smokyray
Well Known Member
The RVX
What do you get when you cross an RV-4 with an RV-6?
Wow, after reading Joe Underwoods story of his incredible plans-built Six, I too thought I would share a bit on my unique RV. Ten years ago I was shopping for an RV4 project to build. I was flying my 4 year old RV4 that took me 8 years to build "back in the day" when the 4 was the highest number. I really wanted to build a fastback 4 (still do). I found a project belonging to Cornerstone Ministries, made a donation and suddenly I had a 75% finished RV4. I brought it home and with the help of my RV guru friend Arvil Porter, began planning the build. Two weeks later 9/11 took place, I was activated and within a week was flying combat patrols over the US in the F-16. We would later deploy to the desert for an extended period for Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. During this time my Dad saw the project languishing and stepped in, bought it from me and thus began the planning for a completely different airplane, The RVX.
With my inputs, Arvil's expertise building 12 RV's and my RV4 experience we modified the RV4 wings and empennage from my project and mated them to an RV-6 fuselage. This required re-jigging the wings, removing one center rib bay from each without touching the spar and matching the RV-6 plans for the center section. When Arvil finished the wings looked incredible, however, we couldn't see cutting anymore for the RV-6 size tanks, especially since the RV4 tanks were finished. So, RV4 fuel tanks were installed along with a set of my good friends "Hollywood and Cheese" at Hotel Whiskey Aviation Safe Air one ER tanks, custom made for the X. Like Joe, I incorporated every speed mod I could think of, beefing up several areas and of course the RV4 tail. Overall the wing span is 3" less than a stock RV6 but the Ailerons are RV4, 4 inches longer. We worked very hard on the wing/tail incidence and later I would find it paid off. The RV4 HS and elevator is smaller than the six and RV-4 long gear give it a very racy look. We tried to keep costs low and use an 0-320 narrow deck I bought used, masterfully rebuilt to racing specs by my airboat friend JR, used radios, instruments and the prototype MGL Enigma EFIS, MT FP prop. Came in light at 960 lbs painted by my good friends Ronnie and Tim. It also has the 380X150X5 tire mod for rough turf runways. It was so different than the RV6 when we finished I decided to call it the RV-6X or simply RVX.
The first test flight proved our calculations correct, simply delightful! She flies more like my RV4 than the RV6's I have flown. Much more roll and pitch sensitive, almost Pitts-like. For 150 HP it is very fast, easily cruises at 160 knots True, 177 knots flat out WOT. My friend Ronnie helped me every step of the "tweaking process" rigging it to a fine art (he used to rig Navajos at Piper) to get every knot of speed. Testing really proved what a jewel we had. Arvils strip is short (1200') but the little X had no problems getting in or out, landing just like my RV4, 60 knots on final. Aerobatics are the best of any RV I have flown, the pitch/roll balance is right on. Being a RV4 fan I wasn't sure how I would like it, but after 69 hours I'm hooked. Sadly Arvil succumbed to pancreatic cancer three weeks after the test flight. I will always remember his big grin when I taxied the X in after the test flight, his 13th RV. What a great airplane.
Any questions, email me at [email protected]
Smokey
HR2
RVX
What do you get when you cross an RV-4 with an RV-6?
Wow, after reading Joe Underwoods story of his incredible plans-built Six, I too thought I would share a bit on my unique RV. Ten years ago I was shopping for an RV4 project to build. I was flying my 4 year old RV4 that took me 8 years to build "back in the day" when the 4 was the highest number. I really wanted to build a fastback 4 (still do). I found a project belonging to Cornerstone Ministries, made a donation and suddenly I had a 75% finished RV4. I brought it home and with the help of my RV guru friend Arvil Porter, began planning the build. Two weeks later 9/11 took place, I was activated and within a week was flying combat patrols over the US in the F-16. We would later deploy to the desert for an extended period for Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. During this time my Dad saw the project languishing and stepped in, bought it from me and thus began the planning for a completely different airplane, The RVX.
With my inputs, Arvil's expertise building 12 RV's and my RV4 experience we modified the RV4 wings and empennage from my project and mated them to an RV-6 fuselage. This required re-jigging the wings, removing one center rib bay from each without touching the spar and matching the RV-6 plans for the center section. When Arvil finished the wings looked incredible, however, we couldn't see cutting anymore for the RV-6 size tanks, especially since the RV4 tanks were finished. So, RV4 fuel tanks were installed along with a set of my good friends "Hollywood and Cheese" at Hotel Whiskey Aviation Safe Air one ER tanks, custom made for the X. Like Joe, I incorporated every speed mod I could think of, beefing up several areas and of course the RV4 tail. Overall the wing span is 3" less than a stock RV6 but the Ailerons are RV4, 4 inches longer. We worked very hard on the wing/tail incidence and later I would find it paid off. The RV4 HS and elevator is smaller than the six and RV-4 long gear give it a very racy look. We tried to keep costs low and use an 0-320 narrow deck I bought used, masterfully rebuilt to racing specs by my airboat friend JR, used radios, instruments and the prototype MGL Enigma EFIS, MT FP prop. Came in light at 960 lbs painted by my good friends Ronnie and Tim. It also has the 380X150X5 tire mod for rough turf runways. It was so different than the RV6 when we finished I decided to call it the RV-6X or simply RVX.
The first test flight proved our calculations correct, simply delightful! She flies more like my RV4 than the RV6's I have flown. Much more roll and pitch sensitive, almost Pitts-like. For 150 HP it is very fast, easily cruises at 160 knots True, 177 knots flat out WOT. My friend Ronnie helped me every step of the "tweaking process" rigging it to a fine art (he used to rig Navajos at Piper) to get every knot of speed. Testing really proved what a jewel we had. Arvils strip is short (1200') but the little X had no problems getting in or out, landing just like my RV4, 60 knots on final. Aerobatics are the best of any RV I have flown, the pitch/roll balance is right on. Being a RV4 fan I wasn't sure how I would like it, but after 69 hours I'm hooked. Sadly Arvil succumbed to pancreatic cancer three weeks after the test flight. I will always remember his big grin when I taxied the X in after the test flight, his 13th RV. What a great airplane.
Any questions, email me at [email protected]
Smokey
HR2
RVX
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