Don Staats

To RV or not to RV
Without a doubt the RV series is one of the most popular designs to ever come down the homebuilder’s pike. In all its offerings it produces at both ends of the spectrum. It goes fast and lands relatively slow. What more could one ask? The real question is whether or not to build one. Assuming you have made the decision to build, should you build an RV?

I have a friend who is going through the agony of decision on this very question. About once a month we go up to Chuck Imken’s in San Marcos and see his progress. It is always impressive, both in quantity produced and in quality of product. On the ride back to New Braunfels I can look in the passenger seat and see my friend imagining that he is flying his own RV. He prefers the RV-9A with the possibility of a 150 engine and a basic IFR panel.

He is getting a little more sweaty over the idea since it has been approved by his boss (spelled w-i-f-e). That solves at least 95 perecent of the decision/problem process. Now he has to decide whether or not to order the empennage kit and start hammering rivets and go on from there.

I learned long ago never to discourage anyone on their ideas about building. Having unsuccessfully tried it a couple of times I know what they are going through. It is a lot of fun to speculate about the design, its performance, your presence in the cockpit, the color scheme, trips to distant lands etc. It would be extremely unkind to rain on that parade.

Lets be practical for a moment. Years ago the Pitts Special was the flavor of the month. When they came out with four ailerons and 180 hp everyone in the chapter wanted to build one. First reality check! I was having trouble landing a Champ and the thought of turning an airplane upside down left me with the further thought of turning it back to right side up. In other words, it was more plane than I could handle, or needed. Right then I needed to master my Champ.
For that matter most of the builders of the 4 Aileron Pitts couldn’t fly them anywhere near their limit. Do you really need more airplane than you can reasonably fly?

Over the years I have come to realize the kind of flying I do does not require much sophistication. Most of my cross country flights are under 300 miles with the occasional trip of 1,000 miles or so. About 18 months ago I left here early one morning for Urbana, Illinois, spent better than an hour at lunch and landed about 5:00 pm. Average speed about 125 mph. Average altitude about 3500 feet. Average leg about 2 to 2 ½ hours. Met a lot of ramp workers, watched a guy mowing the grass at the airport in Fredericktown MO, got a little excited about cruising slightly above the Razorback Mountains etc. I dodged a little rain to the east of St. Louis and flew under a low cloud layer into Urbana. A few days later I flew from there to Odessa and after a few days there I returned home. Aircraft used: Piper Pacer with an 150 hp Lycoming. Istruments included an Apollo Loran (no data base) and a K-Mart GPS (again no data base) My radio is a Narco with flip-flop. My transponder is also Narco, an AT 150. Never landed at a controlled airport. I have the plane that suits my flying desires and capabilities. If I were to go the RV route I would emulate Bob Cabe with a daylight VFR, lower powered version.

Back to my buddy. He has all the ratings and is an instructor. Moreover, he spends some of his time transitioning pilots who buy new Mooneys. He would be very comfortable in a complex aircraft and in instrument flying. So the question of building an RV does not get sidetracked based on the level of flying that my friend does.

That leaves consideration of time and cost vs. practical use. He can afford to build the RV-9A outfitted as described earlier. The quick build kit runs $24,000, the engine about $19,000 plus prop, Basic IFR maybe $10,000, painting $5,000, tools about $2,500 etc. Insturments, upholstery, unforeseen stuff and on and on and you total out somewhere around $70,000. Is it worth it? Yes, every penny when you consider the quality and performance of the RV series vs. the store bought stuff. As far as time goes, my friend works more than part time so would need a lot of determination and a reordering of some of his current priorities and projects. Here again you need an understanding spouse.

Is it practical? There are other designs that will put you around the pattern and on a few trips quite nicely. For example consider the Zenith Zodiac XL or for fun some of the RANS designs. You can probably think of others as well that can be built for a lot less than $70K. Go talk to Julius Junge and you can build for a whole lot less, but that is another category entirely.

Again, is it practical? Ask the same question of a golfer, a hunter, a fisherman. If we did everything that was practical we wouldn’t be considering the question at all. Is it the thing to do if you have answered yes to the questions I have posed or implied? As with the golfer or the purchaser of a new SUV we ignore practicality.

I really don’t know how it will turn out with my friend. He may very well decide to build the 9A. For me, however, its best to stick to the Pacer and things simpler. Sometimes though, I think back on the ride I had in Bob Cabe’s RV-6 and dream a little. What about you?

Don Staats