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RV-14s in Arizona?

iamtheari

Well Known Member
I am taking some aerobatic lessons in Arizona next week to help me decide if I want an inverted oil system in my plane or not. That leaves the question of "Do I fit comfortably into an RV-14?" as the last thing to figure out before ordering the kit. I've been itching to get started all month. It will be hard to get to Oregon for a factory tour until at least mid-February. So I thought I would ask if anyone in Arizona has an RV-14 they would like to show off while I'm there. It's a long shot but worth asking. Any takers? I'll buy lunch and promise not to ask more than 1500 questions about your plane. :)
 
You may already be aware, but if not......

You don't need an inverted fuel and/or oil system to do the typical positive G aerobatics that the majority of RV owners do.
If you might get interested in competing then it is good to have for some of the slightly more advanced maneuvers (hammer head, etc) if you strive to do them accurately, otherwise it is only needed if you venture in to zero or negative G's.
 
You may already be aware, but if not......

You don't need an inverted fuel and/or oil system to do the typical positive G aerobatics that the majority of RV owners do.
If you might get interested in competing then it is good to have for some of the slightly more advanced maneuvers (hammer head, etc) if you strive to do them accurately, otherwise it is only needed if you venture in to zero or negative G's.
Thanks for replying. I have found a few old threads debating inverted oil systems, flop tubes, and so on. That's why I'm doing the 10-hour aerobatic course at Chandler next week. I want to get a thorough taste of positive and negative G maneuvers. I have heard of plenty of people who quit aero because they don't like negative G. Maybe I will fall into the other camp and love flying upside-down. Probably not. But I will hate myself for not finding out before building. Just like I will hate myself if I build a plane that I can't stand to sit in. The whole idea is to build the plane that I want, and I want to invest the time and effort into deciding what plane that is before I start building. :)
 
The whole idea is to build the plane that I want, and I want to invest the time and effort into deciding what plane that is before I start building. :)

That is a good plan.

I only mentioned it because for decades people have been building RV's with inverted fuel and oil with no intention of ever doing -G's, but thought it was needed for doing any aerobatics. A big waste of money and effort if it is not needed.
 
I never liked flying upside down for anything more than a moment. Hope you do better but I'd bet against it. Aerobatics without negative g's is plenty of fun if you don't.

Also, regarding the fit, unless you are unusually small, it is hard to believe you won't fit in a 14. Not many planes offer a larger cabin.

My wife can't reach the pedals with them mounted fully forward and the seat as far forward as possible. She's 5'2" and comes up several inches short. She's not a pilot and isn't interested in learning. She likes to leave the driving to me so it is not a problem for us.
 
I never liked flying upside down for anything more than a moment. Hope you do better but I'd bet against it. Aerobatics without negative g's is plenty of fun if you don't.

Also, regarding the fit, unless you are unusually small, it is hard to believe you won't fit in a 14. Not many planes offer a larger cabin.

My wife can't reach the pedals with them mounted fully forward and the seat as far forward as possible. She's 5'2" and comes up several inches short. She's not a pilot and isn't interested in learning. She likes to leave the driving to me so it is not a problem for us.
I am 6'2", about 240 pounds but ideally 210 (I gained 30 pounds in the roughly 2000 hours I just flat wasted in 2017 while sitting on the couch instead of building a plane--long story that I may have to share at some point but for now it suffices to say that the plane project will address a number of problems in my life), and I am mostly comfortable in my PA-28R Arrow as I was in my Porsche 911 that I sold to get the Arrow. I suspect that the RV-14 will fit just fine but I want to be 100% sure before committing to the project. I really do not want to spend months or years and many thousands of dollars building a plane that I end up hating every time I crawl into it. (Doubtful but ... what if?)
 
That is a good plan.

I only mentioned it because for decades people have been building RV's with inverted fuel and oil with no intention of ever doing -G's, but thought it was needed for doing any aerobatics. A big waste of money and effort if it is not needed.
I think I read somewhere that someone with an inverted oil system but not fuel system flew inverted until the engine sputtered and got about 30 seconds out of it. So there are evidently three options depending on how long you want to be negative-G. 0 seconds: no inverted systems. 0-30 seconds: inverted oil only. 30+ seconds, inverted oil and fuel.
 
I think I read somewhere that someone with an inverted oil system but not fuel system flew inverted until the engine sputtered and got about 30 seconds out of it. So there are evidently three options depending on how long you want to be negative-G. 0 seconds: no inverted systems. 0-30 seconds: inverted oil only. 30+ seconds, inverted oil and fuel.

I have been working with RV's for a long time..... I have never heard that.

With a carburetor it will be zero seconds.
With fuel injection it might be a few seconds but 30 is doubtful.
 
With a carburetor it will be zero seconds.
With fuel injection it might be a few seconds but 30 is doubtful.

I found during phase one testing that my IO-360-B1B, at 65% cruise power settings, will run for approximately 22 seconds beyond turning the fuel selector to off. YMMV, of course.
 
Still hoping for a lead on an AZ RV-14. But if anyone has one in the upper Midwest or Rockies that would help me too. I?m in North Dakota but would enjoy the excuse to go flying some weekend. :)
 
In luck, I can help!

I have just what you are looking for: RV14 N814SE located at KCHD. I would be happy to show it to you, although you should know that I am not the builder so I will not be able to answer lots of your questions.
 
I flew a Lyc IO-360 powered Swift for close to 200 hours, learned acro in it, and spent a lot of time in non-straight&level mode. No inverted oil system, and no flop tube.

I never did any sustained negative G stuff in it, but lots of Cuban 8's, loops, rolls, point rolls, barrel rolls, hammerheads, etc. Never once had the engine sputter (except in level flight when running a tank dry before switching).

Never a noticeable loss of oil pressure, either.

If you want to do real negative G stuff, be safe and buy/build a Pitts. (Loops and rolls aren't negative G maneuvers; contrary to somewhat common opinions.) :)

Charlie
 
I have just what you are looking for: RV14 N814SE located at KCHD. I would be happy to show it to you, although you should know that I am not the builder so I will not be able to answer lots of your questions.
My only real questions are "How do I fit into the plane?" and "Is it awesome or super-awesome?" I'm going to be taking lessons at Chandler, two a day morning and afternoon, the 26th through 30th. Private message to follow with contact info so we can try to coordinate. Thanks for responding!
 
I flew a Lyc IO-360 powered Swift for close to 200 hours, learned acro in it, and spent a lot of time in non-straight&level mode. No inverted oil system, and no flop tube.

I never did any sustained negative G stuff in it, but lots of Cuban 8's, loops, rolls, point rolls, barrel rolls, hammerheads, etc. Never once had the engine sputter (except in level flight when running a tank dry before switching).

Never a noticeable loss of oil pressure, either.

If you want to do real negative G stuff, be safe and buy/build a Pitts. (Loops and rolls aren't negative G maneuvers; contrary to somewhat common opinions.) :)

Charlie
Great, now I have to build TWO airplanes. Here I am, trying to talk myself out of building one, and you come along with the Pitts suggestion. :)
 
If you want to do real negative G stuff, be safe and buy/build a Pitts. (Loops and rolls aren't negative G maneuvers; contrary to somewhat common opinions.) :)

With inverted systems, negative G stuff is perfectly safe in an aerobatic RV, same as positive G stuff. :rolleyes:
 
Inverted

I fly aerobatics in my RV8 and do not spend a lot of time at negative G. I originally build the aircraft without an inverted oil system. I did learn however that seconds at negative G can lead to hours scrubbing oil off the belly. I got tired of that and put the complete Raven inverted system in. You could go the half Raven system but I just bit the bullet. I hate laying on the creeper with a rag.
 
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