Have you ever tried flying a helicopter

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av8innz

Member
I dont want to start a virtual war but what model RV has the cleanest/fastest cruise.??

I need to go from A to B as fast as possible, with as reasonable a fuel burn as possible. Not fussed on seating plan/layout
can be 2 seater upwards.

Thanks Mark

(my 1st post on site)
 
As fast as possible w/ reasonable fuel burn

av8innz said:
I dont want to start a virtual war but what model RV has the cleanest/fastest cruise?? I need to go from A to B as fast as possible, with as reasonable a fuel burn as possible. Not fussed on seating plan/layout can be 2 seater upwards. Thanks Mark (my 1st post on site)
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How much money do you have? Here are some truisms?

Vans data is listed on his web site: http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/models.htm

RV's do what they (Van's Aircraft) say they do?

Most RV's, built by individual meet the specs, but some are a little slower and some are much faster than book?

Going as FAST AS YOU CAN from A to B, with reasonable fuel burn is an Oxymoron. :rolleyes:

As "bfilarsky" said, an RV-8 with an angle valve IO-360/200HP engine: 212 MPH cruise at 75% @ 8000 ft. To buy a RV-8/200hp is well over $100,000.00. I assume you're in a big hurry and want one now. The IO-360 angle valve is the most expensive engines to buy. If you are going to cruise all the time you will want a constant speed prop so add $6,000. However for about $80,000, with a modest panel, paint interior and 2000 hours of your labour, you can build one yourself.

The RV-9 is probably one of the most EFFICIENT of the RV's. It has a slower cruise speed. [75% @ 8000 ft, 188 mph], but its doing that with a 160hp engine and MPG are very good. The wing was made for efficient cruise.

Depending on how far your "A to B" is all RV's are fast, and the time difference for a leg will not be that great.

Looking at a 600 mile trip, the time difference between the fastest listed RV (RV-8) and the slower one (a 160 hp RV-9) is just about 20 mins. The RV-8 will burn lots more gas to get that 20 mins. You have to remember to be cruising in the 165 kts to 185 kts range in a certified plane would mean sucking 18 gal/hr, verses RV's that are less than 10 gal/hr. Now if you are not in a hurry, go to 55% power. You still are going much faster than 90% of all certified single engine planes, burning a fraction of the gas.

All RV's are very efficient and can get well over 25 miles per gallon at altitude, some 30 mpg if you are willing to fly higher/slower.

RV's are efficient fast cross country planes with very good and reasonable range (+700-1000sm), but RV's are designed for more than a commuter, droning from A to B. If you want straight and level, fast and efficiently, the LONG EZ or VARI EZ are more efficient than the RV's. However RV's can take off and land on short runways, the Rutan's can not. The RV is also going to be more comfortable. Personally from a crashworthiness stand pioint, I would not be comfortable flying a Long-Ez, higher stall and fiberglass structure with out much around you, is not as safe as the RV's with metal structure and slower stall. Still the efficiency of a Long-Ex is incredible.

Reading between the lines it sounds like you want to commute? There is no cheap fast flying. Think it out. With gas at least $4.50/gal and burns even for a O320 about 7.5 gal/hr range, it will be expensive. I commuted for several years by plane, about 60-70 miles round trip. It can be done but I had an IFR rating and capable plane. The IFR rating was needed to make it practical and safe to commute. VFR day/night commuting can be hit/miss, for most parts of country you live. Of course when I did it avgas was less than $2.00/gal

Welcome to the group.
 
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gmcjetpilot said:
.....All RV's are very efficient and can get well over 25 miles per gallon at altitude, some 30 mpg if you are willing to fly higher/slower......

......RV's are efficient fast cross country planes with very good and reasonable range (+700-1000sm), but RV's are designed for more than a commuter, droning from A to B. If you want straight and level, fast and efficiently, the LONG EZ or VARI EZ are more efficient than the RV's. However RV's can take off and land on short runways, the Rutan's can not. The RV is also going to be more comfortable. Personally from a crashworthiness stand pioint, I would not be comfortable flying a Long-Ez, higher stall and fiberglass structure with out much around you, is not as safe as the RV's with metal structure and slower stall. Still the efficiency of a Long-Ex is incredible.....
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Three years ago I crunched quite a few numbers getting comfortable with the H6 engine. The best MPG was at 12,500'. It won't do 30mpg but 27.64 is OK.

RPM 1800/3200
BURN = 5.1
TAS = 122kt (141mph)
MPG = 27.64

My first airplane was a LEZ, first flight sometime in 1982. I filled it with gas one day and headed west from New England bound for Minnesota. Five hours and fifty-five minutes later I crawled out of that thing, so stiff I could hardly stand up. The entire trip was planned at 12,500' but it was so cold up there, I'd have to go down to warmer air every hour or so and then climb back up. The airplane had over 3 hours of fuel remaining after landing....that 0235 just sipped fuel at altitude and still made a decent TAS. But as you say, the machine is no good off of a hard surface.
 
av8innz said:
I dont want to start a virtual war but what model RV has the cleanest/fastest cruise.??

I need to go from A to B as fast as possible, with as reasonable a fuel burn as possible. Not fussed on seating plan/layout
can be 2 seater upwards.

Thanks Mark

(my 1st post on site)
Click to expand...
Welcome to your first post. You are learning quickly that your question gets porphed and in short order quickly gets away from you.

You question looks to be about model line cruise. Not the fastest RV ever, or the fastest plane ever, or the fastest experimetal, or the fastest RV-ish plane.

If its about the average joe bag of donuts RV, as a model line, you can expect the RV-8 to have the fastest cruise on average. Frankly the 4, 6, 7, &8 are all so dang close, its about a wash for the most part on these models. The 8's, while having a higher Cd (drag coefficient) than the 4's, they generally have higher power plants than the 4's. So if you were to go out onto a ramp of RV's, your chances of picking the fastest cruise would be best of you picked an 8.

Im not sure what you mean about "cleanest cruise." If you mean the least drag coefficient, as a 2 place, it would be the 4. It would win the cost/knot ratio too since they sell for less, putting your cost basis lower, and getting good speed.

I know you tried to ask a simple question. There are many factors to consider.

Its a good thing you did not say " I want to build the fastest RV ever. What do I build?" That would have really sent the thread into the weeds forever.

Best,
 
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av8innz said:
I need to go from A to B as fast as possible, with as reasonable a fuel burn as possible. Not fussed on seating plan/layout
can be 2 seater upwards.

Thanks Mark

(my 1st post on site)
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum.

The "and upwards" I take to mean more seats than just two. The RV-10 will seat four and will travel quite quickly but you have to ask yourself how often will you carry four?
 
good info kahuna.

I was doing a comparison on www.weathermeister.com between my Harmon Rocket and my RV-7a for a trip to Memphis.

Not much difference, one was 6hrs 30mins to 7hrs 20mins. doesn't make much difference.

you'll never catch the RV plane that leaves 10mins ahead of you.
 
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RV3, at well over 17,000 mph

Stretching a bit, but a piece of an RV3 went on the Space Shuttle. Van's has a nice framed letter from the Astronaut who took it up with him and the piece along with it.
 
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