RV-15 Update. May 22, 2025. Wings Complete.

[DeltaRomeo]

Posted yesterday evening....

 

[mburch]

It sure does make me do a double-take to see access holes in the leading edge D-section of an RV wing! (a consequence of the new fuel tank being behind the main spar)

 

[Chukill]

Did they clip the new wings? If so, what is the predicted cruise speed?

 

[FlyNSoCal]

Did they clip the new wings? If so, what is the predicted cruise speed?

I would imagine these new wings are the reduced span version, and probably the final production version. I watched the videos and heard no numbers about the measured wingspan or wing loading. They didn't mention cruise speed, but previously someone mentioned the wingspan reduction was an effort to preserve the goal of 140 knot cruise.

Maybe I misinterpreted a previous video, but I thought the fuel tanks would be separate and installed from underneath the wing, thereby simplifying the tank build. Regardless, the tanks shown in the video seem adequate.

Over the past couple years they talked about redesigning the fuselage and moving the pillars back. From the video, it sounds like they must still finish the fuselage design, then actually build the new fuselage. Hopefully that will be the final iteration of the fuselage.

 

[PhatRV]

Integral fuel tank? I think the fuel tank is integrated into the rear wing spar. From the video grab, the fuel tank is toward the rear. The fuel port is unconnected at the moment.

 

[FlyNSoCal]

Integral fuel tank? I think the fuel tank is integrated into the rear wing spar.

The fuel tank is integral and goes from the forward spar to the rear spar. I'm guessing they've done their homework and wont repeat the mistake Cessna made with the 182 integral tanks leaking at the rear where the flap brackets attach to the rear spar. It's one reason I prefer having a late 1970s model Skylane which has bladders.

Other lessons learned from Cessna would be leaking fuel caps (called "killer caps" due to water ingress, aggravated by bladder wrinkles), and fuel feeding from only one tank despite the valve being selected to "Both".