Airshow routine in an RV?

panhandler1956 · #1 11-04-2006, 12:15 PM

I searched the forum to no avail. Does anyone know of anyone who does an airshow routine in their RV? Not formation work, but more like a warbird type routine. Would be interesting if no one is doing that because the airplane would be more than capable of doing a nice easy routine.

rvbuilder2002 · #2 11-04-2006, 12:34 PM

There is at least one (and maybe two) show routine done with a Rocket (Harmon or F1, I'm not sure).

Van did a routine for many years in a 170 H.P. RV-4 at Arlington, Copperstate, etc.

The last year he performed before retiring, he did the shows with the Orig. RV-8 prototype.

It was a great routine. He actually did a couple manuvers that I have never seen anyone else do.

One that was a fantastick display of energy management was a loop inside of a loop. It was a great big low G loop with a tight little small loop done half way through while going over the top.

As a pilot, it was a very enjoyable routine to watch because you knew that it wasn't brute H.P. that was making the manuvers happen...it was the man flying it. (No offense to performers using full blown aerobatic airplanes with engines pumped to 325+ H.P.

Scott

gmcjetpilot · #3 11-04-2006, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rvbuilder2002

Van did a routine for many years in a 170 H.P. RV-4 at Arlington, Copperstate, etc.Scott

I had the pleasure if seeing Van's routine in the -4. I concur it was a nice well flown routine. G

The only other one I can think of is the Rocket that is flown by a Canadian.

rv6ejguy · #4 11-04-2006, 03:05 PM

Ken Fowler does a nice routine in a Rocket up here. If you like RV based performances you'll appreciate it. If you are used to Extra 300 type performances- well the Rocket is no Extra 300 but Ken does a nice job. I had the pleasure of formating with Ken a couple of years ago over his home base at Rocky Mountain House and watched him practice from the air and a year later at the Rocky airshow. http://www.rocketaerobatics.com/pilot.html

rv6rick · #5 11-04-2006, 03:16 PM

Well....we do our share of airshows, most folks even find our routine(s) very entertaining....but, being 'only' formation we might bore you to death

.

There is no one in our area (Ohio Valley) doing what you're looking for....you could be the first

.

panhandler1956 · #6 11-04-2006, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rv6rick

Well....we do our share of airshows, most folks even find our routine(s) very entertaining....but, being 'only' formation we might bore you to death

.

There is no one in our area (Ohio Valley) doing what you're looking for....you could be the first

.

Rick,
No I love the formation work, it's awesome! I was just wondering about an acro routine.
It'll be years before my plane will be done - just dreamin' and schemin'. Actually the formation stuff you guys do is one of the inspirations I have for building an RV, I have done formation in my previous life and I miss it!

rsaltsman · #7 11-04-2006, 06:32 PM

Brent,

In order to fly formation in waivered airspace at an air show, each pilot in the formation must have a current FFI card. The rules allow greater than 30 degrees pitch and greater than 45 degrees roll, all standard maneuvers among the formation community. However, no inverted flight is allowed. To fly true aerobatic flight in air show waivered airspace, one must have an ACE card provided by The Aerobatic Competency Evaluation program administered by the International Council of Air Shows.

To my knowledge, the first and only RV pilots to achieve ACE status were Joe Czachorowski and Ralph Morgan. They developed a routine of loops, rolls and other maneuvers flown as a two ship. Each piloted an RV-8 painted to simulate the WW ll Blue Nosed *******s of Bodney. Their air work was poetry in motion.

Tragically, Ralph was lost in a formation accident(not aerobatic) over Delaware Bay last year. Sadly, no air show RV aerobatics has been seen in the Middle Atlantic region since.

Robert "Salty" Saltsman
Lutherville, Maryland
RV-8

arffguy · #8 11-04-2006, 07:19 PM

Back in the early 1990's a local RV-4 pilot flew a show at the Stockton, CA Airshow. Later in the day a show was flown by the Blue Angels too. I would have video proof except I never got my video tape from a company that was filming the airshow. Wouldn't you know, I don't know who they were.

I do have a picture of the plane at home. Unfortunately, I had my own video camera but was stuck in traffic when he flew his show.

Oddly enough, this is the same place I saw my first RV-6. I didn't care for it, thought it was ugly really and was glad I had bought plans for the RV-4 instead. Funny how I seemed to change my mind later. But I digress.

I have seen Ken Fowler, both solo and with Eric Hansen:

http://www.rocketaerobatics.com/formation.html

I find them much more entertaining than most of the other acts.