Going Slow

[petehowell]

My wife took the kids to the theatre, and my trip to ferry the little one to the neighbor's lake place got canceled, so tonight I wandered out to the hangar with no particular destination. Checked airnav.com on the blackberry - and it told me gas was 3.70 @ Princeton KPNM, 27 mi to the NW. So off I go. The flight up was uneventful. I landed, gassed up and took a few shots on the ramp.

On the way home I stopped by Cambridge KCBG for a few touch and gos, then circled some waterskiers on a lake below (no photo).

Part of the attraction of the RV-9A is it goes slow just as well as it goes fast. Here you see me burning up the sky at 98Kts TAS burning 3.3 GPH - dare I say it - LOP. I know I am not really going any where, but that was the intent of the flight anyway. The Dynon also shows the engine at a whopping 31% power or less than 50HP. The -9A - as all RV's, are pretty dang efficent. The computed range - with a slight headwind at these settings is 1,120 miles.

There was a pretty sunset just before landing to complete the evening

I got clearance to land long, roll to the end, and put her away. There's 2 hours I'll never regret - How much fun is that?

 

[dan]

Here you see me burning up the sky at 98Kts TAS burning 3.3 GPH - dare I say it - LOP.

If my math is correct, that's 30 nautical miles per gal, or 34 statute mpg. Pretty darn good, Pete.

I hear people say things like, "I bought a Cessna 140 or Piper Cub so I could fly less expensively. I'm only cruising at 100 mph, but I'm only burning 4.5 gph!"

When I hear that, I think...you're not flying any less expensively than we are. You're just flying more SLOWLY! Ok, it might cost less to acquire one of those than it does to build an RV, but then you gotta keep the thing maintained.

I'd rather have the airplane that can hit BOTH ends of the spectrum with ease. And we can do all the maintenance & inspections on 'em ourselves. Gotta love this stuff.

 

[AlexPeterson]

Pete, I'm guessing you'd get 4000 hours out of the engine at those low power settings also. Thanks for the great trip/flight reports.

 

[Ironflight]

Sounds like a great evening Pete! I remember way, way back in the beginnings of time when I learned to fly out of ANE in a J-3....Princeton was a real cross-country!

I have occasionally pulled the Val's power way back when loitering locally, and am amazed when the computer says I've got ten hours of range....it just takes a little discipline to slow down and take things easy. Great report.

Paul

 

[petehowell]

Well Said Dan - The Versatile RV

I hear people say things like, "I bought a Cessna 140 or Piper Cub so I could fly less expensively. I'm only cruising at 100 mph, but I'm only burning 4.5 gph!"

When I hear that, I think...you're not flying any less expensively than we are. You're just flying more SLOWLY! Ok, it might cost less to acquire one of those than it does to build an RV, but then you gotta keep the thing maintained.

I'd rather have the airplane that can hit BOTH ends of the spectrum with ease. And we can do all the maintenance & inspections on 'em ourselves. Gotta love this stuff.

Dan - I agree completely - if you want nostalgia - you can't beat a 140 - but you can't work on it yourself either. And you can't take it on a 800 mile XC - unless you have a lot of time.

I have a good friend with a 140, and I love it (within a 50nm radius)

 

[IowaRV9Dreamer]

Thakns for posting

Pete - that is the best post I've seen in a long time, very very motiviational. Keep them coming!

 

[Jim J]

The Decision keeps getting harder!!!

Pete,

Loved your write up, but it sure does not help me with my decision of which RV to build. I went to Oshkosh this year planning to order a RV-12. I am 57 years young and own a good old man's airplane (read c-172). I have always wanted to build, and now have the time to complete a project.
I thought the RV-12 would be the plane for me, but standing next to it at Oshkosh made me realize how small it is compared to the -9 that I have always admired. When I look at my log book I realize that most of my flights are within 100nm of home. Low and slow is what I like to do. Sure wish I could make up my mind. Start the -9 now or wait and see how the -12 plays out.

Thanks for the pictures.

Jim

 

[Geico266]

The flight parameters of the 9A are pretty amazing.

I can cruise around 200 mph and land at 50mph. Slow flights like the one you so eliquently described are my favorite though, flying just for the fun of flying. I like 100 mph burning less than 6GPH. Watching the sunset or the turkeys & deer gathering up for the fall. The hues greens this time of are countless due to the great timely rains we have had latley.

It's funny how you described "getting away". The wife was busy and the ferry job you had fell through. Sweet! Time for yourself! That is a rare commodity, and you put it to good use I'd say.

Life is good on the plains in a plane.

 

[victor]

low and slow

Great post, Pete, and beautiful plane. I find it relaxing and as much fun at 90kts as at 160kts, and 4-5 gph prolongs the enjoyment. However, I don't think I'm making my engine any happier or prolonging its TBO by being too gentle and babying it through it's low power range all it's life. I have long held that to have a happy engine, fly it often, fly it hard,and maintain it well.(a LYC in Bell 47 heli's runs almost its whole life at 32-3300 rpm-they can't stay in the air at 2500). I guess maybe we are'nt abusing our engines too bad by flying at 16-1700rpm part of the time. We are'nt abusing (or saving) our engines by flying 25-2600rpm either, just using twice the fuel.

 

[petehowell]

I go fast, too.

Hi Victor,

I spend lots of time exercising the lycoming at 75% power as well. It's just nice being able to do both!

Pete

 

[steveKs.]

My RV8 200 horse was showing 6.6 gal/hour at 12,500 throttled back along side a 0320 RV6 at 155 knots. The 6 was showing 7.6 gal/hour.
The RV8 beats our Tahoe on a 800 statue mile xcountry even at 170 knots....can't quite get as many people in the RV tho. Lot's more fun and safer in the RV.

 

[cnpeters]

Thanks, Pete. Nice inspirational write-up to cool the heat after wrapping up a flap and noticing a 1/4" of twist - aaargh!

 

[Richard (BMQ)]

Wonderful post Pete! I am in early stages setting up the shop and collecting tools - and started second guessing the 9's sight seeing ability then I saw your picitures - Wow! Thanks!

 

[n2prise]

Get the RV-9A Jim!

Pete,

Loved your write up, but it sure does not help me with my decision of which RV to build. I went to Oshkosh this year planning to order a RV-12. I am 57 years young and own a good old man's airplane (read c-172). I have always wanted to build, and now have the time to complete a project.
I thought the RV-12 would be the plane for me, but standing next to it at Oshkosh made me realize how small it is compared to the -9 that I have always admired. When I look at my log book I realize that most of my flights are within 100nm of home. Low and slow is what I like to do. Sure wish I could make up my mind. Start the -9 now or wait and see how the -12 plays out.

Thanks for the pictures.

Jim

I started building my slow-build RV-9A when I was five months past my 55th birthday. I had the first flight 9 days after my 58th birthday. Go for it, you won't regret it. The cross-country flights make it worth the extra work!

Like the guys said, you can always pull the throttle way back on the RV-9(A) and fly slow like a J-3 Cub or Aeronca.

Check out my site for some of the travels I have made. That should take away the thoughts of the RV-12.

Jerry K. Thorne
East Ridge, TN
RV-9A - - N2PZ
www.n2prise.org