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Is there any one apart from me...

C

Camillo

Well Known Member
...that is building an RV without have ever flown in an RV?

I just saw the airplane on the web, knew that a couple of men were doing it here in Italy and that a few thoudands in the world were flying their home built RV machines...

Now, I am in contact with a dozen builders and still resisted the temptation to try it. I guess my first time will be just before the first flight on my own aircraft.
 
Yes

I had almost completed my RV-6 before I flew with Mike Seagar in the factory RV-7 for the first time.

Jim Sharkey
RV-6 Phase 1
 
I had the wings mostly done before my demo flight in the van's 7a demo plane. I still haven't flown in a 9/9a yet.
 
I started building my -10 without ever flying in an RV and I hadn't even started my pilot training.
 
I first flew in an RV (a 9A) at Oshkosh the summer of 2006. I was at least 80% done with my own 9A at the time. I flew mine the 27th of February, 2007. I guess it is just faith--faith in the Van's name, brought on here at VAF and at the airports of the world. Fear not, you will not be disappointed!

(Andy, that can be corrected anytime. I'm not all that far away and fly into Miami University, Oxford, pretty often. Let me know...)

Bob Kelly
 
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Oh - and I should add

jsharkey said:
I had almost completed my RV-6 before I flew with Mike Seagar in the factory RV-7 for the first time.

Jim Sharkey
RV-6 Phase 1
Click to expand...

When I did fly my -6 it far exceeded my expectations. It's a wonderful aircraft.
 
My first flight in an RV was in the back seat of a neighbor's -8 about two months before I flew mine. My second flight in an RV was the first flight of my -8.

Paul
 
I had the airframe pretty much complete when I got my first ride in an RV... thanks Bill Marvel...

And I started flight training after the airframe was done too. I had about 110 hours TT, most of it in a Citabria, when I did first flight of my -6. Also glad I did transition training with Mike Seager!

Heinrich Gerhardt
RV-6, 420 hours or so...
 
When I started my first HRII in 1996 I had only seen magazine pictures of the plane, and those were from one article! There were no websites or email forums at the time and there were only eleven flying. I did the first flight in my plane in these spring of 98 and still had not seen another one let alone have a ride.
 
My first RV flight was in a -3 that I bought. Never even sat in one before. All went well, best flying airplane I've ever flown.
 
I have.........

never really flown anything but my RV6. I did have a ride in a 6 after I started my airplane. I did look at one before I started. I tried flying a "Champ", but the controls were so heavy, I really didn't care for it.

I enjoy flying my 6, but I want to try flying a 150/172 just for the experience of doing so.
 
Nope

no RV rides whatsoever. Hope to make a trip out to Van's this spring and correct that little problem. I've been working on my 8 for a little over 3 years now...
 
fly before you buy???

I had one ride in a -6a, and the pre-purchase flight in a -9a!!!( the very expensive one!)
I really, really, really think you should spend as MUCH time as possible in a flying RV.
Every time I go up now, I wish that I had the chance to do something different!
just ask one of the repeat offenders ( now building their second, or third, or fourth, or.............? RV!
you won't get as good a chance to make little modifications as you have now!
...for instance, I wish I had an 'oil door' on the other side of the cowling.... a real pain to add now.
Other little things like the length of the stick, the position of the rudder pedals, the flap actuator switch, etc etc are now using up my spare time and money, instead of flying.

enjoy your build, sounds like you are making great progress!
 
I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one!
A friend of mine is starting the first flights and maybe within a month it will be possibile for me to try his RV. I hope to end mine within Summer 2010.
 
Never enven seen one :)

Guys,

I have ordered my tail and wing kits for the Rv 09 and I haven?t ever seen one, besides the pictures online.
I live in Alfenas, a small town in Minas Gerais, Brazil and I?m planning on going to Sun n Fun this year and hope to see Rv?s, touch them, smell them, FLY them, store it real deep in my mind and use all those good memories in the tough moments of the building process.
What an amazing energy those fantastic machines can gather.
Meet you there!
 
Ride

Did not need a ride.....
Looked at Rvs for years at Oshkosh before I had a chance to build one. No Question I would like the airplane.
Buying a kit at a time made the whole thing possible. Jonny Cash method.,, one piece at a time
One owner gave me a ride a few weeks before I did my first flight on my RV6. Now after 2 RV6s and 2 RV8s, and a RV4, still loven RVs. About 2200+ RV hours in the log book. Great airplanes.
 
Tried on for size but didn't fly

I tried one on for size...to make sure I fit but didn't fly in one until after I had ordered the empennage kit. After finishing the kit I did get to fly in an RV-7A built by one of our EAA members (and Tech Rep). MUCH BETTER THAN I EXPECTED! Happy with my choice.
 
P-51 or RV

In the mid 90s in Aspen I saw a pair of P-51s do a fly by and pull up followed by a couple of small airplanes that did the same thing. They didn't pull up nearly as high or have that Merlin sound but they were still impressive. I knew I couldn't afford a P-51 but I might with some sacrifice be able to swing one of those little ones.

I did some research and discovered they were RVs. Looking at the cockpit dimensions I thought they wouldn't work for me so I didn't pursue it. But one day the RV8 came along and having never touched or seen an RV up close or built anything more than a bookcase I ordered the empennage kit right away.
Mostly because of the reputation the RV line had built for itself in terms of safety and performance.

Didn't get a chance to fly in an RV until about two years into the build. 12 years later I'm flying every week and couldn't be happier with my RV. It does exactly what is asked of it.
 
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