[Vlad]

Who was your first RV CFI? Do you remember what he taught you? I do


I met Ted at Oshkosh years ago. I just bought the tail kit. We talked a lot then stayed in touch for years.

Once in a while he flew his RV9A to greater NY area and gave me some motivation. He introduced me to Hudson River Corridor and East River Exclusion.





Then time came. I had my pink slip of airworthiness and a DPE just printed my private pilot certificate. Before ink dried Ted knew it. Stay where you are he said. I am coming to you.


Next morning after my checkride Ted was in my hangar. We went through all systems and flew in his RV for several hours. Good to go he said. And then first flight happened he chased me with a camera.










We are big friends. He moved but didn't forget me. Towed my lazy butt to the Bahamas and back.












Showed me Shuttle Landing Facility.








I am very proud of my first RV CFI. Tell me about yours

 

[n5lp]

My first RV instructor was a guy named Mike Seager. I flew to Fort Worth, Texas to meet him. We flew for an action packed hour and he covered it all. Probably the best one hour of dual I have ever had.

The main snag was I kept killing the engine. That airplane was set up with a low idle speed and would die on the ground unless you brought the throttle up. I think I forgot to do that about 75% of the time.

 

[gasman]

My first RV instructor was a guy named Mike Seager. I flew to Fort Worth, Texas to meet him. We flew for an action packed hour and he covered it all. Probably the best one hour of dual I have ever had.

The main snag was I kept killing the engine. That airplane was set up with a low idle speed and would die on the ground unless you brought the throttle up. I think I forgot to do that about 75% of the time.

Ya gotta let the clutch out easy as you add power........

 

[Clarkie]

Mine was Kent Gorton in ATL. Patience of a Saint. After 20 landings or so (my first in tailwheels), we had a nice little exchange on the upwind:

Him : Well the county sure is getting thier moneys worth.

Me: Huh?

Him: The county spent all this money in asphalt making this runway 150' wide and you sure are giving them thier moneys worth by using every inch of the 150'!

Me: %*&@ ^%$, Kent.

 

[Wayne Gillispie]

Like Vlad, Ted was my first RV CFI

I bucked my first RV rivet with Ted. He gave our family our first RV ride. He and his wife are wonderful people. We know they don't miss the cold cloudy winters up North here, but we sure do miss them. What a beautiful place to retire to...Spruce Creek FLorida.

 

[Toobuilder]

Never had one for an RV, just got in and flew them.

It's funny, but before I became involved with this forum, I'd never even heard of "transition" training for a fixed gear single. A few years ago I attended a pilot briefing for some function at work and there was a CFI in attendance who offered "transition training" in the RV-6A - this comment produced more than a few chuckles from the crowd.

I'm not downplaying the benefit that transition training may give some people, just pointing out that this community seems to embrace it more than others. I learned a bunch about flying from my old man and (rightly or wrongly) he believed that you should be able to fly anything in category and class. I guess that's why it strikes me as so odd to hear so much about transition training on this site.

 

[Wayne Gillispie]

Never had one for an RV, just got in and flew them.

It's funny, but before I became involved with this forum, I'd never even heard of "transition" training for a fixed gear single. A few years ago I attended a pilot briefing for some function at work and there was a CFI in attendance who offered "transition training" in the RV-6A - this comment produced more than a few chuckles from the crowd.

I'm not downplaying the benefit that transition training may give some people, just pointing out that this community seems to embrace it more than others. I learned a bunch about flying from my old man and (rightly or wrongly) he believed that you should be able to fly anything in category and class. I guess that's why it strikes me as so odd to hear so much about transition training on this site.

Must be why we don't read about many "Loss of Control" accidents from our known group of individuals in phase 1. Usually mechanical.

 

[Russ McCutcheon]

Never had one for an RV, just got in and flew them.

It's funny, but before I became involved with this forum, I'd never even heard of "transition" training for a fixed gear single. A few years ago I attended a pilot briefing for some function at work and there was a CFI in attendance who offered "transition training" in the RV-6A - this comment produced more than a few chuckles from the crowd.

I'm not downplaying the benefit that transition training may give some people, just pointing out that this community seems to embrace it more than others. I learned a bunch about flying from my old man and (rightly or wrongly) he believed that you should be able to fly anything in category and class. I guess that's why it strikes me as so odd to hear so much about transition training on this site.

I think transition training is promoted by Van?s and by this forum as a way to prevent pilot caused accidents and reduce the total number of EAB accidents as per the FAA?s demands, as far as I know It?s not required but I have seen pilots that would benefit greatly from it or some form of training in there RV?s. If you?re coming from a Pits ok, a 150/172 better to get some help.

 

[Jaypratt]

No CFI

No CFI.
I self taught (tail wheel),in the RV6 I built in 1995 / 1996. I had about 3 hours taxi time before first flight. Also only a few landings in a Citabria proir to first flight.
I was profecient in Bonanza, Cheorkee Six, and C 172, at the time I had 1500 TT in my log book with Single & Multi Engine Instrument land plane licence.
Since then I have built and flown a Exp Super Cub and three more tail wheel RVs, All of them were easy to fly. Also owned a C140, a C180J, and a RV4

 

[luddite42]

Yeah, it all depends on what your eperience is in. Most who build A-models are likely coming from Cessna/Piper trainer types, and would be well-served by transition training. If you have lots of experience in different tailwheel-sport-aerobatic airplanes, the RV will be a no-brainer to fly. If you are a very low-time and non-current tailwheel pilot, then transition training would be a good idea as well. In most cases, insurance requirements dictate the preparation pilots obtain.

 

[JonJay]

My first RV instructor was a guy named Mike Seager. I flew to Fort Worth, Texas to meet him. We flew for an action packed hour and he covered it all. Probably the best one hour of dual I have ever had.

Same here, and I had about 800 hours tailwheel at that time. I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to learn from the best. And yes, it was the best hour of dual I ever had.

In regard to "transition training", perhaps another thread should be started.
I always have taken advantage of learning from someone when the opportunity was there. A guy with 10000 RV hours can probably teach me a thing or two. Flying the airplane is easy, and sure, I could have just jumped right in. Same with my Bucker, but when the original owner and I took a long cross country sharing flying duties I noticed some subtle things he was doing that I picked up on. I had been flying the Bucker for about a year. I flew it better after our time together.

 

[Allan Stern]

First RV CFI

My first CFI was Pierre who gave me the training for my 6A. Ted was the first guy to fly my 6A after it had received its pink slip and has helped me with my BFR's. I flew my 8A as first pilot.

RV 8A "Little Miss Kitty"
108 hour

 

[jjconstant]

Reuven Silberman out of Gillespie field in San Diego did mine. It was a great time! I was granted a sabbatical that I intended to use to finish my plane (hope springs eternal, and prematurely) and the sabbatical started immediately after our southern California tour ended in Palm Springs. It would have taken a minimum of 3 hours in a rental car to get from there to where Reuven was and I was emailing him about the plan when he wrote that it was just a hop, skip and jump for him to pick me up in his RV and would could start the training immediately out of Palm Desert and work some of the airports up there and then work our way back down to San Diego.

Reuven was a great instructor, calm but insistent and consistent and we did touch and taxi-backs at a BUNCH of airports. It was great in terms of getting the all the various attitude sight pictures down and making sure taxiing the nose gear was done with care. I was always climbing like mad in turns, due to the fantastic visibility over the nose in the RV and because my muscle memory from spam cans was always turn and pull! He was very experienced, patient and relaxed and gave a great sight-seeing tour of the San Diego area and airspace while teaching it all to me on the way to a different airport practically every 10 minutes. I especially liked one time when travelling south bound he had me looking for a specific airport and I could see two possibilities, relatively close. He said it was the nearer one and that the bigger one a little further would be a problem if we landed there, because it was Mexico

It took me much longer than expected to finish the airplane so I did a brush up with Reuven a year later. Still a great instructor!

 

[RV Wannabe]

No CFI.
I self taught (tail wheel),in the RV6 I built in 1995 / 1996. I had about 3 hours taxi time before first flight. Also only a few landings in a Citabria proir to first flight.
I was profecient in Bonanza, Cheorkee Six, and C 172, at the time I had 1500 TT in my log book with Single & Multi Engine Instrument land plane licence.
Since then I have built and flown a Exp Super Cub and three more tail wheel RVs, All of them were easy to fly. Also owned a C140, a C180J, and a RV4

Based on the date you were probably grandfathered to the tailwheel endorsement that became required after April 15, 1991, or got it in the citabria and didn't mention it. If not, well that's your business.....

I have no intention to get in your business. I just wanted to point out to today's brand new to tailwheel folks reading this that a few landings and self teaching is no longer a viable option. The "conventional" gear is no longer conventional and requires a logbook endorsement as per 61.31.

Self teaching the RV after the endorsement in something else; perfectly legal.

Mark

 

[GLPalinkas]

My first RV instructor was a guy named Mike Seager. I flew to Fort Worth, Texas to meet him. We flew for an action packed hour and he covered it all. Probably the best one hour of dual I have ever had.

Ditto on Mike Seager. Definitely the best dual I have ever had, and I have lots.

I haven't landed this good since.....

 

[N546RV]

My first RV CFI was also my first CFI period. Before we went for my discovery flight, he showed me photos of his -7A build, and after the flight, we walked over to his hangar so I could check it out.

My second, or maybe third lesson had to be cancelled because somebody blew a tire on the trainer up in Dahlonega. Scott said, "well, let's take my plane up there and check it out." Thus did I have my first in-flight RV experience.

I'd already been kind of idly looking at kitbuilding as a path to ownership, and flying that -7A cemented it.