14/09 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 178.98 205.97
7/23/07 RV Red RV-6A Klusmier, Larry 178.90 205.87
6/29/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 178.63 205.56
11/20/10 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 178.53 205.45
7/23/09 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 178.52 205.43
10/29/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 178.49 205.40
6/18/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 178.47 205.37
6/6/10 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 178.04 204.89
10/2/10 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 177.52 204.28
6/14/09 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 177.43 204.18
7/9/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 177.43 204.18
4/14/12 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 177.3 204.03
10/15/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 177.25 203.97
5/4/08 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 177.23 203.95
9/22/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 177.22 203.94
7/23/07 RV Red RV-6 Weisgerber, David 177.92 203.91
4/27/13 RV Blue RV-6 J&T Racing 177.10 203.8
9/27/09 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 177.05 203.61
10/4/09 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 176.90 203.57
10/28/07 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 176.86 203.52
6/29/08 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 176.66 203.29
11/23/08 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 176.46 203.07
11/22/09 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 176.35 202.94
11/18/07 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 176.33 202.92
10/8/11 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 176.13 202.68
10/30/10 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 175.93 202.50
10/5/08 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 175.66 202.15
4/11/10 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 175.56 202.03
9/10/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 175.32 201.76
6/15/08 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 175.11 201.51
10/18/09 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 175.03 201.42
5/20/07 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 174.22 200.49
5/31/09 RV Blue RV-6 McCright, Dennis 174.17 200.43
4/6/13 RV Blue RV-6 Huff, Jim 173.94 200.17
9/26/10 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 173.42 199.43
10/28/07 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 173.02 199.11
7/7/12 RV Blue RV-6A Klewin, Kurt 172.79 198.84
10/19/08 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 172.62 198.65
3/31/12 RV Blue RV-6 Waggoner, Mark 172.40 198.39
11/18/07 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 171.11 196.91
4/25/10 RV Blue RV-6 Waggoner, Mark 170.82 196.45
4/12/09 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 169.93 195.55
7/17/07 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 169.91 195.53
6/6/10 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 169.73 195.32
8/22/10 RV Blue RV-6A Kukura, Dave 169.62 195.20
5/20/07 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 168.72 194.16
9/24/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 168.62 194.04
6/4/11 RV Red RV-6 Weisgerber, David 167.82 193.12
10/13/12 RV Red RV-6A Ahrens, David 167.42 192.66
10/7/07 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 167.20 192.40
5/25/13 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 167.01 192.19
8/24/08 RV Red RV-6 Smith, Jim 166.21 191.27
7/9/11 RV Blue RV-6A Klewin, Kurt 165.48 190.44
3/31/12 RV Blue RV-6A Gehle, Dave 165.08 189.97
4/30/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 164.94 189.80
10/15/11 RV Red RV-6 Behrends, Steve 164.72 189.55
7/25/11 RV Blue RV-6 Barnes, Jeff 164.24 189.00
4/12/09 RV Blue RV-6A Nymeyer, Rance 164.12 188.86
11/19/11 RV Blue RV-6A Moore, Mike 163.43 188.08
4/16/11 RV Red RV-6 Smith, Jim 163.38 187.94
10/18/09 RV Red RV-6A Phillips, Mark 162.66 187.19
4/20/08 RV Red RV-6A Heathco, Charlie 161.75 186.17
11/3/12 RV Red RV-6A Heathco, Charlie 160.07 184.21
8/22/10 RV Blue RV-6 Katz, Paul 159.73 183.82
10/15/11 RV Red RV-6 Bivens, Darrell 159.35 183.38
10/28/07 RV Blue RV-6A Lee, Ron 158.66 182.59
4/6/13 RV Red RV-6 Smith, Jim 155.81 179.3
5/14/11 RV Red RV-6A Bivens, Darrell 154.86 178.21
8/18/12 RV Red RV-6 Inkster, Ralph 153.42 176.56
6/13/10 RV Red RV-6A Hungelmann, Bill 152.37 175.35
5/28/11 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 149.97 172.58
4/6/13 RV Red RV-6A Heathco, Charlie 145.01 166.88
5/14/11 RV Red RV-6A McGinnis, Patrick 144.92 166.77
7/27/09 RV Red RV-6 Campbell Steve & John Popel 138.33 159.19
4/25/10 RV Blue RV-6 Thompson, Mike 130.60 150.19

Bob Axsom
 
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Still more RV-6/6As flying then any other model by far, and more then all its replacement aircraft (7/7A and 9/9A) combined.

Maybe a better title to this thread would be "Is the RV-6/6A an older college aged brother from a previous marriage that all the other RV siblings think is cool because he has his own room and fast car?"
 
One of the best.

I have flown both and the -6, -6A have a "feel" that you simply can't put your finger on and hard to describe accurately...responsive, delightful, compliant and obedient don't quite cut it. I had mine for 5 years/500 hours and have not flown a -7 that feels quite as good.

...just ask Rosie :)

Best,
 
I wish vans would make access to the -6 page available through a normal link, they could simply list it as discontinued. I just pick one of the other aircraft and change out the 7 (for example) for 6 in the URL.

I just bought a nice -6 in the middle of May, great aircraft. I have changed the engine controls and the seatbelts/seatbelt cables. When I talked to Vans to make sure the anchor points on this early aircraft were the same for the cables the conversation went very quickly. He was obviously very comfortable dealing with a -6, as you would expect with so many out there.

As has been stated already, you can buy most any part you need as easy as you can for the other models. Definitely not a red-headed stepchild!
 
There are no parts that I can think of that couldn't be fabricated from the plans if they where ever made not available. The 6 plans aren't just assembly instructions, they detail the parts for fabrication. Materials, dimensions, temper, etc...
These are really simply built machines and there is nothing complicated about the parts.
 
Best affordability!

Of two place RV's except possibly the -4, the 6's are easily the most affordable of the series and arguably the most fun and responsive. If I were in the market today, it would def be one of these fine machines....
 
I love my 6A

For a red headed step child it is Van's most popular model. There are more six's flying then any other model. :) I love mine!

Check it out.
33v22xs.jpg
 
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I think you are describing me!

plehrke said:
"Is the RV-6/6A an older college aged brother from a previous marriage that all the other RV siblings think is cool because he has his own room and fast car?"
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that the Valkyrie and Tsamsiyu secretly feel exactly this way!
 
I'm getting a warm and fuzzy

This is the most reassuring thread I have ever read. ;) I've been working on mine for over a decade and getting close to the finish line. After spending thousands of hours and more cash than I care to admit, doubts do enter your thinking , especially after Van's moved (hid) the 6/6A info on their site.:eek: The comments here on this thread are from some of the most experienced and respected RV pilots out there and most reassuring to a builder like myself who's bet everything on his now obsolete decision. :) Putting the completion numbers up there really puts it into prospective. The thread is a good read for anyone considering a 6 or 6A. I especially liked Pierre's post. If there's anybody in the world that can accurately evaluate an aircraft, it's Pierre. :) Thank you for your honest comments.:)
 
Sixes are well supported, no question. Here is a pic of my short tail six. I realize it is hard to make it look sexy next to a black Rocket with flames, but I think she does OK. :)

DSC_4980.JPG
 
The RV-6 data is missing from the Vans website to avoid sending mixed signals to those that come searching for info. Since the RV-6 was replaced by the RV-7 (which in simple terms is a modernized, easier to build RV-6), and is no longer available to start as a new project (as mentioned, projects under way are still fully supported), it would be very confusing to RV newbies.

The info is still available...
Try searching for older archived copies of the web site by using the wayback machine (Google it).

BTW, it is far from being a redheaded stepchild in the eyes of the people that work at vans... Of the 8 employees that have there own RV, 5 of them are RV-6(A)'s
 
Tom, furthermore, the first time you blow away a Comanche or Cessna 210, you'll be that much more assured of having made a great choice in airplanes.

A friend of mine has a 7 year old Cirrus and I offered to race for pinks and he said no:) His new Cirrus is a few knots faster than my -10 or the -6A but it also set him back close to 6 big ones!

Keep pounding...you'll never regret it.

Best,
 
The 6/6A IS kind of a red-headed step child. I was in Van's tent at OSH in 2001 to order my fuselage kit and one of the guys said something like "we're not selling those any more". Someone else jumped in and clarified that they were, indeed, supporting existing -6/-6A builders; they just weren't selling any more start-up kits. At that point, I had finished the empennage and one wing, so I was really too deep into my build to switch to a -7A. Over the years I had cause to envy those builders, as they finished their kits more quickly due to there being no need to build jigs and make a gazillion measurements before drilling holes.

You need to remember that the -6 evolved from the -4, so there are a lot of goofy areas. One of those is the angled aileron pushrods that result in some strange holes that must be carved into the rear spar because of the monkey-motion made by the pushrods. The wings plug into the fuselage with the spars meeting in the middle. Then you have to stand on your head and insert 72 bolts through the spars and center bulkhead in order to secure the wings. It's far worse with the A model because the gear clusters are...well...a cluster.

I realize this all means nothing to you because you're buying, but it helps to know what the builder went through.

As for the size of the tail, my -6A kit was one of the later ones, and I got the tail group from the -8. IMHO, the tall vertical stabilizer looks better on the nosedraggers than does the original v-stab.

At any rate, I enjoy flying my bird, and most of the traumatic experiences are forgotten.

Jim Bower
RV-6A N143DJ
St. Louis
 
v098.jpg
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I may be a bit biased, but a 6A with a slider and short tail is the best look'n RV of the bunch.
 
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