My Cousin Built an RV-8 | FerrariChat
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My Cousin Built an RV-8

Discussion in 'Aviation Chat' started by teak360, May 20, 2009.

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  1. teak360

    teak360 F1 World Champ

    Nov 3, 2003
    10,065
    Boulder, CO
    Full Name:
    Scott
    #1 teak360, May 20, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  2. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
    Staff Member Admin Miami 2018 Owner Social Subscribed

    Dec 1, 2000
    63,963
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Lay
    #2 rob lay, May 20, 2009
    very nice, the RV's are great planes, I just can't get myself excited about experimentals although for performance and cost they can't be beat. I don't think there are even any hard numbers they are any less safe than flying a Cirrus or Columbia.
     
  3. solofast

    solofast Formula 3

    Oct 8, 2007
    1,773
    Indianapolis
    #3 solofast, May 20, 2009
    While the accident rates for homebuilts and factory built aircraft are very similar, a look at the statistics does yield some differences. The factory built aircraft have a higher rate of continued VFR into IFR conditions and crashes under IFR conditions, both of which, to my mind are caused by the pilot. Accidents from mechancial or structural problems are higher for homebuilts, with the result being that in those cases the crash was more than likely caused by the aircraft.

    Since there are more factory built aircraft flying IFR and in nasty weather, it is stretching things a bit to assume that homebuilts are as safe as a factory built aircraft.

    Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of homebuilts and many are carefully built by knowledgeable and skilled craftsmen. Some people aren't as careful and the Darwinian aspects of the sky being unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect takes care of that....

    Finally, homebuilts do not have to comply with the FAA certification requirements for stability and other aspects that are, quite simply, in my mind, required for safe operation. If I was to build a homebuilt (and I've seriously considered it), I would have to build a kit that was basically designed and could meet FAA certification requirements. With an kit like that you would have pretty good chance of collecting all of your retirement....

    JMPO....
     
  4. jitblass

    jitblass Rookie

    Jul 10, 2011
    1
    #4 jitblass, Jul 10, 2011
    Hey Teak360,

    Do you have any more pictures of that RV? I will be building an RV-8 soon, and am considering the fastback mod, but there are only a handful of pictures of them online, since not many people have built them in the fastback configuration. It looks like a BEAUTIFUL aircraft, and I would love to see a couple more images of it to help me in my journey.

    Let me know, or PM me. It would really be helping me out a great deal.

    Thanks so much!
     
  5. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

    Feb 22, 2003
    10,213
    San Antonio
    Full Name:
    Russ Turner
    #5 snj5, Jul 10, 2011
    That is one beautiful RV. Any more photos? I have a great friend with a rocket fast RV-7. He jokes that there are now so many everywhere he calls them "Ramp Fleas" and no one notices them anymore. But heck, I'd notice your friend's pretty plane.

    Rob - until a year or so ago I NEVER considered building an aircraft, as they just did not seem to offer anything. Restoring was always "it" for me. For me, building, became the only way to have what I wanted to experience - neccesity you might say.

    Looking back now and speaking just for me, I learned an awful lot about flying from building I never knew before. More than really neccesary, perhaps -- it's tough to make points with a girl talking about declage and angles of incidence with a gleam in your eye.
     

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