A funny thing happened when I entered the RV world?.people started throwing me the keys to their airplanes, and telling to take them out for a spin! Now I have flown a lot of different airplanes ? anyone who has been around airports for 30+ years has bounced around in a lot of rental aircraft?.and those of us who were hangar rats and always underfoot at the local FBO when we were young have grabbed our share of stick time when airplanes were going up for a few minutes of checkout and the like. I?ve also had the chance to fly a lot of interesting simulations in my job ? from ?normal? to weird ? things with wings, and things with rockets. I?m not a test pilot, but I have been trained as a test engineer, and have had a lot of fun and a rewarding career testing some mighty high and fast flying machines. But most of that has been done sitting at a console bolted firmly to the earth?.
So here I find myself in the RV world, going to fly-ins, hanging around builds, and people say ?hey, Paul, want to take my RV up and tell me what you think? Or ?sure, take my RV for a week ? you need a way home, I have another airplane to fly ? I won?t miss it?.? Borrowing another kid?s bike? Oh sure, that was normal. Taking a neighbors boat to go do some fishing, or drag a snag out of the channel? Yeah, no big deal! But putting your hands on someone?s homebuilt pride and joy ? something they have put thousands of hours of their life into bringing to life? Wow- that is not something I take lightly!
This weekend, Jay Pratt asked if I wanted to fly the latest ?Borrowed Horse? ? his brand new, 60-hour RV-8. It?s still waiting on paint, and Jay is still working on the glass, but it?s been flying a lot, and I am afraid that I have a serious problem turning down an offer of a little stick time ? my one real weakness. Jay said ?take it up whenever you want!?, and when he looked up, I was strapping in?.A quick checkout on cockpit controls, and I was on the way. And you know what? It flew just like an RV-8! Only?.through some sort of magic which Danny King and I still don?t understand, Jay has made it lighter in roll than either my Valkyrie or Danny?s Beautiful Doll. Pitch is about the same ? heavier than some of the other RV models, but fine. Roll in most -8?s (from what I can tell) is a bit heavier ? it certainly is noticeable when I fly a -6 ? those airplanes seem to roll with no effort at all, while the Val takes a little bit of pressure ? much less than any spam can I?ve ever flow, but still, more than other two-place RV?s. Borrowed Horse feels like a -6 in roll. I have no idea why, and neither does Jay ? I?m wondering if the fact that I have a squeezed aileron makes a difference.
For the first time in an -8, I experienced the canopy buzz that I have heard about. Jay has yet to finish the skirt to the point where he?d put any seal or padding where it touches the fuselage, and I had some felt on the Val?s skirt the first time I flew it (based on other people?s inputs. I didn?t find it too bothersome ? but noticeable. I?m glad I finally know what folks are talking about! It only happens at certain speeds and angles of attack ? you can actually use it as a cue during maneuvers. I flew a couple of loops, some rolls of different types in both directions, and a few other things ? a nice, honest airplane, as all the RV?s prove to be. A very enjoyable end to a nice day up at Petit Jean State Park!
Thanks again to Jay for the trust you showed in letting me take your new child out for a walk. I guess that since I brought Shooter back without a scratch, you must have figured it was even money I could do the same thing with a model I have 600 hours flying?.
I know what it's like to watch someone else fly off in your machine - I saw Danny fly off in the Val when I needed it ferried somewhere when I couldn't go. It's great to have friends that I can trust with something so important, and I am grateful that there are people that trust me as well.
Paul
So here I find myself in the RV world, going to fly-ins, hanging around builds, and people say ?hey, Paul, want to take my RV up and tell me what you think? Or ?sure, take my RV for a week ? you need a way home, I have another airplane to fly ? I won?t miss it?.? Borrowing another kid?s bike? Oh sure, that was normal. Taking a neighbors boat to go do some fishing, or drag a snag out of the channel? Yeah, no big deal! But putting your hands on someone?s homebuilt pride and joy ? something they have put thousands of hours of their life into bringing to life? Wow- that is not something I take lightly!
This weekend, Jay Pratt asked if I wanted to fly the latest ?Borrowed Horse? ? his brand new, 60-hour RV-8. It?s still waiting on paint, and Jay is still working on the glass, but it?s been flying a lot, and I am afraid that I have a serious problem turning down an offer of a little stick time ? my one real weakness. Jay said ?take it up whenever you want!?, and when he looked up, I was strapping in?.A quick checkout on cockpit controls, and I was on the way. And you know what? It flew just like an RV-8! Only?.through some sort of magic which Danny King and I still don?t understand, Jay has made it lighter in roll than either my Valkyrie or Danny?s Beautiful Doll. Pitch is about the same ? heavier than some of the other RV models, but fine. Roll in most -8?s (from what I can tell) is a bit heavier ? it certainly is noticeable when I fly a -6 ? those airplanes seem to roll with no effort at all, while the Val takes a little bit of pressure ? much less than any spam can I?ve ever flow, but still, more than other two-place RV?s. Borrowed Horse feels like a -6 in roll. I have no idea why, and neither does Jay ? I?m wondering if the fact that I have a squeezed aileron makes a difference.
For the first time in an -8, I experienced the canopy buzz that I have heard about. Jay has yet to finish the skirt to the point where he?d put any seal or padding where it touches the fuselage, and I had some felt on the Val?s skirt the first time I flew it (based on other people?s inputs. I didn?t find it too bothersome ? but noticeable. I?m glad I finally know what folks are talking about! It only happens at certain speeds and angles of attack ? you can actually use it as a cue during maneuvers. I flew a couple of loops, some rolls of different types in both directions, and a few other things ? a nice, honest airplane, as all the RV?s prove to be. A very enjoyable end to a nice day up at Petit Jean State Park!
Thanks again to Jay for the trust you showed in letting me take your new child out for a walk. I guess that since I brought Shooter back without a scratch, you must have figured it was even money I could do the same thing with a model I have 600 hours flying?.
I know what it's like to watch someone else fly off in your machine - I saw Danny fly off in the Val when I needed it ferried somewhere when I couldn't go. It's great to have friends that I can trust with something so important, and I am grateful that there are people that trust me as well.
Paul