RV-10 for 'round the world trip

[tritonsubs]

I'm new to the forum and to Van's aircraft and am trying to evaluate the suitability of an RV-10 for an around the world flight my wife and I are planning. The most notable requirement is a 2400 nm minimum range with a 15% over gross permit (3100 max gross, 1450 useful). Subtracting payload this would leave 1000 lbs/166 gallons of fuel.

Nys aircraft offers 120 gallon fuel capacity for the RV-10 and with taking out the aft seats I assume you could put a custom built 50 gallon tank aft.

Crashing on takeoff would not be good! But, that aside, do you experienced RV-10 owners think the fuel could be put within the proper CG and that an IO540 running LOP could get 2400 nm range? What sort of speed vs. fuel burn do you actually get?

Alternatives are a Mooney Ovation GX2, a C-210, or C-182 with an SMA diesel. If only one could get that SMA 235 HP diesel for an RV-10!

Thanks,

Bruce

[flyboy1963]

Gee, I think I'd like to do a 'round the world trip in one of these stylish Triton Subs!!!!!;

"....... an entire fleet of luxury submarine
offerings up to 213 feet in length and $90 million
in price."

...you DO take Mastercard, right?!?!?
.... put me down for 1/8" of one, ( $4400!) and I'll finance the rest , ok?

sorry, couldn't resist. Makes going UP 1000m look pretty cheap by comparison to going DOWN, eh?

[tritonsubs]

Perry,

If 1000 meters isn't deep enough, our newest offering will take you and two friends to 11,000 meters (35,800 feet), the bottom of Challenger Deep, the deepest spot in the ocean.

[Mike S]

Originally Posted by tritonsubs

I'm new to the forum and to Van's aircraft and Thanks,

Bruce

Bruce, welcome aboard the good ship VAF

The gross weight is set by the builder, so you will not need to do a permit for 115%

The ten flys pretty good heavy, really surprised me.

There are a few folks now who have put double tanks in the wing, so it is got a short track record.

for an aux tank, have you considered an external tank, in a belly pod??

[fehdxl]

There's a guy I met at Oshkosh who is building a -10 specifically for an around the world trip When I track down his name, I'll pass it along. Jim

[RV10inOz]

Do your fuel maths on 10.8 gph LOP at 160 knots, up higher you will get a bit more TAS or a bit less burn.

165 gallons of fuel is a fair bit if my mental maths was correct.

[N941WR]

You might want to look at the Ravin.

It uses the same engine as the -10 and cruses at 196 kts (226 mph) TAS at 75% power and 6500'.

Here's the kicker, Range with 10% fuel reserve: 2000 naut miles (2300 stat miles)

If you pulled it back to 65% power you might get it to 2400 nautical miles.

[Steve Barnes]

My IO 540 burns 8.8 gallons per hour at 2100 RPM's and 19 inches lop. You need to find out how fast a heavy RV10 will go at given power setting from other owners. My guess is a hundred fifty knots plus, at 9 gallons per hour.

If my figures are correct you should be able to go 2500 nautical miles on 150 gallons of fuel if the 10 will burn 9 gph.

I am basing these figures on my super six which goes 165 kts at a little less than 9 GPH at 10'000 ft.

The key to flying long distances is not fast you can go, but how efficiently you can fly the aircraft and run the engine.

Steve Barnes "The Builders Coach"

[flion]

The new Sport Aviation has an article on the -10. The factory plane gets about 11 gph at 15000' doing 160 knots true. However, to be prudent for a flight like you are planning, assume the winds will be against you, the burn not as good (engines get rough over water), the speed not as high (due to loading), etc. You might also consider putting the extra tank in the baggage area; the factory keeps lead shot back there when they are flying with just two people to keep the CG right. That way you can also use the back seat area for reachable cargo (I think I might like to have survival gear closer than the baggage area in case of a ditching).

For inspiration, try to find a copy of Jon Johanson's book Aiming High, about his flying an RV-4 around the world.

[pierre smith]

I just flew my -10 LOP at 60% power this week and the Dynon 120 said 1100 mile range with full tanks...60 gallons.

I've also flown it near 3,000 lbs and it did well.

Don't have a clue about range with a load as heavy as you're planning.

Best,