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Which RV is that?

Chofrock

Active Member
I am fairly new to being around RVs and I still have trouble sometimes in being able to tell them apart. So, here are some of the things that I have noticed that you can look for.

Lets start out with the easy one, RV-10:
n104me5pn.jpg

It has Gull Wing doors, is MUCH larger than any of the other RVs, and it has a roof. It is the only 4 place RV.

The next easy one is the RV-3:
rv30922200541lu.jpg

These are a smaller than the RV-4, RV-8, and are the only single seat RV. It has the big puffy "Cheeks" (on the cowl) like the RV-4s, but the canopy is much shorter, as is the rest of the fuselage.

Next are the RV-4 and RV-8, both are tandem two place airplanes. The easiest way to tell them apart is by the roll bar.
aarv40gl.jpg

The RV-4 has a triangular roll bar in between the two passengers, the RV-8 has a round roll bar in front of the pilot.
PaulS.jpg

Other differences include size, the RV-8 is larger, and the "cheeks", RV-4s have big puffy "cheeks" RV-8s do not.
 
Had to break it up in two posts, too many images...

Next are the side-by-side RVs, the RV-6, RV-7, RV-9. The RV-9 is the easiest one to separate from the others,
FlyingVA.jpg

The wings are larger than the others and the tail, vertical stab, noticeably taller. Also all RV-9s have a counterweighted rudder (noticeable by the tab at the top of the rudder.) RV-6s do not have that.
plane%20at%20hanger%20002%20(Small).jpg

However, the RV-7s do
dscf00070um.jpg

But you can tell the RV-7s from the RV-9s based on the size of the wings.

I hope this helps, and I hope I got everything right. I am sure you guys will let me know if I have messed up.

Note: These are all custom built planes so not all planes will have all of the characteristics of the model, and some airplanes are actually cross breeds of two or more models. :)
 
Snip
The wings are larger than the others and the tail, vertical stab, noticeably taller. Also all RV-9s have a counterweighted rudder (noticeable by the tab at the top of the rudder.) RV-6s do not have that
snip

Not true. Late model 6's, shipped with counter weighted tails.
like this one
 
Is there any definitive way to tell them apart? Other than getting out a measuring tape and measuring the cockpit width?
 
They changed wingtips, but I don't think that's universal enough to use for positive ID - too many exceptions.
 
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Constant chord horizontal

Another way to quickly tell a -9 from a-7 is the non-tapering horizontal stabilizer on the -9.
 
If you can look inside

RV-6 Main spars extend into the center of the fuselage with steel splice plates top and bottom front and back with wall to wall bolts. If it is a side by side with a small rudder it is a six but later RV-6s have the larger counterbalanced rudders as well. I think all RV-6s have Horner (spelling? maybe Hoerner) wing tips.

Bob Axsom
 
-6 vs 7's

Kahuna said:
Its the late 6's vs early 7's that are tough from 30'.
The rest are easy from 100'
Especially if the owner has updated to the newer landing gear fairing and tailwheel assemblies......

I'm almost sure the cockpits are the same size so a tape measure won't help either.......but if you are that close....you could look at the data plate.
Bob Martin
RV-6......small rudder....better looking,
 
As Bob said, "RV-6 Main spars extend into the center of the fuselage ...." this gives the 6 a V-shaped underside...while the 7 is flat. The rudder is the first thing to look at but the underside cabin profile will tell you for sure if it's a 6 or 7. Also look into the cabin...the center section bulkhead will be wider on a 7.

Danny
czbb
 
Excellent thread. The 9/9A wings have an extra row of rivets in the top skins for stiffeners between the ribs. The different HS already mentioned is also an excellent cue.
 
dmaher said:
Also look into the cabin...the center section bulkhead will be wider on a 7.
This is probably the best way to tell them. The 604/704 bulkhead is about 1 1/2 inches wide on a 6 and about 3 inches wide on a 7. You can also tell from the outside on the distance between the rivet lines for this bulkhead.

Or....

As Dan put it once, the easiest way to tell a -6 is by the builder standing next to it, whining about all the holes he had to lay out and drill. Dead giveaway.
 
Inetersting where is Waldo?

The RV-6/7/9 are the only ones that might give a little problem.

If you can get close:

The RV-9(A) has riveted trailing edges of rudder/aileron.
The RV-6/-7(A) has bent rounded trailing edges

I think was mentioned

From a distance:
The RV-7 and RV-9 has a counter weight rudder
The RV-6 does not have counter Wt. Rudder and shorter slightly.

Eye Ball
The RV-9 has higher aspect wing (long/skinny) and Horz Stab no Sweep
The RV-7 has lower aspect ratio wing (than -9) and slight sweep on the Horz Stab
The RV-6 is a little lower aspect ratio wing than the RV-7

Guess:
As was mentioned old style cowl, scoop, fairings and wing tips leads to the older RV-6(A)

G
 
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To me, the only ones that you have to get closer than 100' to notice are well built 6's and 7's. For example, tails lie...I have a -6 with a newer -7 tail (with the -9 rudder/vertical stab). Bottom of the cockpit profile is easiest from a distance, and the carrythrough bulkhead width is easy to spot up close. I also have a short tailed RV6, and there was at least 2 iterations after the old short tail that added the counterweights.

For me, -9's are a piece of cake....those huge flap hinges hanging down from that big wing along with the hershey bar horizontal stab give it away every time. Look for the flap hinges, it's the quickets and easiest "head on" if you can't see the tail or wing planform.

Just my 2 cents!

Cheers,
Stein.

P.S., I have to concur with the obvious one....us old 3,4,6 & early 8 builders love to tell stories about how much work we did! :)
 
gmcjetpilot said:
The RV-6 does not have counter Wt. Rudder and shorter slightly.

G

George incorrect,
Late model 6's do have the counter weighted rudder. Well let me think now.... I Dont actually know if there is weight in there or not, but the section is there to support the weight fwd of the hinge point. All kits sold by Vans after ~August99 are. That what makes em hard to tell from the early 7's with the early 7 rudder for folks that did not upgrade to the larger one.

Best
 
Kahuna said:
.....Late model 6's do have the counter weighted rudder. Well let me think now.... I Dont actually know if there is weight in there or not............
I can state with certainty that Darla, my 2000 vintage RV-6A slowbuild kit sports some strategic weight in that area.
img0008edited208cf.jpg

Rick Galati RV-6A "Darla"
 
The other way to easily discern the -6A's from -7A's is the height. The -6A's tend to sit a little tail low while the -7A's sit in an almost level attitude. Van's specs list the -6A as 6'8" and the -7A as 7'10". That's a difference of 14 inches. Some of that difference is due to the different vertical stabs but a lof of it is due to the landing gear geometry. Looking at the 6A's and 7A's in profile it's pretty easy to determine which is which. As for the taildraggers....I just look for the data plate. :)

Does anyone know if Vans uses the same gear legs on the -6 and -6A? I suspect that they do. I also suspect that the 7 and 7A use different length mains in order to get the 7A almost level on the ground while maintaining sufficient ground clearance for the prop on both models. Only guesswork here. Anyone know for sure?
 
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It is simple (sometimes)....

Hopefully the owner has the wing-walk 'custom grip tape' that has the model number cut out of it. Non-skid wing walk tape. Then you just read it :D

Like this:

catmedwingwalks7ef.jpg


:D
 
txaviator said:
Hopefully the owner has the wing-walk 'custom grip tape' that has the model number cut out of it. Non-skid wing walk tape. Then you just read it :D

Hey Gary, Vans doesn't offer wing walk for the -9 only the 9A. I tell ya, we
-9 builders get no respect, no respect at all. You could get a plain wing walk and cut your RV9 out of that or leave it plain. I bought some paint on wing walk but haven't tried it yet. Anyone have experience with paint on wing walk from ACS?
Bruce
 
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