Making the Transition to an RV
Very Cool Link!
The RV Finder
Van's Air Force; World Wide Wing
Scott Millhouse's trip to Vans
Precision Airmotive carb information
Jim Harchanko's "Engine Story"
"Don't Turn Back!"
safety article by Doug Rozendaal
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Downloads
W&B Program
must also install the
update
and here are
the instructions
AC 20-27E
(pdf, 2.3 meg)
This is the circular you need for info about registration and inspection
Do a Roll in Tracy Crook's Mazda powered RV-4
Engine Info
A great article with useful data about acquiring an engine
Article by Bob Archer about his internal wing-tip nav/com antennae
Product listing of Bob Archer's internal antennae
GIF of Archer type antenna (Bob Nuckoll's AeroElectric Connection)
Download the TVRVBG logo
(copyright 2002)
(The following article was written by John Allen about his experiences regaining IFR currency in his RV-6. At the time of this article, John had 800 hrs PIC, 21 hrs actual IMC, and 48 hrs hood time.)
This past March I finally put all of the pieces together to fly IFR in my RV. The
pitot-static was updated, the GPS database subscription was in place, the charts were
on-hand, and the instructor lined up. I also did a lot of practice on the GPS simulator
provided by the manufacturer. I hadn't flown IFR in 9 years so an instrument
competency check was definitely in order, a process that took several sessions.
The initial goal was to determine if IFR flight was reasonable given my skill set, the
equipment I had installed and the characteristics of the plane.
The first couple of lessons were back to the basics: tracking a VOR, entry to a hold,
intercepting a course, all with a hood on. The instructor told me to turn to a heading to
intercept V264 . Where the heck is V264. Come to think of it, where's my map. Look for the
map. Look up. 30 degree bank. Correct the Heading . Open the map. 20 degree bank. Correct
the Heading. etc. Lesson #1: Slow the airplane down. It was impossible for me to maintain
altitude tolerances or heading during maneuvers under the hood above about 120 knots. The
airplane is just too responsive. Lesson #2: Cockpit Organization. I went home from that
lesson and ordered a kneeboard. Then I got the sewing machine out and transformed a couple
of yards of fabric and some stiff plastic sheeting into a cockpit organizer that holds my
maps, clipboards, flight manuals, charts, etc. I attached a couple of spring-loaded pencil
holders within easy reach.
After a couple of weeks we tried an approach. Lesson #3 Slow the airplane down even more.
1700 RPM yields 90 knots during an approach. Ten degrees of flaps stabilizes the airplane
quite a bit.
On the fourth week we were scheduled to do multiple approaches. For some reason I figured
I could do a rigorous 7 mile hike on Saturday morning prior to the lesson. I crawled into
the airplane badly in need of a nap and completely bonked. I lost situational awareness
somewhere on the approach to Chino and couldn't recover. I took the hood off and told the
instructor I was going home. My flying was so bad the instructor refused to take any money
for it. Lesson #4 At 46 I'm not the pilot I was at 36. I need to evaluate my physical and
mental preparedness more critically. At this point I was back to square one. . .could I
reliably fly approaches in this airplane.
For the next couple of weeks I hit the GPS simulator and Microsoft flight simulator hard.
No scenery, just me and a single VOR flying approaches all over the LA Basin. No
autopilot allowed, no DME. Work on the scan, practice what-ifs.
On the 5th lesson we flew multiple approaches and I (almost) completely aced everything.
YES!! Question #1 answered. I can fly IFR in the RV, at least under favorable conditions.
I flew a couple more times with the instructor and got my sign off.
A couple of weeks ago I planned a trip to LAS with the knowledge I was finally going to
get to fly in real IMC, albeit briefly. Standard departure off Brackett: "Runway
heading to 1400 then Climbing left turn heading 130 to intercept the POM 164 degree
radial, Prado, V16, PDZ" I set up the radios, took off and entered the clouds.
Instant Vertigo. This is something I hadn't really encountered under the hood and it took
me by surprise. The responsiveness of the RV made it very difficult for me to overcome the
disorientation. Believe the Instruments, rapid overcorrect, more vertigo, correct again. .
.
After several cycles of rolling the airplane back and forth I engaged the wing leveler
button and let "Otto" fly the heading. Lesson #5: The autopilot is a required
piece of equipment in my airplane. Lesson #6: It's quite different in actual than in
simulated IMC. The tendency for vertigo is much stronger, at least for me. Vertigo is not
something I had difficulty with in Cessnas.
Later that week I flew over to WHP to visit my cousin Jack building an RV-4. This time I
flew the departure from POC just fine. Upon intercepting V186 the controller told me to
expect the VOR approach into WHP. I sat there trying to load the GPS overlay approach for
about a minute before I figured out there wasn't any GPS overlay. I hadn't studied the VOR
chart so I requested the GPS approach that comes in from the Newhall pass. Everything was
OK until I hit the clouds. Instant Vertigo, again. I manage to correct OK, except this
time my AI and my T&B don't seem to agree? Am I turning? Let me think about it. Oops,
blew through my altitude. Better correct. Now I'm in a bank. I break out and land
the airplane. In thinking about it I must have been slipping the airplane. Lesson #7 When
in IMC, keep my feet off the pedals.
On the return trip to POC I fly the departure perfectly and aced the approach back to POC.
It's one of those evenings where the setting sun is painting the clouds bright gold. I'm
thinking this IFR stuff is great and I'm a real pro now.
Last weekend the Golden West airshow was on and I'm ready to try this IFR with someone
else in the airplane. I pack my 13 year old daughter in the right seat and prepare for an
IFR departure through the marine layer. I've already made a risk-management decision at
this point, haven't I. I've flown the POC departure several times successfully so I'm not
worried so much about that. The decision I've made is to be single-engine IFR with 800'
ceilings and 1.5 miles with my baby in the cockpit. For a guy who shuns night flying
because of risk management concerns that's a pretty big step. Lesson #8 The personal
minimums I set 10 years ago need to be amended.
On the way back form Golden West, at about Bakersfield, I can see the cloud deck over Lake
Hughes VOR. If it's that far inland I know it's going to be pretty thick in the basin.
Sure enough, tops are around 6000. The Controller lowers me into the soup over Burbank,
carb heat comes on, and now its 90 knots all the way to Ontario. Ceilings are still
800' with visibility 2 miles at Brackett, which means the ILS is in use. Conditions are
considerably more favorable at EMT and ONT so I know there are good alternates. There is
no glideslope in the airplane, and the localizer MDA is 658 AGL. That means flying the
localizer almost to minimums. I am prepared for this flight and have been reviewing the
approach plates since over FAT. I know the airways, I know the approaches. Still, I
self-assess my current state. Now is the time to ask the Controller for climb to VFR.
I determine I am in good shape to proceed. There is good situational awareness, the
equipment is working correctly. Once in the soup I am working hard to manually maintain
altitude within the 100' minimum. I'm too focused on the charts, the heading, my daughter.
Time to use the altitude hold on the S-TEC. Once again I see difference between the AI and
the T&B and realize that the ball is out of the center. I'm thinking that at the lower
power settings and speed I am closer to the back side of the power curve. The RV is
normally an aileron airplane, but in this configuration it tends to skid. I live with the
ball being half out of the center and focus on other things. At this point I'm making all
turns with the autopilot, because it's easier (the S-TEC System 50 has a knob you can use
to make turns). I follow my route and know exactly where I am. The localizer is tuned in
and audibly verified. The radial off PDZ is read off the GPS. When the controller turns me
to the intercept course I am at 4000' and can see ONT below me. I can sense my daughter
tense when I re-enter the clouds. On intercept I turn to course and engage the approach
mode of the autopilot. This causes the autopilot to respond to course changes with greater
sensitivity and the airplane centers the needle all the way to the MAP. One minute prior
to the MAP the airport is visible, but I've let my speed wander up to 100 knots and I'm
high. I can't level off to slow the airplane without risk of losing the runway environment
so I slip to slow down. The approach gets a B+.
So, it is possible for me to fly IFR in the RV with some caveats. Whereas I was a very
good IFR pilot in a Cessna, I am less competent in this airplane. Safe flying requires the
ample use of the autopilot, which has never been necessary before. The cramped cockpit of
the RV requires superb cockpit organization. The navigation work is coming easier, but
basic airmanship is sub-par. I'm still about slightly behind the airplane
I don't know the airplane as well as I should at the slower speeds. At low power settings
I'm working the throttle too much to maintain altitude. Also, there are some equipment
fixes. The wingtip VOR antenna has a dead spot and needs to be replaced. The AI needs to
be tilted in the panel to even the horizon with the reference lines.
Still, flying IFR is a heck of a lot of fun. After flying the approach I am completely
wired for a couple of hours, the way I used to be when I was learning to fly.
John Allen
RV-6