What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

RV-6A NEWBIE needs HELP!

Logo3801

Logo3801

I'm New Here
Hi fellow RV owners and enthusiasts. I am Logan Schmidt and my grandfather just purchased a used RV6A for me!:):D

http://www.aigaviation.com/aviationsalvage/salvagedetail.aspx?faano=N164LT

That is what it looked like 2 months ago it is almost done being refurbished and rebuilt! A few things that have been addressed (that I know of):

- Replaced Wooded Prop
- Tail damage fixed
- Nose Gear Replaced and fixed
- New seat cushion (was missing)
- Engine checked by certified RV mechanic for internal damage due to the PROP STRIKE :eek:

The plane dug into the grass (as seen in one of the photos on the salvage site) and the plane flipped and had a low-RPM prop strike

A few more things need to be looked at and fixed but overall the progress is coming along great! But why am I posting? Well...

When I get my RV or even before it... is there ANYTHING I should know? Do you RV guys have any tips for any RV's, or specifically my RV6A?

ANYTHING that may be helpful to a new RV owner like myself POST BELOW!

Thanks,
Logan Schmidt:cool:

ADDED MORE INFORMATION: (In Blue)
I am 16, turning 17 in December, my grandpa lives in MO, I live in WI. I have flown 14.6 hours, and have 50 landings (as of July 7th 2010) I have flown ONLY PA28151 and PA28161 . Some Piper Warriors... Nothin big but something to get me into flying. I flew in my grandpas plane ever since I was 3. At age 5, 7 , 13 and I haven't been down since. I am headed down to see my RV and for a family vacation end of July. (they thinks its for the family vacation, na only really for the RV!) I have done all the private pilots flying lessons except cross-country, night flying, and more soloing. I am in a private pilot ground school and I also take the King Air private pilot PC course (although its from the 1990's). Information (for the most part) doesn't change, it grows. I am hopefully flying down with Tony (my flight instructor) (on the forum he is: apkp777) I will edit in more information if you can come up with anything I left "out". Other wise POST ANY information that may help me (a new RV6A pilot) from falling out of the sky!

As always,
Thanks,
Logan
 
Last edited:
Logan,

Welcome to VAF....

We will need a little more detail before we can go off and answer your questions.....

Tell us a little about yourself, your flying experience etc...Your profile sez you are 16 so if I remember correctly you gotta be 17 to get a PP license. I suppose someone could fly an RV6A solo at 16 if they had the correct training and signoffs.

You might want to spend the next several days just reading about RV's here in the archives. That will be a good place to start.

I sense your enthusiasm and I get it since I was 16 once before as well. I might suggest that you slow down and get a lot of help before jumping into this thing half cocked if you want to make it to 17.

Is your Grandfather repairing this bird or is a professional shop working on it or???

Who is your "mentor" in your flying activities and what experience do they have with RV's?

Where is this aircraft being repaired and where will it be based? We need to find you some local RV builders/owners to help you out!
 
Last edited:
Hello Logan and welcome to VAF!

You are going to find lots of good advice, lots of goofy advice and lots of friends and encouragement. Try to spend some time learning everything you can about RV's. The world of experimental aircraft is exciting and you are beginning an adventure.

I will add that, since I know you, I am going to give you some accolade.

You are one of my best students ever. You soloed at 8.? hours and are but 16 years old. I think I soloed you days before you got your driver's license. I had no doubts to your ability to do either.

Some are going to be critical of you because you are so young and gramps bought you a plane. It's just because were all jealous! There are lots of people who will help you here. Folks will post pictures and tell stories. All of which can provide motivation when you need it most. It's a bit of a family here.
 
A question for a DAR. Is Logan going to need to reenter Phase I testing for a period of time. I would think so, but I am not sure.
 
Just a question

Not sure what that is but I see in your signature your in Phase I right now. Is it some sort of testing phases you must go through?:confused:


apkp777 said:
A question for a DAR. Is Logan going to need to reenter Phase I testing for a period of time. I would think so, but I am not sure.
Click to expand...
 
Reply to Brantel

My grandpa BUYS and REPAIRS and SELLS all types of aircrafts he has done very few RV's but has friends in nearby hangers helping him.:) Although once the plane comes up here to WI then I will need some RV friends to help me if anything goes wrong:eek:. Tony (on the forum: apkp777) Is my flight Instructor and has an RV as well he built his so he could help me with mine if something were to come up... Other wise yep its all on my grandpa for fixing it!:cool:

Thanks,
Logan


Brantel said:
Logan,

Welcome to VAF....

We will need a little more detail before we can go off and answer your questions.....

Tell us a little about yourself, your flying experience etc...Your profile sez you are 16 so if I remember correctly you gotta be 17 to get a PP license. I suppose someone could fly an RV6A solo at 16 if they had the correct training and signoffs.

You might want to spend the next several days just reading about RV's here in the archives. That will be a good place to start.

I sense your enthusiasm and I get it since I was 16 once before as well. I might suggest that you slow down and get a lot of help before jumping into this thing half cocked if you want to make it to 17.

Is your Grandfather repairing this bird or is a professional shop working on it or???

Who is your "mentor" in your flying activities and what experience do they have with RV's?

Where is this aircraft being repaired and where will it be based? We need to find you some local RV builders/owners to help you out!
Click to expand...
 
Yes, when operating an experimental aircraft you have a set of operational limitations. During a certain number of hours, either the first 25 or 40 hours depending on certain things you have restrictions on where you can fly and who can fly with you. (kind of like your driver's license right now).

I have about 9 more hours of solo flight and a 40nm flight radius. After that is complete you are said to be in Phase II. Phase II lasts pretty much forever, unless you have to go back into Phase I for more testing. I believe, but not sure, you will have to do that. Your grandfather or other qualified RV pilot will have to do that for you.
 
Welcome, Fellow Cheesehead!

Hi Logan, I see you're from Wisconsin. So am I! (I don't live there now, though. :( )

Anyway... If I were you, I'd get to know some people on this forum-- there are a LOT of very experienced RV-6A pilots on here that will help you get started. I'm an RV newbie too, been on here only a few weeks and already learned a whole lot about RVs and flying in general. (Be careful as this forum is addicting...)

Then like any good flying Wisconsinite, I'd spend as much time at OSHKOSH as I could, and hang out with some of those folks, listen to their stories and learn! There are several RV groups that get together there, maybe you can join in the fun.

Be careful out there!
 
Logan,

Katie is building an RV-3. Its an early Van's kit and requires lots of talent. She's an inspiration to us all. The modern kits like the one I built are really much easier to assemble. Still require a ton of work and considerable skill. Just not the challenge that a RV3 or RV4 would require. Your RV6 also was "old school" and the builder had to have some patience.
 
Hi Logan,

lots of guys would have dreamed to be in a situation like you find yourself in! be aware of that. it's a curse and a great opportunity for you at the same time.
the curse: lot's of people will be envious, will talk "spoiled brat" type stuff and will never take you for full... you just have to be aware of that, best not make too much fuss about it and at the same time learn to be humble/keep both feet on the ground. make sure that local people will get to know the "real you" and they will change minds. i've had my ppl before my drivers license (but had to work hard for it so i could afford myself), so have somewhat been there done that.

the opportunity:
since it sounds like you are early in your career, you can make lots of good and some bad choices.
i had done the ppl first at a "regular" school with a flight instructor and then also had the opportunity of training in an airline system (before swissair went bancrupt). the difference was stunning. in the regular school, they cut more slack, it wasn't as important whether you exactly nailed the approach speeds etc...
when i went for transition training for the 6A/7A last summer at jan bussell in florida, knowing to "fly by the numbers" helped tremendously and got me there real quick!
so the best thing you can do is first to be real hard on yourself/critical of your performance and always find what you could have done just a bit better yet.
and also ask your flight instructor to be a little tougher on you than he would be on a regular "leisure" type student. of course not to the point that it makes flying "hard work" und not fun any more ;-)
the 6A won't be hard to fly and is predictable, however it could potentially bite you if you're not careful (e.g. high rate of descent in a flare when speed is gone, bouncing, right rudder at takeoff, stall behaviour). and it's definitely a big step up from a pa28.
so i would be very cautious at first... do lots of just landing training on another airplane with a stronger gear first and learn how to save botched landings (they will happen, if they don't, let the instructor set them up).

good luck, but please don't rush it! you'll be able to enjoy the RV for a long time, so it doesn't matter in the big picture if you maybe wait just a bit and build some more experience on more forgiving airframes.

rgds, bernie
 
Congratulations, Logan....

....and it's great to see another young man get into flying RV's.

Listen to Tony, have a safe and cautious attitude and take things slowly, as Tony advises,

Best,
 
Your a very lucky....

young man. Oh to be sixteen again and learning to fly. Just be very focused. I am getting my PPL in my 6, just about ready for a checkride. It's really the only airplane I have ever flown, so I have no point of reference, but I will say Insurance is going to be a "Nightmare" for you. I really don't know that you will be able to get it. Better to finish your PPL in another airplane then transition to your 6 after you have it.

Just be very, very careful, things happen really fast in the airplane. Best of Luck in your endeavor. Lots of dual would be a good thing.
 
Opportunity for sure!

flyvans.com said:
the 6A won't be hard to fly and is predictable, however it could potentially bite you if you're not careful (e.g. high rate of descent in a flare when speed is gone, bouncing, right rudder at takeoff, stall behaviour). and it's definitely a big step up from a pa28.

rgds, bernie
Click to expand...

Congrats Logan, I'm with Bernie- All opportunity

As said before- the higher engine off sink rate is way different that the PA 28.
But here is some more differences-Faster stall speed, Smaller front nose gear and not a tough gear leg trainer like the other Piper/Cessna models.

Don?t get caught "rounding out high and slow in the flair", the float characteristics are not the same as in the PA 28 ?What float in an RV???

Hence- Many of the techniques you will learn in the PA28 will be re-learned for the RV. But the bottom line here is- There is nothing that replaces practice and experience in aviation-be patient and enjoy it all!!
 
apkp777 said:
A question for a DAR. Is Logan going to need to reenter Phase I testing for a period of time. I would think so, but I am not sure.
Click to expand...

I'm not a DAR but have some knowledge.
If the damaged airplane had completed its original phase 1 testing and had the appropriate log book entry made, and all of the repairs being done were putting it back to that original configuration, meaning, no changes made that would be considered a major change (another whole subject in itself), then all that needs to be done is make appropriate log book entries related to the repairs completed and go fly (still a good idea to do some testing solo if major work has been done).
If a major change is made (I.E. installing a different propeller) then the requirements of the operating limitations need to be met. The specifics depend on what time period the operating limitations were issued (they have change a number of times over the years).

Scott
(also a member of the licensed pilot before being a licensed driver club...though that was a long time ago)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top