R

rv4130br

I'm New Here
has any one clip rv 4 wing? id like to take 12" off i have a 200hp unit stall is at 35 to 40mph makes landing hard rear tail starts stall at 50 makes for some fun landings chuck wilcox
 
rv4130br said:
has any one clip rv 4 wing? id like to take 12" off i have a 200hp unit stall is at 35 to 40mph makes landing hard rear tail starts stall at 50 makes for some fun landings chuck wilcox
Click to expand...

If the tail is stalling before the main wings, have you checked the incidence angle on your horizontal stab to make sure it is correct?
 
Harmon Rockets use a clipped RV4 wing. I believe the total is 15" off and the same number of ribs are used but distributed differently than the RV4. There is no reason that it would not work for your plane.
 
Harmon Rockets use a clipped RV4 wing. I believe the total is 15" cutt off and the same number of ribs are used, but distributed differently than the RV4. There is no reason that it would not work for your plane.
 
Clip and a Dip...

Rockets Rule!

I flew my RV4 for 1500 hours before selling it last summer. I hadn't flown a civilian lightplane I liked better, until now. I bought a Harmon Rocket 2 which has an RV4 wing 15" shorter wing than stock but the same number of ribs. (moved closer together). It uses 1/2 of the RV4 fuselage kit, the RV4 empennage paired with the Harmon .040 forward fuselage, canopy, firewall and landing gear.
My observations on the Rocket wing versus my very lightweight, VFR RV4 are as follows. The Rocket has a faster Roll rate by about 20% and a significantly higher wing loading. John Harmon compares the Rocket's wing loading to a Beech Baron and the RV4 to a C152. (I guess 15" makes a big difference) To me it feels more solid inflight especially in bumpy air. Approach speed over the fence in my RV4 into my 1800' strip was 58 knots. I use 69 knots over the fence in my Rocket but have used 65 with no worries, just a higher sink rate. The longer fuselage paired with the big 6 cyl engine makes for a wonderful combination. I love it. I cruise at 160 knots at 8.5 gph or 200 knots at 13.5. My favorite cruise is 190 knots TAS at 22"/2350 (12gph) at 8500'. Takeoffs are a hoot (almost as cool as the F16) and you can carry 300lbs aft of the roll bar with no worries. I have flown all the RV's and I like the Rocket better than all of them combined.

As far as clipping a stock RV4, moving the ribs closer per the Harmon plans, I don't see why not. Your mileage may vary...

Rob Ray
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.