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Swap an RV-8A Demo Ride for a Hotel Room?

jjhoneck

Well Known Member
Hi Everyone -- first post here.

My wife, Mary, and I are both pilots. We've flown spam cans for many years -- our current ride (for the last 11 years) is a Piper Pathfinder -- hauling our family from one end of the continent to the other. The kids are almost grown, now, and it's time to fly something fun! And an RV-8 is in our future.

Last weekend, after the Mustang Beach Shrimp Boil in Port Aransas, TX, we were lucky enough to snag a demo ride in Jay Pratt's gorgeous RV-8. It was an amazing flight, and we are eternally thankful to Jay for showing us his beautiful aircraft, but my wife isn't sold on a taildragger. She wants an -8A model.

Since ground handling is quite different, I'm thinking it would be good to get demo flights in an -8A. To that end, we own Amelia's Landing Hotel -- an aviation themed hotel -- in Port Aransas. Would anyone in Texas be willing to trade demo flights here at KRAS in exchange for a free night in the hotel?
 
Great offer.

Welcome Jay and Mary...neat trade offer:)

I'll bet that before the day is over, you'll have a taker or two.

Best,
 
How about a 9A

Hi Jay. I've stayed with y'all several times and enjoyed it very much. If a 9A would work I would gladly trade.
 
Hi Everyone -- first post here. . .

Took you twenty months and insomnia to get you to come out of lurker mode? You should really try to be more active on aviation forums, they offer a world of insight without all the political mess found in so many places. :rolleyes:
 
Jay,

Welcome to the dark side.......

There are several folks from the old Cherokee board that are now RV converts.

I've been so tied up with my build and RV orientated activities, it's been a long time since I attended one of your bashes at OSH or even knew you moved south.

Also, be careful inviting this crowd over to your OSH campsite. You might be surprised on how many just may show up. Just ask Bob Collins. :D

Good luck with your new endeavor! You know the next room renovation needs to be a RV room.

bob
 
Jay - I met you Saturday at the Shrimp Boil. I was in the yellow, white and blue RV9. Had a great time. You guys did a great job on the fly in.

In my opinion the side by sides make a better traveling airplane with all the space behind the seat and whomever is traveling with you isn't staring at the back of your head. Flying from the back isn't as much fun either as the perspective is much different and there are no gauges or TV's to look at. Of course you will loose some of that fighter appeal of an 8 in military paint and swaggering across the ramp in your flight suit after deplaning from a 9 just isn't the same.

Just my opinion of course. I made the 8 vs 9 decision based on my perception of practicality and because it will be used for travel mostly. My flight suit is in the closet and is put on when I fly the L5 or PT26.
 
Jay! Glad to see you made the trip over from POA. :) I was wishing I could have made it down last weekend to meet you, but the 172 is too slow, weather was IFR and I have fuel tanks to build. One of these days, though.
 
jay, you will get takers...

don't know if you heard me but right after our departure on sunday from Mustang Beach I made a radio comment (to the other Jay) during your flight about how some folks will go to great lengths for a free night in a hotel. we enjoyed meeting you, staying at Amelia's Landing, and the weekend in Port Aransas. see you again before long. my only unsolicited advice to you is don't be too quick to rule out a taildragger! N261RM (taildragger!)/don olandese and mirza
 
Jay,

My wife and I were at Mustang Beach last weekend also. I have an RV-6 and she and I love it. I was going to get an A model when I first got the RV bug and as time went on I started liking the tailwheel better. It grows on you.

You may have seen it, it was in the grass towards the north end. Red/gray stripes on white.

My wife could not spend the night but discussed coming back soon and staying at your hotel. We made a reservation months ago but had to cancel due to IMC accross the area.

Anyway, I would be happy to give you a ride. I think your wife may want a side by side after she rides in one. I rode in the back of an 8 before, and did not do much for me....other than being in an RV in the air of course.

You will have plenty of offers coming I am sure. You can just give me the RV club price for the room.
 
don't know if you heard me but right after our departure on sunday from Mustang Beach I made a radio comment (to the other Jay) during your flight about how some folks will go to great lengths for a free night in a hotel. we enjoyed meeting you, staying at Amelia's Landing, and the weekend in Port Aransas. see you again before long. my only unsolicited advice to you is don't be too quick to rule out a taildragger! N261RM (taildragger!)/don olandese and mirza

Ha! That was you! Both of us wondered just who in the heck said that! lol!

I love taildraggers. Mary does not. Since in the air it doesn't matter, it's not worth forcing the issue -- so, an RV-8A is in our future.
 
Jay,

My wife and I were at Mustang Beach last weekend also. I have an RV-6 and she and I love it. I was going to get an A model when I first got the RV bug and as time went on I started liking the tailwheel better. It grows on you.

You may have seen it, it was in the grass towards the north end. Red/gray stripes on white.

My wife could not spend the night but discussed coming back soon and staying at your hotel. We made a reservation months ago but had to cancel due to IMC accross the area.

Anyway, I would be happy to give you a ride. I think your wife may want a side by side after she rides in one. I rode in the back of an 8 before, and did not do much for me....other than being in an RV in the air of course.

You will have plenty of offers coming I am sure. You can just give me the RV club price for the room.

Thanks for the offer, Kyle. Mary can't fly a -6, since for her to reach the rudder pedals she must put a bajillion pillows behind her. When she can reach the pedals, the stick is in her crotch -- with no landing flare possible.

The -8 has adjustable rudder pedals. Thus, our choice.
 
Amelas Landing

Jay and Mary,

Our group had fun staying at Amelas Landing. Hope to get back sometime soon.
The Port A Shrimboil was a sucess, Don and I have been to the Port A Shrimp Boil a couple of times before, how long ago was that? 12 years?
Traveling with Beautiful Doll and Yellowbird! is always fun. Thanks for coming with!

Thanks for everything
Jay & Carol
 
Jay and Mary,

Our group had fun staying at Amelas Landing. Hope to get back sometime soon.
The Port A Shrimboil was a sucess, Don and I have been to the Port A Shrimp Boil a couple of times before, how long ago was that? 12 years?
Traveling with Beautiful Doll and Yellowbird! is always fun. Thanks for coming with!

Thanks for everything
Jay & Carol

Thank YOU for the great demo rides, and for joining us for our Fly-in! Mary and I had a great time, and we are hoping to do it again in the Fall.

I've told Mary that an -8A would address some of her concerns re:ground handling. Any suggestions for whom I can beg/borrow/steal/bribe a demo flight from?
 
RV 8A

I see a 8A in Georgetown Tx for sale on Barnstormers might be close enough to try on for size/fit.
 
I see a 8A in Georgetown Tx for sale on Barnstormers might be close enough to try on for size/fit.

Yeah, I saw that, too. Too rich for my blood, and I would hate to waste the guy's time.

I suppose I could offer him the hotel room trade...
 
Thanks for the offer, Kyle. Mary can't fly a -6, since for her to reach the rudder pedals she must put a bajillion pillows behind her. When she can reach the pedals, the stick is in her crotch -- with no landing flare possible.

The -8 has adjustable rudder pedals. Thus, our choice.

I have a 27" inseam and fly a 6. I use a 1" piece of foam behind me, but I could move the rudder pedals closer a couple different ways if I wanted to. The are a few places that sell bolt on extensions, and the entire rudder pedal assembly can be moved forward and back, although that requires some work.

Perhaps the 6 you sat in had the pedals set for a really tall pilot.

It seems to me that the 8A is the least common of the all RVs that come in with an "A" version.
 
3 months too late...

Welcome aboard Jay & Mary!

I wish you'd have said something a little bit earlier ;) I picked up my -8A in JAN out in Phoenix and would gladly have detoured to give you guys a ride. But it's a tad far right now from down here in S FLA out to the Padre Island area, since I'm still plugged in and doing the ATC thing for another year or so.

WAY back when, just prior to getting hired on by Uncle Sam, I ran a 110' crew boat out of Ingleside and through Aransas Pass to a Chevron drill rig. Great memories out there!

Get the -8 of your choice - in the air they're pretty much the same (photo's not withstanding). The "A" is easier on the ground and cheaper to insure, and has a tad more knee room without the gear towers. If you think rough field ops are in your future, the "straight 8" is a better choice.

IMG_0792_zpsb04fb325.jpg


Pintail:
Pintail_zps7d2f254e.jpg
 
I have a 27" inseam and fly a 6. I use a 1" piece of foam behind me, but I could move the rudder pedals closer a couple different ways if I wanted to. The are a few places that sell bolt on extensions, and the entire rudder pedal assembly can be moved forward and back, although that requires some work.

Perhaps the 6 you sat in had the pedals set for a really tall pilot.

It seems to me that the 8A is the least common of the all RVs that come in with an "A" version.

The problem is that Mary is a pilot, too. This means that we switch left/right seat every other leg.

In our current ride, we have a fully articulating seat that goes all the way up and forward for her, and all the way down and back for me. In the RV series, this sort of flexibility can only be achieved with adjustable rudder pedals.

And it has to be done in seconds. The RV-8 can do that. I have not seen an RV-6/7 that can, although they may exist?
 
Welcome aboard Jay & Mary!

I wish you'd have said something a little bit earlier ;) I picked up my -8A in JAN out in Phoenix and would gladly have detoured to give you guys a ride. But it's a tad far right now from down here in S FLA out to the Padre Island area, since I'm still plugged in and doing the ATC thing for another year or so.

WAY back when, just prior to getting hired on by Uncle Sam, I ran a 110' crew boat out of Ingleside and through Aransas Pass to a Chevron drill rig. Great memories out there!

Get the -8 of your choice - in the air they're pretty much the same (photo's not withstanding). The "A" is easier on the ground and cheaper to insure, and has a tad more knee room without the gear towers. If you think rough field ops are in your future, the "straight 8" is a better choice.

IMG_0792_zpsb04fb325.jpg


Pintail:
Pintail_zps7d2f254e.jpg

Sweet ride(s)!

So what ATC facility are you in/at? That's an interesting segue, from piloting a ship!
 
BTW: This is an aerial shot of our Mustang Beach Fly-in Shrimp Boil, taken last week when Jay Pratt and others flew their RVs down to the island.

It was taken as things were starting to thin out, but as you can see we had great attendance. Thanks, again, for coming!

551419_518597348176164_55772741_n.jpg
 
The problem is that Mary is a pilot, too. This means that we switch left/right seat every other leg.

In our current ride, we have a fully articulating seat that goes all the way up and forward for her, and all the way down and back for me. In the RV series, this sort of flexibility can only be achieved with adjustable rudder pedals.

And it has to be done in seconds. The RV-8 can do that. I have not seen an RV-6/7 that can, although they may exist?

Tim Olson had similar issues in his RV-10. He fabricated some blocks for the rudder pedals that his wife can use. This in addition to the sliding seat adds quite a bit of flexibility. I suspect that the RV-14 may be able to do something similar. Since he's now building a RV-14 now too, I suspect he'll figure something out for that too. He does a great job of documenting both builds at myrv10.com.
 
Then & now...

I work at Miami Center, in the Ocean Area. Basically from Nassau, Bahamas S to Cuba and then across Hispaniola over to San Juan. Except for a 5 yr stint at Denver Center, I've been moving metal at ZMA for 30+ years. It keeps me (mostly) out of trouble ;)
 
Is the hotel in the photo??

Nope. This hotel is about 2 miles into town from the airport. We leave a courtesy vehicle at the airport for fly-in guests to use, and our hotel is within walking distance of everything in town.
 
Tim Olson had similar issues in his RV-10. He fabricated some blocks for the rudder pedals that his wife can use. This in addition to the sliding seat adds quite a bit of flexibility. I suspect that the RV-14 may be able to do something similar. Since he's now building a RV-14 now too, I suspect he'll figure something out for that too. He does a great job of documenting both builds at myrv10.com.

Yeah, we've talked about blocks. We've talked about setting them up permanently, and one of us always fly from the right seat.

The RV-8's adjustable rudder pedals seem to fit the bill best. And...it's the coolest RV. :D
 
aMen Brother!

"And...it's the coolest RV". :D[/QUOTE]

Amen Brother!! you just started a fight, But I am with You ;-) I love all RVs but RV8 is my choice, The Borrowed Horse!
 
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