How many hours before safely flying an RV?

I'm a student pilot who has recently soloed. By recently, I mean yesterday. However, that doesn't stop me from planning long term. I'm investigating the possibility of purchasing an aircraft, and the Vans RV seems, frankly, awesome.

In particular, the RV-4 and RV-6 are within my budget and desired specs.

How many hours does the typical pilot need before they can start transitioning into an RV safely?

Non-answer

The "smart-alec" answer is that you could have soloed in an RV if you had trained in one. The differences are simply speed and light controls. The practical answer is probably a few hours of transition training after you finish your Private and you will be good to go. Despite the image that some would like to promote the RVs are docile, honest airplanes.

John Clark ATP, CFI
FAA FAAST Team Member
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

ebusto said:

I'm a student pilot who has recently soloed. By recently, I mean yesterday. However, that doesn't stop me from planning long term. I'm investigating the possibility of purchasing an aircraft, and the Vans RV seems, frankly, awesome.

In particular, the RV-4 and RV-6 are within my budget and desired specs.

How many hours does the typical pilot need before they can start transitioning into an RV safely?

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If you are considering a taildragger it may be a good idea to do the rest of your PPL training in one. Otherwise you are looking at doing a trailwheel transition after you get your ticket.

Welcome, and Congratulations!!!!!!!!

ebusto said:

I'm a student pilot who has recently soloed. By recently, I mean yesterday.

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Eric, Welcome to VAF. Glad to have you aboard.

Congrats on the solo

As already said, time is something that is individual.

Pick a qualified instructor, and trust what he/she tells you.

If you are willing to travel to Placerville, (hour or so by air) there are a couple of top notch tailwheel instructors there. One of them spends a lot of time in San Jose, if you want, I can put you in contact with him.

Good luck.

You guys don't take long at all to reply.

I'm currently training in a tailwheel, a Citabria 7ECA to be precise, out of KPAO. Sounds like I'm inadvertently taking the right path to be able to fly an RV sooner rather than later.

Mike, is either of the Placerville dragger instructors Hal Stephens?

wil

Sure is.

How'd you know??

I've known Hal and Nancy for 25 plus years. We both had Cessna 170B's and met thru the Cessna 170 Association. We both lived in San Jose at the time and attended many fly ins together. Hal gave me several BFR's.

He is an excellent instructor and a **** of a good guy. When my wife and I build our RV (a 12 will do, but we really want a 7) my wife has agreed to get her pilots license if Hal is her instructor. Hal is a very good dragger instructor with a lot of time in !70's and 185's and last I heard he had a Mooney.

If you see or talk to Hal tell him Wil Heslin says hello.

wil

Honestly? I'd say about 100

ebusto said:

I'm a student pilot who has recently soloed. By recently, I mean yesterday. However, that doesn't stop me from planning long term. I'm investigating the possibility of purchasing an aircraft, and the Vans RV seems, frankly, awesome.

In particular, the RV-4 and RV-6 are within my budget and desired specs.

How many hours does the typical pilot need before they can start transitioning into an RV safely?

Click to expand...

RV's aren't any more difficult to fly than the trainer your learning in. In fact, they're easier in nearly every regime but two -- slowing down for the pattern and controlling the descent on final.

The problem is the gear isn't rugged enough to stand up to all the bad landings it takes to become proficient. And you'll make a bunch of bad landings even AFTER you get your ticket before you really start to consistently do well in all conditions.

You asked for a number? Obviously it's different for everyone, but the magic number seems to be around 100 hours. That's the point where most folks start to think they've got it licked. Unfortuanately, at least according to the book "The Killing Zone", it's also the point at which they become the most dangerous. But at least with 100 hours, you probably won't tear the plane up learning to land it.

My advice has always been to make your RV your 2nd plane. You can find a used Cherokee or Tri-pacer for a quarter of what you'll spend on an RV, and it'll be a couple of years before you're tired of it. When you're ready to move up, you'll probably get more than your purchase price out of the Piper -- nothing's wasted. In the meantime, you've learned about airplane maintenance -- and a bunch of other things about flying that right now you don't know that you don't know.

It's about the journey, not the destination. Slow down and enjoy it.

In addition to total hours, there's recent hours. Best way to get hours (aside from instructing) is to own a cheap airplane and fly it a lot. You could buy a 2-seat taildragger, fly it while building, and sell it for about the same as the purchase price to fund the engine of the RV.

I'd say 200 hours

This is highly subjective and very Dependant on the individual pilot. Some pilots could probably be safe right from their first solo, maybe some others should never have anything faster than a C152.

My opinion is based on two things.

First, the stats I have seen indicate that you are more likely to get killed in the first 200 hours. There's another bad spot getting near the 1500 hour range (where I'm at) caused, they think, by complacency. I'm hoping to live through that one.

Anyway, you're going to make mistakes throughout your flying career, but you'll make more in those first 200 hours. Making mistakes in a slower more docile airplane is less likely to kill you.

In terms of landing speeds and handling my 9A is as easy or easer to fly than a 172. I don't think bad landings is what kills new pilots though.

I think its weather judgment, fuel management, etc, etc.

Second, as one already pointed out, there is speed management, which really means staying ahead of the airplane. I've done most of my flying in Mooney's, so the transition to the 9A was a piece of cake in that regard.

I remember the first time I flew a fast airplane and had to learn the concept of starting a decent long before the airport or even airport area was in view. Its all simple, but was an adjustment. I was glad to make that adjustment with a few hours under my belt.

You've got to be thinking out 30-to-50 miles ahead of the airplane and I think the private pilot training regime just doesn't provide that oportunity.

When you are flying, you have x amount of things to do to stay ahead. Flying at 160kts rather than at 115kts gives you almost 40% more things to do per minute to stay up with the airplane.

Add in a constant speed prop and you've got one more thing to do.

If you find yourself ahead of the airplane and waiting impatiently for the next thing to happen most of the time, then you're probably ready to move up in speed.

If you are closer to just keeping up, Id say wait until it gets a bit boring.

All that said, a bunch of pilots seem to start flying RVs when they have very few hours. I think most of them live - your mileage may vary.

Another differance....

The RV is such a well balanced machine that it is comfortable to do strange thing in. IE high bank angle, pull high G maneuvers are fun to do. These same actions wouldn't feel right in a Cessna, so you wouldn't do them.

When you are close to the ground and slow (IE landing) and feel like pulling the stick to much, you could get hurt. Not to say that this isn't a problem in a Cessna, it is just easier to do in an RV.

Kent

I am in the same position as you. I am a student and have about 40 hours. After stopping my trainning many years ago I have recently started again back in April. This time I decided I would buy an airplane. After many questions and thoughts about what to buy, I was introduced to the RV world. I was beyond hooked and had to have one. Well now I do and will finish my training on my RV6 dragger. I am very lucky as I have now a good friend with 2000hrs on his 6 tailwheel that he built. He took me under his wing and tought me how to handle mine. I spent 6 hours with him and am now very comfortable in mine. The hardest part was to get it slowed down in the circuit (pattern), and controlling the speed on final. As you spend time in it you will find the sweet spot, with the 400' per min decent you need for final. I love it and cannot understand how I even thought of buying a 172. Each pilot is different, and I was very lucky to have two friends with RV's that have given me lots of help.

Welcome!!!!!!

Shane welcome to VAF!!

Good to have you aboard