chrispratt
Well Known Member
I've added a few updates (1-08) to my commentary now that I have more than 200 hours on the airplane. I've replaced the original NavAid autopilot with a TruTrak ADI Pilot II. When I started building I used my experience to guide me and it said "you only need a wing leveler for the type of flying you'll do." Little did I realize how much this airplane wants to travel cross-country. The responsiveness of the controls makes it rather difficult to fold a map much less relax on a long cross-country without the aid of an autopilot. I've found the TruTrack to be a godsend in that it has both altitude hold and nav tracking. It also helps when coming home to my base at Addison which usually requires holding a constant altitude in the busy airspace around DFW. It works well even in turbulence.
A Garmin 496 with XM weather was also added for much the same reason. (The 496 is not shown in the picture. It is not panel mounted but I use a RAM ball mount on the right side of the cockpit so I can remove it when I'm just flying local.) The XM paid for itself on my Oshkosh trip in 2007 as I needed to dodge thunderstorms on departure.
The only "problem" I've encountered is with the air box on the O-360. At about 150 hours, I noticed a slight crack in the exterior paint on the lower cowl air intake section. When I looked inside the cowling I saw four small round indentations in the heat shield materials I had stuck to the cowling. It was obvious that the rivet heads on the air box nearest the cowling had impacted and caused this. Never happened before. My solution was to drill out the four rivets that were at the apex of the curve in the box and replace them with countersunk rivets. After another 25 hours of flight I still noticed some indentations in the heat shield (replaced after the 150 hour inspection) although not as prominent. Not sure what's causing this. Someone suggested that it may be happening when the engine does its "wet dog shake" on shutdown. Certainly possible. I'm still monitoring and will update when I figure out the cause, or better yet, the solution.
Other than that the airplane is pretty much as it was when first flown and as described below. It has behaved well. The engine (Lycoming O-360-A1A from Van) has purred like a kitten (knock-on-wood). It tends to run cool with oil temps rarely above 185 and usually at 175 even in summer. The original plugs (Champion REM38E) still look clean. It burns about a quart of oil every 15 hours.
Below is a picture of the updated panel and a recent takeoff view. I really love flying this airplane.
Photo: Jim Wilson
What follows is my original text:
First flight of N898DK was May 30, 2005 (Memorial Day).
My project was started in January 1999 for a build time of 6.5 years. This was my first aircraft project and was truly the learning experience that EAA had intended a homebuilt project to be. I started with very few tools; I now have a garage full of tools and still adding. I started with zero knowledge of building; I now have a lot more knowledge about building than I ever expected. Today, I’m willing to take on projects that I wouldn’t have attempted a few years ago.
My goal for the RV-8 was simple. Build a fun sport plane. As a result I kept things relatively simple and have very few bells-and-whistles. The engine is a factory standard carbureted Lycoming O-360-A1A purchased from Van. The propeller is a Hartzell constant speed again purchased from Van. Originally, I was going to use a fixed pitch prop, but after much lobbying by friends and fellow RVers, I opted for the CS and am very glad I did. The climb performance is awesome and the speed brake is equally valuable. I recommend this to everyone.
The avionics “suite” and panel layout is for VFR flying. I have worked for several aircraft manufacturers and know they have researched this topic thoroughly. So I took advantage of what they have learned over the years in terms of what’s important to have directly in front of you and what is secondary for reference. The “basic-T” still works very well. I opted for electric gyros for three reasons: a) I am instrument rated (but not current) and if I inadvertently get into a poor visibility situation I can use these to get out of trouble, b) for aerobatics, I can shut the gyros off to prevent tumbling, and c) I didn’t have to plumb a vacuum system. My Nav/Comm is a Garmin 250XL -- it works great. The Transponder is the old King KT76A -- bulletproof. The EI instruments gauges are top notch. I love these. The fuel gauge, even though I use the basic resistive type float indicators, is dead-on accurate. The SR8A engine analyzer is the simplest EI sells, but very useful in establishing cruise power settings and fuel management.
I bought my panel equipment in 2002 and a lot has changed since then in terms of available equipment. If done today, I would definitely have a digital autopilot with altitude hold feature (really helps for long X-C), and a color moving map/GPS combo. I’ll probably be adding these as soon as I win the lottery. (Well I didn't win the lottery but I can show you where my last year's bonus went -- see introductory notes. Chris)
As of this writing (update 11/06) I have 132 hours on the airplane. Everything has settled down pretty well. I don’t have to “work” on the plane to adjust things anymore every time I go to the hangar. I just fly. I typically burn 9 gallons/hr at cruise (8,000 ft, 2350 rpm, and max MP of about 21.5). I flight plan for 160 kts TAS and usually meet or exceed that. My oil consumption is 1 quart every 15 hours (Aeroshell 100W+).
I absolutely love flying the –8. Of all the airplanes I’ve flown, this is the only one that I truly look forward to flying again and again. I just wish I had more free time to do so. The airplane's handling qualities are a delight – quick, responsive, precise. Stalls are a non-event. It is a taildragger, but by far the easiest taildragger I have flown. I have time in J-3 Cubs, Stinson 108-3, Luscombe 8A, Cessna 140, Cessna 170, Citabria – all taildraggers. The –8 is the pussycat.
With any project there are a lot of people to thank. This project would not have been completed without the help and encouragement of several people. My brother Mike and his wife Paula were always supportive and put up with my high stress level as the final finish line (and Oshkosh deadline)approached. Danny King was totally giving of his valuable time to mentor me, encourage me, and help me through some of the really tough build areas of the kit. Danny’s wife Marthajane is tops, totally patient with DK and a darn good air-to-air photographer to boot.
Like a lot of you, I had dreamed about building an airplane since I was a kid. I still find it hard to believe that the airplane sitting in my hangar is something that I built. It was a pleasurable, sometimes exasperating, fun, trying, and ultimately fulfilling experience that few people ever realize. It is well worth the effort and sacrifice. If you’re on the fence about a truly fun airplane to build – pick the RV–8. You won’t regret it.
A Garmin 496 with XM weather was also added for much the same reason. (The 496 is not shown in the picture. It is not panel mounted but I use a RAM ball mount on the right side of the cockpit so I can remove it when I'm just flying local.) The XM paid for itself on my Oshkosh trip in 2007 as I needed to dodge thunderstorms on departure.
The only "problem" I've encountered is with the air box on the O-360. At about 150 hours, I noticed a slight crack in the exterior paint on the lower cowl air intake section. When I looked inside the cowling I saw four small round indentations in the heat shield materials I had stuck to the cowling. It was obvious that the rivet heads on the air box nearest the cowling had impacted and caused this. Never happened before. My solution was to drill out the four rivets that were at the apex of the curve in the box and replace them with countersunk rivets. After another 25 hours of flight I still noticed some indentations in the heat shield (replaced after the 150 hour inspection) although not as prominent. Not sure what's causing this. Someone suggested that it may be happening when the engine does its "wet dog shake" on shutdown. Certainly possible. I'm still monitoring and will update when I figure out the cause, or better yet, the solution.
Other than that the airplane is pretty much as it was when first flown and as described below. It has behaved well. The engine (Lycoming O-360-A1A from Van) has purred like a kitten (knock-on-wood). It tends to run cool with oil temps rarely above 185 and usually at 175 even in summer. The original plugs (Champion REM38E) still look clean. It burns about a quart of oil every 15 hours.
Below is a picture of the updated panel and a recent takeoff view. I really love flying this airplane.
Photo: Jim Wilson
What follows is my original text:
First flight of N898DK was May 30, 2005 (Memorial Day).
My project was started in January 1999 for a build time of 6.5 years. This was my first aircraft project and was truly the learning experience that EAA had intended a homebuilt project to be. I started with very few tools; I now have a garage full of tools and still adding. I started with zero knowledge of building; I now have a lot more knowledge about building than I ever expected. Today, I’m willing to take on projects that I wouldn’t have attempted a few years ago.
My goal for the RV-8 was simple. Build a fun sport plane. As a result I kept things relatively simple and have very few bells-and-whistles. The engine is a factory standard carbureted Lycoming O-360-A1A purchased from Van. The propeller is a Hartzell constant speed again purchased from Van. Originally, I was going to use a fixed pitch prop, but after much lobbying by friends and fellow RVers, I opted for the CS and am very glad I did. The climb performance is awesome and the speed brake is equally valuable. I recommend this to everyone.
The avionics “suite” and panel layout is for VFR flying. I have worked for several aircraft manufacturers and know they have researched this topic thoroughly. So I took advantage of what they have learned over the years in terms of what’s important to have directly in front of you and what is secondary for reference. The “basic-T” still works very well. I opted for electric gyros for three reasons: a) I am instrument rated (but not current) and if I inadvertently get into a poor visibility situation I can use these to get out of trouble, b) for aerobatics, I can shut the gyros off to prevent tumbling, and c) I didn’t have to plumb a vacuum system. My Nav/Comm is a Garmin 250XL -- it works great. The Transponder is the old King KT76A -- bulletproof. The EI instruments gauges are top notch. I love these. The fuel gauge, even though I use the basic resistive type float indicators, is dead-on accurate. The SR8A engine analyzer is the simplest EI sells, but very useful in establishing cruise power settings and fuel management.
I bought my panel equipment in 2002 and a lot has changed since then in terms of available equipment. If done today, I would definitely have a digital autopilot with altitude hold feature (really helps for long X-C), and a color moving map/GPS combo. I’ll probably be adding these as soon as I win the lottery. (Well I didn't win the lottery but I can show you where my last year's bonus went -- see introductory notes. Chris)
As of this writing (update 11/06) I have 132 hours on the airplane. Everything has settled down pretty well. I don’t have to “work” on the plane to adjust things anymore every time I go to the hangar. I just fly. I typically burn 9 gallons/hr at cruise (8,000 ft, 2350 rpm, and max MP of about 21.5). I flight plan for 160 kts TAS and usually meet or exceed that. My oil consumption is 1 quart every 15 hours (Aeroshell 100W+).
I absolutely love flying the –8. Of all the airplanes I’ve flown, this is the only one that I truly look forward to flying again and again. I just wish I had more free time to do so. The airplane's handling qualities are a delight – quick, responsive, precise. Stalls are a non-event. It is a taildragger, but by far the easiest taildragger I have flown. I have time in J-3 Cubs, Stinson 108-3, Luscombe 8A, Cessna 140, Cessna 170, Citabria – all taildraggers. The –8 is the pussycat.
With any project there are a lot of people to thank. This project would not have been completed without the help and encouragement of several people. My brother Mike and his wife Paula were always supportive and put up with my high stress level as the final finish line (and Oshkosh deadline)approached. Danny King was totally giving of his valuable time to mentor me, encourage me, and help me through some of the really tough build areas of the kit. Danny’s wife Marthajane is tops, totally patient with DK and a darn good air-to-air photographer to boot.
Like a lot of you, I had dreamed about building an airplane since I was a kid. I still find it hard to believe that the airplane sitting in my hangar is something that I built. It was a pleasurable, sometimes exasperating, fun, trying, and ultimately fulfilling experience that few people ever realize. It is well worth the effort and sacrifice. If you’re on the fence about a truly fun airplane to build – pick the RV–8. You won’t regret it.
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