Menu Sign In Contact FAQ
Banner
Welcome to our forums

Why has the RV been such a success?

Up until a few years ago, vans didn’t supply any firewall-forward parts, that was entirely at the builders discretion, with merely an engine recommendation from Vans. These days a firewall-forward kit is available* but is by no means mandatory, and you can even pick and choose components from it.

IFR does seem to be happening for UK LAA machines. We plan to get ours IFR approved. Luckily, the world of IFR certification is split into two parts: airworthiness and airspace requirements. Airworthiness requirements talk baout necessary instruments (compass, attitude indicator, clock…) and airspace requirements talk about navigational capability (B-RNAV, PRNAV etc). It appears that the LAA authorisations will be on the basis of airworthiness, and compliance with the navigational airspace requirements will be met by installing certified kit. It seems there won’t be a need for whole-airframe certification for these devices, just for the devices themselves to meet the relevant (E)TSO.

As others have said, the G3X and Dynon systems are primarily PFD/MFDs. While they do have some navigational capability, it is deliberately not fully-featured for IFR, as it wouldn’t meet the TSO requirements.

* These kits are pretty complete – even to the point of ready to install baffles for the RV-14.

EGEO

Also, @jwoolard, you will be building a plane which not only has good handling characteristics but being all-metal will sidestep most of the static charge/discharge and lightning protection issues which will IMHO be a huge problem in some “plastic” planes flying in cloud. So you will be well placed to get the IFR approval – even if it is officially usable only in UK airspace (I am following the process too).

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

even if it is officially usable only in UK airspace (I am following the process too).

Correction: It will be officially usable in Scandinavia, Italy, Poland, Greece, France, Spain, Portugal. Almost everywhere, except (maybe?) Germany.

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

I think we will need a reference for that, @LeSving

Taking for example Greece, does Greece explicitly permit IFR in aircraft without an ICAO CofA, or has it not implemented the relevant parts of ICAO in its national regs? Either method will work.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

jwoolard wrote:

It appears that the LAA authorisations will be on the basis of airworthiness, and compliance with the navigational airspace requirements will be met by installing certified kit. It seems there won’t be a need for whole-airframe certification for these devices, just for the devices themselves to meet the relevant (E)TSO.

I seem to remember having read in the LAA-Magazine, that the equipement has to be “fit for purpose”, since the vast majority of the LAA-fleet has uncertified equipement and requirement of certified stuff would kill the whole “IFR in Permit aircraft-project”

EDLE

LeSving wrote:

except (maybe?) Germany.

Depends on. If you apply for an entry permission, you’ll not be restricted to VFR as long there are no operating limitations issued in the permit to fly. If you enter based on the general entry permission for ECAC-homebuilts you’re limited to day VFR. Makes sense, no?

EDLE

I think the idea here is that the UK LAA permit will have the “VFR only” restriction removed.

IOW, a G-reg homebuilt which meets the requirements will be like most N-reg homebuilts.

The big difference will of course be that a G-reg homebuilt can live in the UK for ever (obviously ) whereas an N-reg homebuilt is limited to 28 days.

Then, when you fly somewhere, it will depend on the national laws of each country in question, as I wrote above.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Does this mean that N-reg experimentals are rare in the UK? In other words, is the 28 day limitation being respected/enforced?

Germany is full of N-reg experimentals.

Yes; extremely rare. I have seen one, 10+ years ago; a Lancair of some sort, maybe a 320, sitting in the corner of “my” hangar. It was there for some work.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I don’t tend to frequent this forum – but Peter just emailed out to advertise the non-certified forum on here.

I’m building an RV-10 – so I can contribute a bit here about why I chose it. I was torn between posting on this thread, or the show us what you’re building!

I currently operate a Tecnam Sierra, one of only 2 retractable home builts in the country. It’s an incredible machine, 130kts TAS all day long at any altitude, 21 litres of fuel per hour, mogas, and a decent baggage area and load carrying capability. My wife and I have toured around europe in it, and it’s great. However…. we just sprogged.

I live very close to EGKL Deanland, complete with it’s 450m undulating grass runway. I love this airfield, love the community, and the people. So here was the challenge – a four seater to operate out of 450m!

Other personal factors are that I fly on a LAPL, so IFR isn’t relevant at all. I want a very capable VFR tourer, with a bit more speed, double the seats, and preferably on a permit to keep my yearly costs down. Over the past 5 years i haven’t spent more than £500 per year on maintenance once, often half that.

I didn’t want anything old, I wanted modern EFIS.

This narrowed it down to pretty much a Jabiru or an RV-10. I won’t go near Jabs any more, been there, done that, and don’t like them. So…. this leaves just one! I looked around for a used one, but they are very rare – only seven flying in the UK. Then as if my magic, someone advertised a “half complete” one. So i bought it a few months back.

I’m now busy riveting in the internal panels, installing avionics, and a bunch of other jobs. I’m going for a mega spec of equipment, the only notable absesnce is a certified GPS – but this could always be added later. I’m going for Three Dynon Skyviews (A UK first?) with them used for PDF, Engine and Nav. Full Autopilot. Auto Trim. VP-X Power Management, ADS-B/Flarm/Mode-S Traffic Monitoring, Dual Dynon COM, Dynon Transponder – all integrated into the PFD.

The aircraft will easily operate out of 450m grass with MTOW. The RV-10 is 1225kg MTOW, with the payload being about half. Tanks are 225 litres. It’s 260bhp, AVGAS only sadly (a pain at my strip). Fuel burn will be terrifying compared to my previous aircraft!

So – Why are RVs so popular? Everything the previous posters said. They are simple, reliable, robust, conventionally constructed, attractive, functional, efficient, easy to build. I can’t wait to fly it – hopefully this summer for build completion.

EGKL, United Kingdom
Sign in to add your message

Threads possibly related to this one

Back to Top