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RV-10 new build

H

[email protected]

Active Member
Fellow pilots

I've been monitoring/ following this forum for a while now and have to say that this is one of the most informative forums.

I'm a newbie to this and will start my rv10 empennage kit soon. Looking forward to the build and realize that it will take me 3 years +. I'm going std kit.

From what I've seen the rv10 is slightly nose heavy. Has anyone tried a io 540 narrow deck that is 20lb lighter?

Question for pilots using AFS. I really want to AFS in my plane but don't know how well the maps will work in South Africa regarding detail. Does it use jeppeson database?

Your inputs would be appreciated:):)
Regards
Henke
 
Welcome to VAF!

Henke, welcome to the best RV site on the web:D

Good to have you aboard.
 
Henke,

I have AFS and am very pleased with them. To be honest, I'm a little ignorant of the map options outside of the US.

Have you visited the AFS support forum? I know the folks in Europe are very active talking about their map options with Rob. Start a thread there on options for your part of the world.

I'm sure if you post your question there or drop Rob an email directly, he will be quick to respond. He also visits VAF frequently.

Bob
 
RV 10

Thanks Bob and Mike

Can any of you give advice on the engine? I'm looking at acquiring a good core io 540 either wide or narrow block and send it to performance aero engine to "tune". I know Vic's running the performance engine

The option of narrow deck came to mind when the guys are talking about a slightly nose heavy rv 10

Regards
 
Welcome Henke!

Glad to hear another -10 is about to be under construction. I think the -10 is fine as designed so my opinion is to not be too concerned with the forward CG. In fact, if you heavily load it up with baggage and passengers you run into issues where you have to watch out for aft CG. I think its well balanced. If you can get a good engine that happens to be lighter, great! If you go the normal stock route, great! The -10 flies like a dream either way.
 
I have a narrow deck E4B5 in one now, but it won't be ready for weighing until spring. I don't weigh much and the last one required 18lbs of baggage solo with zero fuel.
 
Thanks guys. Looks like std io 540 will do. Anyone of you have experience with a tuned io 540 from performance aero or bpa engines? Is it really smoother and better fuel consumption and does the cold air induction make that much more hp?

Regards
Henke
 
There might be some confusion on engine nomenclature. Wide vs. Narrow deck are terms that relate specifically to the cylinder mounting flange. There are a couple of other very minor differences but the weight between the two types is essentially the same. The narrow deck style is an older design that was phased out of the 540s in the early to mid 70s. All 540 engines manufactured since then are wide deck. I believe they even share the same TCDS!

The big weight difference is between parallel and angle valve engines. Parallel valve engines are the lower HP versions (think 235, 250 & 260 HP). The angle valve versions are the engines above 260 HP and are as much as 40 pounds heavier than a parallel valve. The angle valve engines are also wider so cowl modification would be needed to make one fit.

All that said, the RV-10s W&B characteristics are such that everything (passengers & baggage) you load in the plane moves the CG aft. It isn't possible to move the CG forward of the empty weight CG by loading passengers and/or baggage differently. So for that reason, the empty weight CG should be near the forward limit. The "nose heavy" comments you occasionally hear simply reflect the fact that with a forward CG and in the landing flair you MIGHT run out of trim and need to apply back pressure to the stick. Many people simply put 25 pounds of "stuff" in the baggage area which totally eliminates "running out of trim". Having the empty CG near the forward limit also gives you maximum loading flexibility when near gross.

With regard to engine shops, you won't find any better than BPA!

Bob
 
I concur with Bob. Give Allan or Rhonda a call or drop them an email. BPA is great a locating an old core and giving it new life.

If you are looking for new, it's hard to beat the price from Van's.

I know of one angle valve engine in a RV-10. It's in a standard cowl, but it was quite a bit of work to make everything to fit. The person that has it isn't into VAF or email, but I can give you his telephone number. He doesn't recommend it when asked.

Bob
 
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