RV as in RV-4, RV-6, RV-7, RV-8, RV-9 and RV-10 aircraft. Quite a community has arisen around these capable little airplanes. People have made small fortunes because of Van’s Aircraft airplanes. An entire community based on these planes has arisen on the Internet. Like any community ours has it’s share of demigods. It’s been enough to drive me from Internet forum to Internet forum. I thought I was just being over sensitive but each day more and more people leave the RV community because of the demigods and aristocrats (as another writer put it.)

I’m selling my RV-4 and I could not be happier. The only thing that will make me even more happy is to sell it. It will be good to be rid of the demigods. I’m not going to walk away from aviation, just walk into a slower, friendlier aviation. Good-bye Van’s, hello Rans.

I’m now doing what I hope is the last annual condition inspection on my RV-4.  There have been a few minor squawks but I’ve got them fixed up.  My work now turns on rebuilding the instrument panel, replacing the canopy hinge, installing the wheel pants, finishing up the fairings, and getting it painted.  About a week’s worth of work for someone who knows what he is doing.  It will probably take me months.

I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out of this plane.  I’ve travelled all over the place in it.  Take a look at my Travels Page up top.  But now I just want to find something I can put around locally in.  Something I can give friends rides in.  Something fun and affordable.  I’ve been caught up in the fly high, go fast culture for a while now.  Time to get back to my roots and what I really enjoy; low and slow fun flying.  I want to be able to land on back country strips again.

RV pilots will tell you stories of landing on back country strips.  A good RV pilot will need at about 1000 feet of runway to get their plane stopped.  Some really good RV pilots can get the planes stopped in about 800 feet.  The best can get them stopped in 500 feet.  I want to be able to land in places where there is only 200 feet of runway or so.  I don’t expect to start out being able to land that short but I think I can work up to it.  I also want to be able to fly in to out of the way places and camp beside the plane.  I want to be able to take my son and our camping gear with me.  We travel pretty light so a Rans Coyote will work perfectly for us.  It’s affordable, it will keep me in the air, it will allow me to share my love of aviation with more people.  It will allow me to give others a view of the beautiful planet God created for us that they might not otherwise get.  You can’t really appreciate the view from the tiny window of an airliner.  But cruising along at 80 MPH at 1000 feet MSL, you get an appreciation for what God has created for us.

Can’t wait to sell this RV-4.

The RV-7 is officially gone.  A gentleman from southern California bought it and carted it off just yesterday.  What a relief.  So this officially ends my RV-7 log.

Now all I have to do is invest the money in making the RV-4 presentable and put it up for sale.  Then the exercise will be how to keep involved in aviation while staying within the family budget.  It’s a challenge but I’ve always been up for a good challenge.

Life has been a litte intense lately so I thought I’d write on a lighter topic.

I have an offer on the RV-7 kit.  The gentleman should be here in a few days with a cashier’s check in hand to pick up the kit.  I am sad to leave the world of Van’s aircraft because I’ve met a lot of really great people along the way.  But in a way I’m excited to enter a new phase of my aviation avocation.  There are new people to meet in this world too.

I’ve enjoyed planning the new aircraft and there are new challenges this time around.  On the other two airplanes the challenge was to incorporate the most state-of-the-art components I could find.  The challeng this time around is to keep costs to a minimum.  This is actually a fun challenge; more an exercise in in what I can do without.  It’s actually been very good for me.  It’s a skill that can help in all other facets of my life.

Of course there is one more step to take before I can get going on the new airplane.  I have to sell the RV-4.  That will be the next big challenge.  I’ll document the preparations and sale in future posts.

I finally found time to work on the RV-7. Between family, church, and work I have had very little free time. To date I’ve prepped both spars, assembled the skeleton of the left wing and begun to test fit the top inboard and outboard wing skins. This kit is incredible. When I compare the amount of work to get my RV-4 wings to this stage and what I’ve done so far it’s…incredible.

I still have to drill out and redrive some rivets on the right rear wing spar. Once that is done I will begin fitting the wing skins on the right wing. If I were to work on this project every day, these wings would be complete by summer. They go together just that fast. We’ll have to see how much time I actually have to devote to it.

To progress beyond the wing stage I will have to sell my RV-4. Before I do that I will need finish out all the minor squawks that I never have completed. I will devote some time during the annual condition inspection to do this. I’m hoping to paint it just before I sell it. But that will be dictated by finances.

Putting main top skins on.  Held on by clecos.

Bottom of wing view showing ribs.

Obligatory “ribs disappear into infinity” photo.  Everyone does them so here’s mine.