My RV7 does not have an inverted oil system or fuel flop tubes. How much zero G time can my engine tolerate without hurting her?
You're not going to hurt your engine doing Sportsman category sequences with or without inverted systems...assuming you don't dump out over half your oil sump's capacity from the breather. This has been covered a bunch here, but you can do the Sportsman sequences just fine without inverted systems if you're willing to sustain and monitor any oil loss issues. You don't need to subject the airplane to more than a second or so of negative G during certain figues. With a carb, the engine will sag momentarily, and oil pressure will drop momentarily, but both come back as soon as you go back positive. And the fast roll rate of RVs minimizes this effect. And you can keep your lines short. I have a buddy who flies Sportsman just fine in a non-inverted clipped T-craft.
Regarding zero G, you'll experience this during any properly-flown vertical up or downline. Oil pressure may fall during zero G lines, but they are short. This happens with inverted oil systems too, since inverted systems still rely on gravity in either the positive or negative G direction to work. A few seconds of oil pressure drop isn't detrimental. With inverted oil and zero G, the inverted slobber pot simply keeps oil from dumping out.
And don't compare precision aerobatics in the RV or anything else with aerobatics in the jet...it's a totally different style of flying and should be much more challenging in the RV.
And you'll actually use the rudder in the RV!
ha ha...couldn't resist.
And Mitch - no reason RVs shouldn't do competition spins! You won't find more than the 1-1/2 turn spin in Sportsman. That means you start recovery at about 1-1/4 turn. The RV-6 is the only model where folks without a lot of spin experience can be forgiven for shying away from them...due to the comments made by Van regarding the RV-6 when the spin fully develops (at around the 2-turn point). But this is irrelevant in competition since you're not fully-developed by the 1-1/4 turn point.
Also, this sequence has been approved for next year and will be the Known.
