Ironflight

Ironflight

VAF Moderator / Line Boy
Mentor
Have you seen that commercial with Dennis Hopper sitting in the middle of an intersection in a neighborhood of little houses? He says ?The American Dream ? a little house on a quiet street with X.X kids, two cars and a white picket fence?..The American Dream? No! The American Dream is that we each get to have our OWN dream!?

Well, here?s a chance to talk about what you consider to be your dream RV. I think that with very few exceptions, we all have to accept compromises. Whether it is due to budget limitations, lack of time, skills that we have not acquired, there are probably things that we wish we could do (or could have done) as we build our RV?s. I am exceptionally happy with my RV-8, yet if I had had no limitations? I probably would have put a Garmin 530 instead of a 430, a few fancier doo-dads, and maybe extended range fuel. Why didn?t I? Cost, time?.I wanted to get flying!

OK, so tell us, if you wish, what your ultimate dream RV would be! There are no wrong answers ? as old Dennis says ?We each get to have our own dreams?wild dreams, fun dreams, CRAZY dreams?.? There will be no bashing of other people?s dreams folks! Build on them if you wish, but no one is wrong ? heck, we?re not building the things anyway?.

Oh yeah, no imaginary engines, avionics that have not yet been invented, or building with materials such as ?unobtanium?. You have an unlimited budget and time, but you?ve gotta use what exists?

(Now you know what goes through my mind while cruising alone at 9500? with a 30 knot tailwind on a clear winter day in Texas?.:rolleyes:)

Paul
 
A few Design considerations.

First, a truly reliable Chevy small block conversion----375-400HP

Second, an airframe as close to a RV-4 as possible, that is designed to work with the above engine.

Third, I will fit in it:)

Fourth, it is in my hanger.
 
Dream

You know Paul:

I've come to the conclusion that I'm not bulletproof nor immortal like I used to be. With that comes the realization that on the modest retirement income that I have, my RV-8 with it's 200 hp engine, Dynon, Tru-Trak Autopilot and Garmin 396 with weather is probably as good as it's going to get.

That said, I thank God every day and every flight for having just this much. I am truly blessed! I can travel any place I choose at over 200 mph and grin all the way!

With this conclusion, I don't wish for things I can't have. I am; however suffering horrible "builders withdrawal symptoms". Maybe, just maybe I can juggle buying Avgas and an RV-3 kit and do it the way I did my -8, "one piece at a time". (The Johnny Cash way I call it.):D
 
Living the dream every day!

Well, I did sell my motorcycles and I sure would love to have another one, I'm leaning toward a 1975 or so CB500 to putt around on perfect weather days. Well, as for planes... I swore I would never build again. But I'll tell you what, it is only fair that I build another RV-7A, afterall it would allow me to use everything I learned building my current plane to make the perfect RV!!

But honestly, what I think about every night when I go to bed.... I live in the best country in the world, I have a great job, have fantastic neighbors, have a wonderful family and to top it off I have one of the hottest planes in the world!! So ultimately I think I am living my dream everyday, the day I die I will look back and be totally satisfied that I have accomplished more than I ever thought possible and I couldn't make up some of the cool stuff I have done in my lifetime and I am only 34 years old! I truely only wish that I will live the rest of my life with the quality of life I have had the last 10 years :D
 
Dreaming big...

If ya gonna dream, dream BIG.

3 planes in the hangar.

1. RV-9 for x-c with the wife to where ever we choose.
2. RV-3 for my "fighter pilot" fantasies.
3. Either a Cub or a fat ultralight preferably amphibious to visit all them small lakes and do the low and slow stuff.

What will I settle for? The -9(a) slider with a O-320, FP Catto 3 blade, Day VFR. :D
 
An -8 with a TMX-360, dual Plasma IIs and FADEC, f/p cruise prop. IFR panel built around an Odyssey, once the Odyssey gets XM weather. An interior as plush and quiet as my Crown Vic's. Exterior is flat olive drab with the Flying Tiger cowl art. James cowl, plenum, and pants. Doug Bell tailwheel fork.

Of course, I have to finish (and by finish, I mean start) my -9 first. Come on, Powerball!
 
I guess I haven't been flying my 9A long enough (2 1/2 hr today, though) to really start wishing for more. Pretty happy, at least for the moment. A heated hangar would be nice, as would be a new floor (we are going to re-concrete ours.) But Lawrence of Arabia comes to mind. When asked what he would like if he could have anything in the world, he said a Rolls Royce with a lifetime supply of gas, oil and spark plugs. I guess I would like those things for the 9A, plus a lifetime class III medical.

BTW, two weeks ago I would have wished for a new interior. A Classic Aero full interior in our own custom leather solved all that. VERY nice work!

Bob Kelly
 
My dream RV----

----would like to have its own home at the end of its own runway, surrounded by many of its RV family offspring, and probably a few of the other envious flying machines also. Its home would need to be large enough to be very comfortable, and have room in case there should be a sibling in its future. Also, there needs to be room for sleepovers when RV cousins might fly in. My dream RV's owner would always be close by,since he lives upstairs and can fly away on any whim. Wait a minute, I must be dreaming--------:rolleyes:
 
A Harmon Rocket

......with a warmed up 300 horse Lyc, Dual glass screens, a 496, Trutrak digiflight 11, Garmin 430, 327, TCAS, Sam James cowl, safeair extended range tanks, Jon Johannson tempur-foam heated seats and an MP3 stereo audio player/intercom. All aluminum hand-formed cowl, wheelpants, wingtips and stabilizer tips....all polished aluminum. Gap seals, fairings on all aileron hinges, fuel drains, etc and a 240 MPH cruise.

....oh,, and an RV 10 similarly equipped for those times that the wife wants to go with me.

That's all...
 
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A hard point belly mounted cargo pod shaped like a drop tank large enough to hold skis, fishing poles, or a full sized golf bag. :cool:
 
Okay, here's my newbie take on a Dream RV... for holidays and family-type stuff...

RV-10 (a tail-dragger, not the "10A"...) retractable with extended range tanks and winglets*
Conti IO-550 FADEC that runs on mogas*
IFR equipped with big-screen Cheltons* and HRTF audio prompts*
Weather radar, stormscope, traffic radar, proximity warning*.
VP-200, 28V electrics
De-ice equipped (hot prop, electro-repulsive leading edges, silicon coated bodywork)
BRS 'chute
Leather interior by Oregon Aero and Classic Aero
Aircon and heater
Flight entertainment system for passengers (games, movies, etc)
Active noise control in cabin

Probably a few other bells and whistles missing, but basically a fast safe all-weather aircraft with minimal load on the pilot and maximum comfort for the passengers. Pressurized cabin + TIO-550 would be cool too - think aluminium IV-P with more room (not unlike Jeff's post...).

*may or may not exist
 
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An RV4 Convertable

Well, this picture that appeared on the VAF news a few months ago is what got me building an RV again, after spending a long time looking at various open cockpit designs.

IM003329.jpg

IM003330.jpg


An RV4 convertable!

So that's my dream plane, only on mine the "hardtop" will be a slider if I can figure out how to do it. And since we're dreaming, my dream RV4 would also come in under $40K, and be maximum LSA-compliant (including the maximum 150 mph cruise at 8000'). It would burn 5 gph at 75%, and run on either avgas or mogas, even if the mogas was polluted with 10% alcohol.

And I would keep it in my dream hangar/home/toybox that I would have somehow managed to build at an airport south of the snow for a small enough amount of money to pay cash for after selling my current house. And in this dream, I would actually be able to live on what little savings I've managed to prevent Uncle Sam from confiscating, so that I could tell my boss to "take this crappy job and shove it".

It's a crazy dream, but there it is.
 
RV-11

Single seat motorglider. Feathering/folding prop, two sets of wings; 11m for acro, hang and touring. 15m for soaring. :)

In the meantime the RV-4 is the plane. :D
 
Airplane 1: RV-8
FADEC diesel, 220hp or so, 3-blade prop
Simple glass setup (Dynon etc)
VFR GPS
Aero work (fairings, finish, gap seals, etc)
Black with a gold skull and bones on the tail
Airbrakes

Airplane 2: RV-10
FADEC diesel, 3-blade prop
full glass setup, autopilot, IFR GPS
Some aero work
Extended-range tanks
FLIR/EVS system
Lots of soundproofing

Airplane 3: Taildragger RV-12
Electric motor (like that Sonex)
Bare-minimum VFR analog instruments and handheld GPS
"Convertible" top
 
RV Dream

I was talking to my Occupational Therapist the other day while he was cranking on my finger...

I told him that my surgeon, himself, and myself should go in on a glued together RV-10 with a constant speed prop, glass panel like in my 6A, wx, full leather interior, etc. Then they take my equity in the 6 for a share of the 10, so we have a three man, two plane partnership with a 6 and a 10 with near identical panels for consistency & safety, and shared expenses.

Hans
 
pierre smith said:
......with a warmed up 300 horse Lyc, Dual glass screens, a 496, Trutrak digiflight 11, Garmin 430, 327, TCAS, Sam James cowl, safeair extended range tanks, Jon Johannson tempur-foam heated seats and an MP3 stereo audio player/intercom. All aluminum hand-formed cowl, wheelpants, wingtips and stabilizer tips....all polished aluminum. Gap seals, fairings on all aileron hinges, fuel drains, etc and a 240 MPH cruise.

....oh,, and an RV 10 similarly equipped for those times that the wife wants to go with me.

That's all...
Click to expand...

I think the hangar I am going to be keeping my plane in is the RV fantasy world:

An RV-9, RV-10, a Rocket and a stray RV-4 comes to visit every so often.
 
Ditto. Great minds and all that.... <BG>

pierre smith said:
......with a warmed up 300 horse Lyc, Dual glass screens, a 496, Trutrak digiflight 11, Garmin 430, 327, TCAS, Sam James cowl, safeair extended range tanks, Jon Johannson tempur-foam heated seats and an MP3 stereo audio player/intercom. All aluminum hand-formed cowl, wheelpants, wingtips and stabilizer tips....all polished aluminum. Gap seals, fairings on all aileron hinges, fuel drains, etc and a 240 MPH cruise.

....oh,, and an RV 10 similarly equipped for those times that the wife wants to go with me.

That's all...
Click to expand...
 
Dream RV

Lets see,,,,

A RV 8, named 'Borrowewd Horse', 0-360, Garmin 396, EI engine guages, Com radio SL40. Digitrak II Autopilot. All Paid for. Plus a Kit Super Cub for those Bush flying vacations, call it 'Shooter'.
Guess I don't need a nap or a dream. I am living it. So blessed.
Fun thread Paul,

thanks
 
As Jay P. said I feel like I am living a dream every time I fly "Catalina". But, of course, there is always more to dream about. I would love to fly all over the states with no time or money limitations. Just go where the weather is nice and stay for as little or long as I like and return home when I feel like it. That will have to wait about 20 years until I retire, though.
 
Well this is a fun question...

I already have my Wolf Boredom Fighter for low & slow open cockpit flying and that airplane is going to stay in the roost for the forseeable future - the cost to own/operate : fun ratio is severely weighted towards the fun factor!

On the RV side, I guess I'm building my dream RV, with everything I really would want in the plane with one exception. I have no dilusions about building a -10, but a stretch -7 (from the factory) would be great. I don't need a bunch of room for adults, but for young families, you need just enough room for the smaller folks, somewhat akin to the Sportsman 2+2. If you didn't have munchkins, well, it's enough room for a golf bag/ skiis without sticking them all the way in the tail.

I suppose you'd have to stretch the fuse about a foot, make the rudder a bit bigger, and lengthen the engine mount a bit. Oh, and maybe up the gross weight a little.

Any how, that's my dream...
 
Valkyrie Plus!

OK, so I was accused of throwing this out there without making my own inputs....

The Val is almost exactly what I always wanted in an airplane, but the realities of budgets and time dictated a few compromises....most of which could actually be taken care of with upgrades! If I'd had NO constraints, I'd have probably put in the long range tanks, just for the opportunity to tanker cheap gas when I find it. I'd have made the number two Comm an SL-30, giving me redundant VHF Nav. The 430 would be a 430W (now - it wasn't available then). I'd have weather in my GRT as well as the current 36 (but then would have to pay two subscriptions - ah well, we're dreaming, and dream money is free!). A ski tube in the rear tutledeck would be nice, and the one-piece Grove gear has intrigued me. Full stereo audio panel with a cell phone input. See - I could add all of that right now!

Time and money no object? Well, I might go for inverted fuel and oil, along with Injection - not that I like sustained inverted acro, but it would be nice not to spew oil out the breather on those occasional screw-ups. Not that it's needed, but if it's free - what's the downside?well, maintenance complexity for one...so maybe not after all...)

Yup, even with the machine of my dreams, I can always think of add-ons....:rolleyes:

Paul
 
Old Pilots Dream

My dream machine is pretty simple, really. I want an RV-4 that will meet the Sport Pilot requirements, you know 1320# gross weight, stall speed, etc. And, still be able to take a passenger occasionally. I just want to have some simple loop and roll capabilities on a drivers license. I would be satisfied with an O-200, an O-235, or even a Jabiru 3300. Wow!! What a dream!

Van says no, but what do you think?

Tom
 
I'm with Tom . . . .

Well, my "dream" aerospace vehicle these days, due to present personal constraints, needs to be an LSA. I'd like it to be ok for light-acro (solo only ok) and would prefer conventional gear.

I had the great fortune back in late sixties and early seventies to fly two super birds: the T-38 (acro at 550 K, 5 g's) and then the C-141 (cross countries around the world). A great job for a kid, I've always said!

But then, I'm really happy now to be back in the air again after too long a time away, so I'm not complaining. :)

John
 
Slowing Down That 4

Hey John, Maybe we could lower the stall speed and top speed of a really light RV-4 just a tad, by drooping the ailerons just a bit. I understand that some SLSA's made the numbers by doing that. Oh well! We can dream can't we.

Tom
 
I'm Dreamin', I'm Dreamin!

Hey Tom,

I thought I had read on here (VAF) somewhere that someone is considering building a -3 or a -4 as an LSA, but I can't remember how he/she was going to get the speed down. Maybe an 0-200?

The weight of a -3 would work, but I'm not sure how one would get the -4's weight down from 1500 to 1320, either.

But, you're right, a guy CAN dream! And I do!:)

John
 
This is

There are several RV-4s that were built with O-320s that came in with an empty weight under 900lbs. All you need is another 60lbs or so, which could be done with a Jabiru 3300 easily. Now, add 20 gal of gas and two FAA type people and you are still under 1320 gross. Go by yourself and you can top off the tanks. So, what's not to like?
 
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