flight manual

prkaye · #1 07-12-2006, 07:07 AM

Do RV kits come with a flight manual (Pilot Operating Handbook) ? If so, which sub-kit does it come with?

tomcostanza · #2 07-12-2006, 07:23 AM

No. You are the manufacturer, and you write your own manual. There are some very good examples that other builders have shared. Search this site and you will get a good head-start.

Good luck.

prkaye · #3 07-12-2006, 07:42 AM

But I'm not the designer. So how will i know things like best approach speed, max flap extended speed, VNE, best-glide, best angle and rate of climb, etc, etc ?
Much of what is in a flight manual comes from the design, not the actual construction.

RVbySDI · #4 07-12-2006, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prkaye

But I'm not the designer. So how will i know things like best approach speed, max flap extended speed, VNE, best-glide, best angle and rate of climb, etc, etc ?
Much of what is in a flight manual comes from the design, not the actual construction.

And Test flights! Welcome to the world of the test pilot.

pierre smith · #5 07-12-2006, 08:16 AM

Van has published redlines for the airplanes, as well as max flap speeds and stall speeds. He also has suggested approach and climb speeds, plus entry speeds for the aerobatic airplanes.

As was said earlier, search this and other sites and the final numbers will be what you find during phase 1,

Kevin Horton · #6 07-12-2006, 09:10 AM

The errors in the airspeed system will vary from aircraft to aircraft. Some of this is due to ASI instrument error, which is often several knots, and sometimes 10 kts or more, if you have an unserviceable ASI. The rest of the error is due to leaks in pitot or static systems, and static source position error. The static source position error will vary, depending on whether you used Van's recommended static port or not, and due to variations in the contours around the static port.

The result of all the various airspeed system errors is that two aircraft flying at exactly the same calibrated airspeed could easily have indicated airspeeds that differ by 5 to 10 kt (or more if one aircraft has a bad ASI, or a very poorly conceived static source). So, you can't take an approach speed recommended by someone else and believe that it is the best one for your aircraft.

Speeds for best angle and rate of climb are also affected by the type of prop you have.

prkaye · #7 07-12-2006, 09:32 AM

Yikes, so the first test flight in the aircraft is really a seat-of-your-pants operation! What are the stats on test-flight crashes in RVs?

Sounds like I should try to get some time in a variety of different aircraft in the next few years, so I'll be more prepared to handle the unknown.

pierre smith · #8 07-12-2006, 09:36 AM

Are you building now or just thinking about it? Sounds like you're just lurking but if you are in fact building then you need time in an airplane like the one you're building, not time in a bunch of 'various' airplanes,

prkaye · #9 07-12-2006, 09:39 AM

Lurking?

I've gotten the preview plans already, and my tools from PlaneTools.com.
Getting my air compressor this week, and will spend some time learning the basics on some scrap metal that a local RV-9A builder is getting for me.

I plan to start on the empannage late summer or early fall.

prkaye · #10 07-12-2006, 09:44 AM

Ah... most of you have "signatures"... I just created one... this is a test to see if it worked...