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Give me some good news

D

Darren S

Well Known Member
Hi Group,

I awoke to what seemed to be a nice, blue sky, light wind day and went for a flight in my Challenger Ultralight. It was an absolutely terrible flight. Rough air, bumps, so much so my head almost hit the top of the wing root tube. SCARY. I completed my circuit, landed and went home bummed that another seemingly nice VFR day was shot because my plane can't handle the bumps. This isn't the first time either. This has been a common occurance this Spring up here in Western Canada. There were some puffy clouds in the distance but other than that no real indication of rough air.

Anyways, I am going to be getting a -7 QB kit here soon and wanted a little feedback from some former ultralight pilots who now fly -7's. Please tell me I am in for a pleasant surprise when I finally rise off ground in my new -7 !!

I am only half way through my PPL and the little old 172 can handle the bumps better, but is the -7 even better in the bumps because it's faster ? better because of higher wing loading ? Please give me some good news :) ...... and look for my ultralight on Barnstormers in the next year :)

Darren
 
Yes you are.....

Hi Darren,

I built and own a Challenger II CW and I can attest to taking a beating in it sometimes. I also own an RV6 (which will handle the bumps about the same as your RV7). Since the RV's have a much higher wing loading than the Challenger, they zip right through the bumps very comfortably. You will be very happy with your 7! You made a great choice.
 
It will beat the heck out of you

.....because of the speed. My -6 has recorded near 4G's in rough air.....it almost hurt. Gliders are most comfortable in rough air and hot air balloons better:).... but I'd rather have the speed and just endure the rough times.

Then again, you can go high where it's smooth but sometimes on short X-C, it's not worth climbing.

Regards,
 
Hi Darren,
The way an airplane handles bumps is a function of both wing loading and wing aspect ratio. The RV-7 has relatively light wing loading when compared to other aircraft, but it's probably about average for a GA airplane. It's certainly higher than an ultralight's.

Aspect ratio is important, too, however...I had a Pulsar with long skinny wings and it relayed every ripple in the sky to the pilot's seat...it also had the same wing loading as the RV-7 (or very close to it). The -7 has a wider wing cord, so it's slightly better in turbulence.

I'd suggest you get a couple rides in a -7 on a turbulent day and see what you think. Saying that reminds me of a day that I flew my Pulsar to another airport for some aerobatic flying in a Decathelon. I was getting kicked around pretty good in the Pulsar, but when we departed in the Decathelon it seemed very calm.

The good thing about an RV-6, 7 or 8 is that they can handle a lot of G-loading. I can't imagine hitting a 4-G bump (Pierre!)...I hit one that was barely over 2 G's in the Pulsar and I thought the wings were going to fall off! I hit my head on the canopy on that one!
 
I, too, do not care for turbulent flights. I usually do my fun flying - putting around locally - in the early evening when the air and winds are calm. Mid-day flying in the southeast can be brutal with the heat and humidity at lower elevations. On longer -still fun- flying trips I don't mind launching into the turbulence of the afternoon because I know that soon I will be above it and cruising in smooth air.
Excellent climbing ability has to be one of the great benefits of RV flying. :)
 
buuumps

one great advantage of the speedy RV's, is that in bumps you can slow down, and then they aren't much of a problem, but you've still have reasonable speed. Take the bumps at high speed and the 7 can be bumpy. A lot of low level summer flying in a 7 made a believer in me. The ability to climb out of bumps when necessary is also very helpful. :)
 
I'd agree that higher wing loading helps with a smoother ride. We certainly notice the difference when our CT is full or gas or about empty - it changes the wing loading by 20%!

Van's puts the wing loading of the -7 at about 15 lb/sf. This is low enough that it isn't unhappy at lower speeds but not so high that it rides like a Baron.

A fully loaded 172 is about 14, while a DA40 is about 18, yet the two airplanes ride differently in bumps. The DA40 has a 40ft wingspan that temds to make the bumps less sharp, but the airframe seems like it's always in motion. Others have mentioned that aspect ratio makes a difference, and it does.

Construction also makes a big difference. Our CT is all carbon fiber, very stiff, and you feel every bump. Aluminum bends more and is more forgiving.

The other thing to think about is speed. Sure, people say that gliders ride well in turbulence (we like turbulence, it comes with lift), but remember that we're thermaling around at 50 kt. Going through the same thermal at 150kt is going to feel a lot different. If it's bumpy, slow down!

Finally, the -7 has a lot of climb performance, and you'll be able to get up above many of the bumps if you so desire.

TODR
 
Generalizations tend to be wrong

the_other_dougreeves said:
...Sure, people say that gliders ride well in turbulence (we like turbulence, it comes with lift), but remember that we're thermaling around at 50 kt. Going through the same thermal at 150kt is going to feel a lot different. If it's bumpy, slow down!...
Click to expand...
I have always felt that an RV flying fast on a strong thermal day is extremely rough riding (hard to get away from it with the low wing loading and high speed) but many disagree.

Yes a glider at 50 knots tends to ride nice. A Schweizer 1-26 at 90 knots (redline) on a strong thermal day is absolutely brutal. I have feared for my life in this situation when the head is whacking against the canopy. I have friends who have been temporarily incapacitated because they were stunned by the blows.

The wing loading of this type varies by the model but it is around 3 1/2 or 4 pounds/sq. foot. A fiberglass glider with long flexible wings and a wing loading up around 10 or 12 pounds/sq. ft. rides quite a bit better.
 
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Thanks for sharing your experiences. I know that turbulence is inevitable but from the postings I see that a big advantage of the -7 over my Ultralight, and even a 172, is the ability to quickly climb to a smoother altitude. I didn't realize that.

I'm cool with that. At least I'll get my flying fix :) Thanks again for the info.

Darren
 
Hi Darren,

I've got about 130 hours in CHII's and I can tell you there is no comparison to flying the -7. You certainly won't be hanging onto any "oh s..t bar in the -7" !

The 7 can still get bumpy but after an ultralight it won't bother you at all.

Nothing can beat a smooth, warm summer evening flight in a CHII with the doors off though. Every aircraft has it's place.

Steve
 
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