RDuke

RDuke

Member
After 20 years of flying the big stuff around, I was feeling guilty for not having those feelings about flying that I used to have when I was a 15 year old, lying on my back underneath a Piper Cherokee, cleaning the belly in 15 degree weather just to finance my next flying lesson. After flying 2 week Pac-Rim trip, I couldn't imagine coming home and flying some more...kind of "the post man going for a walk on Sunday" concept.

That all changed recently. One night on our crew ready room, I overheard two other crew members talking about going up in someone's RV and how much fun it was. This seemed odd to me because up untill that point I thought Rv's were something you drove from one Good Sams club to the next. I did catch enough of their conversation to hear something about Vans Aircraft. Something compelled me to do a quick Google search later that evening in my hotel and before I knew it I was ordering the RV Info pak/ RV Story DVD. I haven't been able to put it down since receiving it!!

I have decided, that once I get approval from "she who must be obeyed", that the RV-8 is going to be my project of choice. I have really enjoyed lurking on this forum and I am very impressed with the RV community here.

Being located in the central Florida area (Orlando), I know there are many builders around, and as I await spousal approval, I can offer my services as an official bucking bar holder should anyone need an extra hand!

This is a great forum and I look forward to posting my progress.

Ron
Preview Plans ordered
 
What took ya so long? <BG>

Welcome back to the fun of flying. You will love it. ;-) You will also be surprised at how many of us there are here at "brown".
DM
MD-11 Capt. SDF
Confirmed airport bum.
 
Welcome!

Ron,
This is the most fun can have wearing a seat belt.

John Clark
Retired Regional Puke
RV-8 N18U
KSBA
 
Good news Ron

If you can afford the gas its a blast!

Frank..Where Oregon is going to lose its ethanol free premium forever
 
What is it with airline pilots?

Ron,

When I moved my -6A project out to the local airport for final assembly, most of the pilots never even heard of an RV and some thought amateur-built aircraft were built and flown by lunatics. Your previous knowledge of RV's is not unlike my friend Randy, a seasoned and active greybeard when not flying the big iron for American is usually at the airport doing maintenance on his high maintenance Beech Baron. Generally critical of "homebuilts", he is about the last holdout based at my airport to not fly in my airplane and here is what happened a week or so ago:

After arriving at the airport for a brief local flight, I barely had the hangar door open when Randy drove up in his pickup truck. I thought that a bit strange because as I drove in, noticed his hangar door wide open and his airplane gone. So, it was bit unexpected when he approached my open hangar and in an uncharacteristically modest voice for him....asked if I would be willing to fly him to an airport some 65 miles distant to retrieve his Baron left overnight after it had experienced problems. Pausing a moment for dramatic effect, I responded ?Okay I guess so, but move your truck out of the way and go borrow a pair of headsets from someone while I pull the plane out and preflight."

A few minutes he was back at the apron in front of my hangar and I gave him a briefing on how to settle into the cockpit. Standing behind, I helped him fasten the seat belt harness then plugged his borrowed headsets into the jacks located aft of the armrest. I then came around to the pilot side and climbed in. After starting the engine, Randy?s eyes got real wide as he saw the instrument panel come alive with data. We then taxied out. After a brief run-up, I urged him to duck his head just a bit as I closed and locked the slider canopy. Taking the active, we departed on a southerly heading to go retrieve his airplane. As the airplane settled into a 100 MPH climb to altitude, he commented he never thought he?d fly in any ?homebuilt? but mine is the only exception he ever made. As we climbed out he said, ?Well, I?ve heard RV?s are fast, I guess I?m gonna find out.? As he looked over the interior of the airplane he commented that all the previous homebuilts he'd ever seen looked like junk and my construction skills were way beyond what he could ever do and would not even attempt to build an airplane. ?Randy", I said, "there are homebuilts and there are homebuilts, you need to go visit Oshkosh sometime.? ?Yea, I really should do that,? he said. After leveling off and waiting a minute or two for the airspeed to stabilize, he shook his head in disbelief bearing witnessing to the 160 HP engine producing a 165 MPH ground speed into a slight headwind with the engine set at 2400 RPM fully 200 RPM's less than the Sensenich's max propeller speed. His attention then focused on the other instruments. Unfamiliar with glass fitted to small aircraft he said "I really like that engine monitor, I sure wish I had one like it in the Baron" as he carefully studied its every parameter. Ogling the Garmin 430 GPS color display he commented the trip was going to be faster than would have been in his old Bonanza. I refrained from pointing out that two years prior while we were both airborne, met wingtip to wingtip at his radio request to engage in a ?speed comparison? and to his chagrin discovered ?Darla!? slowly but decisively put distance between us and his then owned V-tail wonder. Back to the present. After trimming for stable flight, I repeated to Randy my usual mantra: ?You are likely to find this airplane much more responsive than anything you are used to.? Using my fingertips to emphasize the point, I quickly tweaked the stick left and right, the wings instantly responding. Handing control over, he immediately tried a few banks, then shallow turns. Predictably, his altitude was all over the place. A few moments later, wide eyed and grinning he shouted ?I like it!? He added, ?You are right, I have never flown any airplane like this....geez, you just barely move the stick".....his voice trailing off into an incomplete sentence. A few moment later he handed control back but I could see he really wanted to fly. Not used to flying with a joystick and enjoying the high visibility of a bubble canopy, he kept looking around and was utterly impressed. He commented on the steady, reassuring sound of that little Lycoming up front, those small stubby wings and the stable behavior my RV exhibited in trimmed flight. Soon, I pretended need to study the Flight Guide to refresh myself of the details for landing at the little Cuba, Missouri airport but in part I wanted to give Randy an excuse and asked if he would take the stick for a minute. I didn?t have to ask twice. As it happened, long after I stowed the Flight Guide, Randy continued to happily fly us to within visual sight of the airport before I resumed control for landing. "You did a beautiful job on this airplane, Rick. I can see why RV's are so popular." On short final, I sensed him tense just a wee bit then relax into his seat as we smoothly touched down and slowly taxied to the nearly empty ramp where his Baron sat, ready to be flown home. After deplaning "Darla!" and walking towards his awaiting Baron he glanced back and I knew from the "tell" on his face that an attitude was changed forever.

On Randy?s next revenue trip hauling passengers, I envision him chatting with the first officer about things bored flight crews chat about while cruising enroute?.only the next time the subject of homebuilt airplanes comes up, I don?t think he will be dismissive any more and quite likely because of what he personally experienced to even be enthusiastic. Opinions are rarely changed by mere words, but I am inclined to think that the actions and experiences that occurred during his brief 4 tenths of an hour 65 mile RV flight of discovery worked wonders to change at least that fellow pilot?s mindset forever. :)
 
Welcome!

Welcome Ron!

I, much like you, had lost that feeling that flying used to provide. Then I had the opportunity to buy half interest in an RV6. A deal that was just too good to pass up. Thanks to my partner, I am able to afford flying for fun again. Gas is another issue, but with time, I think that'll correct itself a bit.

I wish I had the time right now to build, but I don't. With two careers and raising a family, there just isn't time. Maybe someday, and at this point, I am waiting to see what the next generation of tandem is that Van may or may not produce.

Ever since I purchased the RV, and gave up Golf, regular golf anyway. My recreation time has been greatly improved, along with my attitude too! My day (mostly a night) job seems farther away, and something I do for Benjamin's. My trips to the little airport always put a smile on my face. 20 or 30 minutes in the RV can absolutely take away all of the stress of the other world. I have taken both of my daughters flying, and recently took my oldest to Golden West, her first airshow. The wife and I are planning to take a trip somewhere this summer. We were tentatively going to Arlington, then out to the San Juan's, to Victoria where we have family, then Portland, and then home. We may still do it, There was a recent posting about the San Juan's that really got my wife's interest up. The only drawback at this point is fuel and the fact that we have a big family vacation planned the end of August.

What I am trying to get at. . . Flying the RV has given back, what flying the Boeing has taken away. My love for aviation, it's history, the skill, the people, and most of all FLYING. Flying for the joy, the love, and the escape. Flying because I want to. . .

Now, when you get one, or get it finished, heed this advice. Don't spend too much time away from it. I went flying a couple of days before heading to Golden West, it had been about a month since I had flown the RV. I was just too busy, and I had flown about 60 hours in that "other" machine. After about 30 minutes of surveying the land from the top of the canopy.:D And from "tree top flyer" level (we have fun terrain to explore). I headed in to do some touch and go's. Coming down short final, it was obvious later, that I had too much Boeing time and not enough RV time lately. As you can imagine, the result was not too pretty.:eek: The next time around I had to remind myself what the RV was all about. . .

One last thing about the RV and this community. There are some absolutely wonderful people in this community. Other than the sniping some will engage in, mostly over nose wheel v. tail wheel, you won't hear an angry word spoken to one another, like you will read on other MB's. That's nice, respect for one another, whether you have 10 hours or 10,000, we all share a common interest here. We say we have respect in the professional arena, but I don't think we truly do, at least not to the level of respect this community has for one another. However, since I am a buyer, not a builder, I haven't been fully accepted, someday fellas, someday I swear.:cool:

Here is a picture from the day I "soloed" the RV after my required insurance check out. YES that is a big ol smile, funny thing is, it looks a lot like the first one. . .:D You wouldn't think a guy with 11,000 hours would get this excited about flying. . . but there is flying, and then there is flying an RV.

This day was. . .

img3888lk5.jpg


Every bit as nerve wracking and exciting as this day. . .

solo5zo8.jpg


OMG, look at those sunglasses! The watch! I had hair? ? ? Oh well, Top Gun was just released for rental at the local Video Store too. . .:eek:

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL! ! !
 
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RE: Rekindled Passion

Thanks for all the great replies. You have made me feel very welcome here. I'm sure that I will have occasion seek out the vast knowledge from you guys here on this forum. (Probably alot, if my riveting is anything like my golf game!):D
 
Three weeks ago, I gave a 30,000 hour Airbus pilot for American a ride in my RV-8. He too owns a Baron. After an hour flight during which we spent mostly yankin' & bankin' with him flying, the call he made to his wife started with, "I want a new airplane. (pause while he listened) Yes, I know. I'll put the Baron up for sale this afternoon."

Got another one.

Mitch Lock
 
Saturday I took an 8000 hour airshow performer up for his first RV ride. He had just completed his routine in his 540 powered Pitts. All kinds of nice comments on handling and the gadgets in the panel (he has steam gauges) and he confided that his dad needed a plane, and he would recommend an RV. In one week last year I had three "passengers" with over 10,000 hours each (none of which had ever been in an RV and one never in any homebuilt) and I believe they are more easily impressed than low time pilots. They know a good plane when they fly one! It is worth all the effort and then some.

Bob Kelly
 
RDuke said:
Thanks for all the great replies. You have made me feel very welcome here. I'm sure that I will have occasion seek out the vast knowledge from you guys here on this forum. (Probably alot, if my riveting is anything like my golf game!):D
Click to expand...

I hear that nine irons make great bucking bars, so you may have a head start on some of us. At any rate, welcome!

Bob
 
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