??Buying an RV-6 QB

I am looking at a QB 6 kit complete from a seller that apparently never started anything on it. Can someone steer me to a previous post dealing with issues that I might face dealing with an out of production model? Thanks a lot.

RV-6

Van's supports the 6, You should be able to get anthing you need from them.

I guess I need to clarify. What types of upgrades and other issues would I deal with in purchasing a QB kit from the time when Van's was still producing QB 6 kits?

Vans was still selling QB 6 kits after the 7 was introduced (01? I forget) because they had parts in the pipeline. The only change I can think of since then is the infamous fuel tank service bulletin. This should not be too difficult to accomplish on QB tanks.

Depending on the age of the kit, it may still have the smaller VS and rudder. I think they made the switch in 97. If so you could easily built a new VS and rudder.

Thanks for the input!

Need advice from RV6 Drivers Only

sprucemoose said:

Depending on the age of the kit, it may still have the smaller VS and rudder. I think they made the switch in 97. If so you could easily built a new VS and rudder.

Click to expand...

What exactly is the benefit of the larger VS & rudder? Building a very very slow build 6 and have the completed smaller original version hanging on the wall. Is it really worth it to make the change? A Van's employee at Osh told me back when the 7 came out that the only reason they have the 7 at all is the fact that they needed a plane which could share parts with the 8 for purely financial and production reasons. He said Van hit it right on the head with the 6 and it was perfect just the way he designed it. He said he even preferred the 6 over the 7 and said it was like a sports car version of the 7. Any RV6 drivers out there that have flown actually both the original 6 tail and the 6 with the 7 tail? Do you think it might be safer? I'm thinking maybe the guy told me this stuff just to shut me up about my inquire since at the time I was the very agitated proud owner of half a kit that had just become obsolete.
If there is any real different (better, safer) flying qualities. I'd love to know since I'd be more than willing to make change now if it would be for the better.
Tom Norwood
RV-6A N822PM (res)

The larger vertical tail was added to the -6 for better spin recovery. When I built my -6, we spun it 6 turns each direction. This was before Van discovered the rapid spin and slow recovery of the -6. I concur with Van's recommendation not to spin the -6 more than 1 to 1 1/2 turns. It really gets your attention! I'm still flying my -6 14 years later with the original tail. No problems. If you do a lot of acro, then go with the bigger tail.
BTW, the -6 is still my favorite RV...Well, maybe the -3 for acro.

-7 VS and rudder on a -6

Does anyone know the weight penalty for going to the -7 VS and rudder on the -6? What about the HS and elevators? Why not retrofit the whole emp?

The -7 rudder was never used on the -6. It was the -8 rudder. This was the "original" rudder on the -7, but the -7 eventually went to the -9 rudder. Confused?
The small rudder works fine on the -6.

RV-7 Tail

Somewhere I have read that the RV-7 spin characteristics are no better than the RV-6. In fact, if my memory is correct (and at 62 who knows about memory) the RV-7 initially had worse spin characteristics than the RV-6. It seems that some change was made to make the RV-7 equal to the RV-6 in spin recovery but no better.

After writing the above I did a Google search and behold my mind does still remember correctly (sometimes) http://ww.vansaircraft.com/pdf/sb02-6-1.pdf

I think that the only improvement is the slight Dutch roll characteristics of the 6 are more dampened by the larger vertical stabilizer of the 7. I find that when my 6A starts giving me a bit of Dutch roll I can dampen it by placing both feet on the rudder pedals and holding the rudder stationary (inclinometer centered).

An upgrade that is pretty easily made to any 6, that has not been completed, is to make the interior like the 7. Putting the battery on the firewall and not in the cabin gives a bigger appearance to the cabin and makes it easier to crawl around under there (not easy just easier ) I did this to one of the very early slow build projects and it works well.

The wing on the RV-6 is held on by close to 80 bolts and the RV-7 wing is attached by about 4 bolts (Correct me if I am off by a bolt or so on the RV-7). The strength of the RV-6 vs the RV-7, safety issues and flight characteristics are not in question in any way for either airplane. You would be purchasing an excellent kit. The RV-7 is more expensive only because it is newer. There is no structural or flight characteristic reason. The final decision, of course, is yours.

RV6 is a little harder to build

I bought one of the 6A quickbuild kits that became available after the 7 came out and a bunch of people changed their orders. If you've found a QB 6 that hasn't been started, that's quite a find. Personally (and I'm obviously biased), I've always thought the 6 had better proportions that the 7. It just looks sportier, especially with the original rudder. And I really like the full carry-through laminated spar.

By the way, it's easy to tell which rudder you've got. The bigger rudder has a balance weight.

The biggest drawback to the 6 is that it's quite a bit more difficult to build. The plans and instructions are downright lousy compared to the later kits. For instance, when you get to the firewall-forward section, there's a whole chapter on how to choose an engine -- but then it refers you to Tony Bingalis's book for instructions on how to actually layout the firewall and install engine. I wound up buying a 7 FWF kit and throwing half of it away mostly just to get a plan to work from.

The great thing about a QB is the quality of workmanship. Man, those Philipinoes do good work! There's not much you can do to screw it up (and I sure tried!). Mne flew straight -- ball centered and feet on the floor -- from the first flight. I never needed any trim tabs.