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Possible First time RV purchase ?'s

ERJDriver

Well Known Member
hey all.
Looking at an 03 RV8A. Has 350 hours on it with a 350hr SMOH 360 with a constant speed and B series hub. I can get a pretty decent deal on it through a family friend. What are the gotchas with these airframes other than making sure the SBs are complied with. Just had a conditional from a well known IA and would come with a fresh one. Thanks!
 
hey all.
Looking at an 03 RV8A. Has 350 hours on it with a 350hr SMOH 360 with a constant speed and B series hub. I can get a pretty decent deal on it through a family friend. What are the gotchas with these airframes other than making sure the SBs are complied with. Just had a conditional from a well known IA and would come with a fresh one. Thanks!

Careful -- a fresh annual is not the same thing as a prebuy.
Read this: https://www.kitplanes.com/the-ins-and-outs-of-pre-buys/
And watch this: https://eaa.org/Videos/Webinars/Aircraft-Building/6160051215001
And this: https://eaa.org/Videos/Webinars/Maintenance-and-Inspection/6134257442001
EDIT: Another good one, with a cautionary tale about annuals vs. prebuys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi5DRGjveCI&feature=youtu.be
 
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RV-8A

As a three time buyer, the advice to get a good prebuy is solid advice. I'm an A&P and have owned multiple RVs. Even with that experience, I took a couple of days to really look over the last 8 we acquired. Was it perfect? No but the issues were certainly correctable given my previous RV and mechanical experience.The cost to correct those issues were factored into my purchase offer. Was it a well built, safe airplane? Yes. So, we bought it. Are you prepared to make that judgement call? Almost as important is the paperwork. The IA won't give one wit if the airplane was never signed off for aerobatics or even more concerning, if the operating conditions prohibit aerobatics and I've seen both of these on multiple occasions.

So, please get someone that knows RVs to go look at the airplane and evaluate it for you. It will be money well spent.
 
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Pre buy a must. Highly recommend Vic Syracuse. Used him twice. Saved me from making a VERY big mistake. Worth every penny.
 
Don't just look at SBs that you're told apply. Look at all SBs for the 8/8a even if you think they don't apply because Van's has this thing where they know something isn't right with some models but apparently their legal team tells them they can't add them to the SB.

I bought a RV8 that was NOT a "Quick Build" fuselage but the builder, just like many other builders around the world, didn't install 12 bolts in the wing spars. Van's put out a SB but it shows that it only applies to the QB fuselage.

Make sure yours has those bolts installed. There are a few threads about it here on the forum.
 
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