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RV9 performance

R

Rupester

Well Known Member
I am a few days away from ordering the emp kit for my 9A ...after a full year of researching homebuilt options, especially the Vans lineup. Recently I saw a Nine (w/ 0-320) for sale that advertised 140kts cruise at 9gph. I find those numbers, well, underwhelming. They seem shy of what most 9/9A drivers experience. I would be woefully disappointed if my completed Nine evidenced that performance. Are my expectations too high, or is 140kt@9gph really "below the mean" ? :confused:
 
9 performance

I can't comment with certainty on the airplane you mention, but I can on mine. My airplane meets all of Van's claims as you will find to be true the more you research this. One of the things that Van's is very good at and appears to take pride in is advertising real numbers .

As for my 9A the fuel burns are 7.8ph full throttle and 2600 rpm yielding at least the advertised numbers. There are considerations that you might need to take into account before scrapping plans for one of these airplanes. The fairings on the gear legs, the wheel pants, and the intersection fairings make a huge difference. Maybe the plane you were speaking of didn't have all or any of these installed. Also the prop might have been more of a climb prop which would hurt the cruise speed quite a bit. I just checked my log for the original numbers on the first flight when the plane had no fairings installed yet on the gear and it did 145mph @24"mp and 2500rpm. I remember this being very dissappointing at the time, :eek: but as the fairings were put on the speeds came right up. :D

Don't worry, you'll be traveling at 3 miles per minute or better depending on how much gas you want to run through it. ;)

Regards,
Bryan 9A "Flyin the Flag"
 
9A Performance

I get 180mph TAS, 8GPH, 10Kft, 2550-2599rpm, all day long. However your mileage may vary!
 
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