New RV pilot - hopefully!

[CraigH@KRPH]

It looks like I may FINALLY be joining the ranks of RV pilots. Put a deposit down on what appears to be a nice RV-6A. Pending a pre-buy in 2 weeks I hope to be wearing the "RV grin" soon.

I've been taking a lot of ribbing by my flying buddies for buying a trike. My preference was a 4 or a 6 (last 4 planes have been taildraggers), but after looking for a couple of months this 6A looks to be the best deal. That and the several hundred dollars difference in insurance premiums sealed the deal.

Hope to make some of the Texas fly-ins soon.

[pierre smith]

Hi Craig,
I get quite a bit of ribbing too, especially since I'm an ag pilot with 35 seasons and 16,000 hours or more. I've never regretted buying a 6A and IF there's even a speed difference, it isn't noticeable anyway. A friend of mine had an Eggenfellner subie powered 7 with a supercharger and he barely breaks 170. Welcome.......and yes, you'll be throwin' rocks at that 170 once you fly the RV a little while!

[CraigH@KRPH]

Originally Posted by pierre smith

Hi Craig,
I get quite a bit of ribbing too, especially since I'm an ag pilot with 35 seasons and 16,000 hours or more. I've never regretted buying a 6A and IF there's even a speed difference, it isn't noticeable anyway. A friend of mine had an Eggenfellner subie powered 7 with a supercharger and he barely breaks 170. Welcome.......and yes, you'll be throwin' rocks at that 170 once you fly the RV a little while!

Now I feel a lot better.

Pierre, I'd love to see some pics and hear more about your Catto 3 blade prop. The plane I'm looking at is a 160hp with a Sterba wood prop. I'm a little concerned about the wood prop as I sometimes fly in rain, and some of the taxiways at my airport have been know to have loose gravel. I've heard good reports on the Catto, and figured the 3 blade might give me a little more prop clearance. Big question is how it would effect performance. The current prop is a climb prop, and the current owner says he gets around 140kts at 2450rpm in cruise.

[rvbuilder2002]

Originally Posted by CraigH@KRPH

Now I feel a lot better.

The current prop is a climb prop, and the current owner says he gets around 140kts at 2450rpm in cruise.

Even for a climb pitched prop this is a bit slow in my opinion.
Who is doing the prepurchase inspection for you?
I have done many... you should not use an A&P with no experience with the model RV you are purchasing. You would be better off using someone that is a very detail oriented person that has built an excelent example of the model you are are purchasing, even if they are not an A&P. They will catch construction errors/omissions (believe me I have seen many) that an A&P would not catch.

[CraigH@KRPH]

Scott,
I'm using a friend of mine, Darrell Morgan at www.firebirdaviation.com

I'm in good hands.

[ohiopilot]

Congrats, Craig!

I hope to join the ranks soon, too.