[JPalese]

Is there any where I can get a front seat ride in an RV-8?

I live in SE WI, KHXF is the closest airport to me.

I want to compare the -8 to the -7.

Thanks!
John

 

[dedgemon]

try the back seat

It flys the same from both seats.

The front seat of the '8 is far better than the 7. Of course I may be biased, but then I have built and flown both a '9 and now a '8.


It would take a really confident (or something) pilot to fly you out of the back seat. Or you turn you loose in his airplane solo.

 

[JPalese]

RV-8 demo flight request

It flys the same from both seats.

The front seat of the '8 is far better than the 7. Of course I may be biased, but then I have built and flown both a '9 and now a '8.


It would take a really confident (or something) pilot to fly you out of the back seat. Or you turn you loose in his airplane solo.

Great idea!

I like the -8 better, my wife the -7; so I should have specified that I want to try both seats - so I can see what it would be like for her in the back - comfort, visibility, etc.

What I was really hoping for is an owner (CFI?) who is proficient from the back seat.

Probably also be a good idea to let me wife sit in the back seat and maybe even go for a quick flight to see what she thinks of it.

I have ~17K hours of total time and ~300 tail wheel hours (mostly 8KCAB & J3), but no RV time.

I am ~20 minutes SW of KOSH so if anyone can stop at HXF going to or from the airshow, I'll be happy to put some gas in the tanks and buy lunch.

 

[N8RV]

... What I was really hoping for is an owner (CFI?) who is proficient from the back seat ...

The problem with that is that the RV-8 is designed to solo from the front seat only. All of the instrumentation is up there. Back seat might have a throttle, but few have prop and mixture controls back there. The rudder pedals are not as efficient back there, and some have even commented that they're for looks only.

My guess is that you'll be hard pressed to find someone to give you a ride up front, not because they're being obstinate, but because of safety issues. Having flown a few RV-8s from the back (thanks to the generosity of fellow builders), it's really not the same.

I can understand your desire to ride in the front hole of an -8, but sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and find out first-hand in your own plane. Snag a ride in the back seat, get a feel for the plane and what it can do ... then build one and find out how much better it is in the front seat!

Good luck with your decision.

 

[dedgemon]

front seat on ground

John,
I think that what most of us do, is fly the airplane from the back seat with an obliging owner. This will let you get the feel of the airplane. Then spend some quality time sitting in the front seat on the ground looking at stuff and generally just making airplane noises. Make sure to use cushions to get up high the canopy. You sit pretty high up in an '8.

The view over the cowl on the ground generally lets you see the horizon, and in level flight the nose is way down.

Build the '8. You'll love it.
If the wife talks you into a '7 make her promise to fly with you a LOT !!!

 

[Monkey]

7 or 8?

My wifey prefers the 8 over the 7. We've done both... Lucky me.

 

[panhandler1956]

My 1st flight in an -8 period will be in the one I'm building. I have flown a -4 from the back seat, but never flown in an -8.

 

[rvn817j]

Hate to Bring Up the Really Practical Issue

My insurance would not cover anyone but me flying from the front seat...that is unless and until that other person got qualified and approved by my insurance company. Of course, qualification usually means 5 - 10 hours with an instructor in type. Catch 22?

 

[N8RV]

My 1st flight in an -8 period will be in the one I'm building. I have flown a -4 from the back seat, but never flown in an -8.

That's just not right, Brent.

If you don't snag a ride in an -8 (and want one), drop me a note after Oshkosh. You're not that far away. Every builder deserves at least one motivational ride.

 

[N8RV]

My insurance would not cover anyone but me flying from the front seat...that is unless and until that other person got qualified and approved by my insurance company. Of course, qualification usually means 5 - 10 hours with an instructor in type. Catch 22?

Maybe not, Jay. You might want to check into the specifics with your insco.

When I got my insurance, I wanted Danny King to be on the policy. Of course, he has over 1,000 hours as PIC of an RV-8 and tens of thousands of total PIC time, but all they required was basic info (total time, time in type, TW hours, any accidents or incidents, date of last medical, etc.) and he was named on the policy at no cost.

If you really want another qualified pilot to have access to your plane, just check with your insco. Dual instruction shouldn't be necessary if he has time in type.

 

[rvn817j]

That was the point!

The person looking for 'front seat' time has none in an RV-8. Even if he had time, I would have to call my insurance, provide his time and proficiency, have them make a determination and only then would that person be "insured" to fly my airplane from the front seat.

You have already gone through the process with Danny (and the insurance company probably has confirmed Danny's times, etc,).

I'm just saying, you can't just let someone jump in your front seat and expect to have insurance coverage if that person fails to return your airplane in one piece.

(BTW Don, I really like your paint scheme. Retired Navy here!)

 

[Neal@F14]

My 1st flight in an -8 period will be in the one I'm building. I have flown a -4 from the back seat, but never flown in an -8.

My first flight in an -8 was in the back seat of Doug Ripley's blue & white -8, many years ago.

But before I flew the -8 I'm currently flying, I had 25 hours in an RV-4, and did my initial "checkout" in the -8 from the back seat (stick, throttle, rudders, and even aileron trim back there) by just flying around to get the feel of the plane. It feels quite a bit different from the RV-4. I did several takeoffs, and approaches to land from the back, but handed control to the front seat on short final. Landing from the back seat seems like it would be quite a hairy experience, but not completely impossible. With the really awkward jerky movement, and complete lack of finesse you can apply with those "mushroom" rear pedals and their rube goldberg linkage, and not having any brakes back there, a landing attempt from the back seat could very easily have a strong chance to end up in a ground loop. I'm sure there have been plenty of pilots who have landed an -8 taildragger from the back seat that might say otherwise, but I sure don't want to try it unless it's a must-do emergency. Getting into the front seat of the -8 was a difference like daylight vs dark with regard to how much more finesse you have on the rudder pedals.

 

[dedgemon]

not quite

My insurance would not cover anyone but me flying from the front seat...that is unless and until that other person got qualified and approved by my insurance company. Of course, qualification usually means 5 - 10 hours with an instructor in type. Catch 22?

The insurance companies basically consider time in all RV's equally (tailwheel/nosewheel notwithstanding). So you can get your transition training for the '8 in a '7 or a '6 etc...

 

[Brantel]

Every insurance company I talked to when looking into transition training would not take a 4 or 8 for a 6 or 7 and vise versa. They would not accept a 9 for a 6 or 7 either. Double check to be sure as the reports on this seems to vary.

 

[Toobuilder]

... Double check to be sure as the reports on this seems to vary...

No kidding! The Avemco policy on the -8 I fly does not stipulate any RV time at so long as they are an experienced tailwheel pilot.

This is important because I plan on throwing an experienced (but no RV time) buddy up front so that I can learn to fly the thing from the rear seat. Based upon his abilities, I have zero hesitation with him up front after a quick ground checkout.

 

[lancef53]

I was required 2 hours of dual before I flew my 8. 6, 7, 8, or 9 was fine with chartis.

I would guess a guy with 17,000 hours would do just fine in one.

 

[tmillican]

try to find someone with an 8A

I had one brief flight in the back seat of my 8A before swapping places with the instructor. I have used that similar method to check out other people in it, and I have even put another (very) experienced pilot up front for his first flight. With the nosewheel, I have less worries than I would in the same situation with a taildragger.

 

[dedgemon]

broker

Every insurance company I talked to when looking into transition training would not take a 4 or 8 for a 6 or 7 and vise versa. They would not accept a 9 for a 6 or 7 either. Double check to be sure as the reports on this seems to vary.

I think this is an area where a good broker (i.e. one that works with RVs a LOT) can help. I know that Nationair has worked with the various underwriters to deal with this issue. I'm pretty sure that Vans has done the same. Its necessary since this are effectively NO transition opportunities in the tandem airplanes. I know that my transition requirement for the '8 was 5 hours of tailwheel RV time, which I did in a '7. Then I was able to be covered in the '8.