RVG8tor

RVG8tor

Well Known Member
I was talking with a -6A builder who was over looking over some of my work and I was asking him how his step turned out and he told me he did not install them because he was tall enough that he did not need them and he has a portable stool for his wife and kid if they ride along.

This got me to thinking will I really need a step. Any -8A builder leave off the step or wished they had? At this point I just don't know what kind of a step up it would be without the step.

Cheers
 
no step

many incentives- - less weight, less drag, less work, and. . .it will force me to stay nimble and svelete in my golden years, should I actually make it that long.
 
If you are not going for speed put them on

I built a RV-6A and I have the steps installed per the instructions for installing them. With a stock O-360-A1A, a Hartzell C/S (72" dia and 7666 blades), and many mods to increase speed, I averaged 188.36 kts/216.8 mph in the Texoma 100 recently. This is over a triangular course of more than 100 miles in length with a common start/finish line. There were two people in the plane and some light baggage so I do not believe the steps are a major speed killer. They certainly cause some drag but the convenience is extremely high (I guess you only have one in an "8"). If you are not going all out for speed I would put them (it) on. I am very interested in speed and I am strongly considering drilling out the rivets and reinstalling them with flathead screws and platenuts which will allow me to replace them with cover plates for racing only. Had I known then what I know now, that is what I would have done in the first place.

Bob Axsom
 
7A No Steps

To each his own, but I think they are ugly, prone to rust and draggy. Besides, my portable stool is better for passengers for whom the placement of the step is not quite right. The stool can be moved closer to the wing. I can also lay it on the passenger floor to improve W&B on heavy XC flights. I'd do it again. And, the 7A is higher than the 6A but I don't know if it's higher than the 8A.
 
hevansrv7a said:
To each his own, but I think they are ugly, prone to rust and draggy. Besides, my portable stool is better for passengers for whom the placement of the step is not quite right. The stool can be moved closer to the wing. I can also lay it on the passenger floor to improve W&B on heavy XC flights. I'd do it again. And, the 7A is higher than the 6A but I don't know if it's higher than the 8A.
Click to expand...

I thought about this same topic yesteday, as the wife and I stepped off our 6's wings onto the built in steps. Carrying a ladder around..........no way! I'd probably scratch my canopy and rip the leather seats when pulling the thing out. :D

When I get retracts to do away with all the "other" ugly and draggy stuff hanging in the breeze, then I'll think about going stepless. :)

L.Adamson
 
The new matched hole RV-8A fuselages come with the hole for the step already cut. It's more work to leave it out then put it in. Also, when I'm at fly-ins, it seems that 8A's are quite a bit taller than the other A models. It could just be my imagination though.
 
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