What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

How long for rusty old pilot to transition in RV-9A?

PaulvS

Well Known Member
I've started transition training in a RV-9A and have completed 4.5 hours dual and I'm finding it quite challenging... actually it's much harder than I expected.

I last flew regularly 19 years ago and have about 110 hours total time in low wing Pipers (Tomahawk, Turbo Arrow), Grumman Tiger and Cessna 172. I never had any trouble with my initial training, or adapting to different aircraft, though I was a bit younger then!

I'm wondering how long it is going to take to get comfortable with the -9A and how long other people have taken to transition, in similar situations? According to other posts on VAF it should be easy to fly. I've also picked up some useful tips on:
- Nose wheel handling (similar to Grumman Tiger) takes getting used to.
- LOTS of right rudder for take off. This keeps catching me.
- Lifting nose wheel early and also to not over-rotate.
- Relatively flat climb out at 110 Knots. My instinct is to climb steeper.
- Sensitive controls e.g. elevator - easy to accidentally gain 200 ft turning downwind in pattern.
- Slowing down takes a LONG while with FP prop, even with throttle closed.
- Floats FOREVER when landing, so be patient and hold off, but cross-winds have me worried.
- Holding nose wheel off as long as possible - however it just drops down at the end when the elevator stops working.
- Adapting to Dynon D100. I am still referring to the steam gauges.

So I think my brain muscle still needs some more exercise but I don't know how much or how to get there more easily. If you can share your experience and how long it took you, that would be appreciated!

Thanks
Paul.
:confused:
 
How much recent flying have you done? With the low TT that you have, and perhaps only a little recent experience, I would not be surprised to see you require 15 - 20 hours to be safe, and feel reasonably comfortable in it.

It?ll come back to you, it just takes time.
 
It took me a while to get used to the -9A. I had 140 hours and a 23 year hiatus from flying. Got back in the air with a C-172 for about 10 hours of mostly pattern work, then transition training in an RV-7A for about 7 hours, and then did my first flight and phase 1 flying.

The -9 is very forgiving and easy to fly. It just wants to keep flying until you get it going very slow. My first dozen or so landings were always just way too fast. With the FP prop, you have to really pull back almost all of the power to keep the air speed down as you approach the pattern. I aim for 78 knots to put the first 10 degrees of flaps down, hit the elevator trim button about 5 times and then it will settle in around 70-75 knots on downwind. Abeam the numbers go to idle and by the time the airplane starts to descend 200 feet you will be ready for the next 10 degrees of flaps. Three or four more hits on the hat switch for the electric trim and it will hold 65 knots and be descending steadily as you fly the base leg. On final, do the same for the last 10 degrees of flaps and you should settle out at 60 knots. You might need to slip it down, or give it a few more RPMS to maintain a nice approach. At 60 knots the sink rate will be pretty high at idle. Slowly flair and hold the airplane off the runway as long as you can and the landing will just happen. If you are floating, then you are coming in too fast. Anything over 60 knots is too fast, unless the winds are gusty, then 65 is ok. I haven't had any real issues with crosswind landings, but I have had some excitement with any sort of tailwind component. Always be prepared to go around! I did a lot of go arounds in my early hours of flying the -9.

Takeoffs are neutral trim, hold the stick all the way back, full power, count to three and the nose wheel will be off the ground. Keep the nose wheel just off the ground and accelerate to 65 knots and the airplane will levitate without needing to rotate. I climb out at 83 knots and then lower the nose to get a better view over the nose. Usually 90-95 knots. You'll be at pattern altitude fairly soon (usually on upwind or crosswind leg depending on weight). Yes, it requires a lot of right rudder in a steep climb. At cruise climb of 500 fpm I'll be indicating 120-130 knots and only need to rest my right foot (slight pressure) on the rudder to keep the ball centered.

I've found that turns only initially require ailerons (and rudder), and no back pressure on the stick (elevators) until much later in the turn as the nose comes around and then slowly the airplane will start to descend a bit.

You will have it down pat after a few months of flying. Keep practicing!
 
Last edited:
Per the FAA "For pilots who have not flown at all for several years, a useful ?rule of thumb? is to plan one hour of ground training and one hour of flight training for every year the pilot has been out of the cockpit." So don't be surprised if it takes some time to get comfortable in the plane.
 
Witha FP -9(A), pull all the power off in the pattern, abeam the touchdown point put in all the flaps and trim it for 60 knots/70 mph and fly the entire pattern at that speed.

Then, instead of chasing the trim and pitch changes, all you have to do is focus on the touchdown point.

Remember, pitch for speed and power for distance.
 
Per the FAA "For pilots who have not flown at all for several years, a useful “rule of thumb” is to plan one hour of ground training and one hour of flight training for every year the pilot has been out of the cockpit." So don't be surprised if it takes some time to get comfortable in the plane.

I like this rule of thumb. Remember the fun starts when you start flying and ends on your last flight. Hopefully you have a good instructor that is being fair and safe. You can’t rush a safe pilot. Its all about good decision making. Be safe and enjoy the process.

One other thing, it is useful to have an experienced pilot helping along the way when you have questions about the process and make sure your instructor is doing his job. Good luck. Take your time and welcome to the Rv community.
IMG-2453.jpg
 
Last edited:
Less right rudder

It took me a while to figure out what I was doing wrong on take off. With the stick in my left hand, when I pulled back on the stick I was actually pivoting on my elbow on the arm rest.

The result is lowering the left aileron which enhances the left turning tendencies. Once I corrected this action I no longer needed as much right rudder.

Hope this helps.
 
One other thing, hold the stick at the very top.

This requires you to make large movements with your hand. Holding it down low means a small movement will impart a large control displacement.

This is made worse by some builders who cut their control sticks down short.
 
One other thing, hold the stick at the very top.

This requires you to make large movements with your hand. Holding it down low means a small movement will impart a large control displacement.

This is made worse by some builders who cut their control sticks down short.

While getting comfortable with the plane, this is particularly true.

Once you've gotten your RV-legs back under you and you are proficient, you'll find that two or three fingers on the bottom of the stick will give you a delightful fingertip control of the airplane when it's trimmed out right.
 
You also might want to check that the idle speed is set as per Lycoming, for your engine model.

On a -9A that I test flew briefly, (didn't land it), later found out the idle speed was set too high, I think due to throttle cable rigging, and this caused headaches trying to get the plane to land on a short runway.

Next owner discovered and fixed the problem.

-Paragon
Cincinnati, OH
 
I started in Pipers half a century ago, and then flew professionally in military fighters and airliners. After retirement, there was ten years with no flying. Then, in my first flight in an RV-6, ended up in a huge PIO on final. Had no trouble at all at cruise speeds, just on final.

Didn't feel really competent in the RV until I went out and did some extended slow flight at pattern speeds. Developed some feel and muscle memory for the flying qualities at slow speeds. Practice with two fingers and your thumb at the top of the stick; you'll automatically tighten your grip if you need to make vigorous control movements, but it's hard to relax your grip if you start out tight.

Cheers, David
RV-6A KBTF
 
Last edited:
I agree with the idle problem. My RV 9A had a high idle and was hard to slow for landing.

Also try this... just try flying about three feet above the runway and slow to 55 the 50. Don?t let it touch down by adding very little power. Do it over and over. When you can touch down at low speed (50 or so) the landing event seems to be easy- even in a crosswinds you will have good weight on the wheels and find it easy to control the direction.

In 40 years and 20000 hours I find if someone is having trouble, it is from over control, so try to make your inputs smaller as you gain skill and confidence

You?re close to starting from scratch, but you can get there with enough practice!

Good luck and have fun!
 
take your time

Hi Paul

It sounds like you're in good company.
I had about 140 hours and took a bit of a hiatus for 3 years then figured I could get back with no problem. Not so.

Got me a good and very patient instructor in a C172M. Did some slow flight practice to get the feel back. Trying to do this in the circuit was too busy. When I went back to the circuit it went much better. I agree with what's been said and could 5 or 25 hours. Don't try to rush it.

Be very patient with yourself. Restoring competence and confidence are 2 different things. Take lots of time to do both.

That having been said I did fly an RV-9A several times when I was still a bit more competent and found it very easy and forgiving.
When you get the basics back on something simple and predictable like a C172 the RV will be easy.

Good luck.
 
A few ideas from a distance:
* The idea of one hour per year off is new to me, but might be realistic. Depending on how you were taught initially, you might in effect need to start over;
* Fly with pressures, not with stick movement. A big help is to rest your stick arm on your leg. Not sure I agree with holding the stick at the top ? I?d emphasize no more than fingertips on the stick;
* If you approach too fast, you will float forever. When I got mine, the idle was way fast and the landing rolls were humongous. As you point out, if you add speed to compensate for a crosswind, you?ll just float longer in the flare and be susceptible to gusts;
* You might discuss with your instructor doing some overcontrol exercises ? high roll rate into steep banks, fast but smooth pitch changes. etc so that you?re familiar with the envelope around what you?re trying to fly within. That will teach you what large control movements do and hopefully help your subconscious avoid them;

If you weren?t entirely on the opposite side of the world?

Ed
 
You’ll be fine. I’m guessing that if you have a solid instructor you don’t need any specific pointers from the us., He or she will help you figure it out. More likely you just need more time to get the rust off. After a 8-9 year flying hiatus while building, it took me 10 hours of tailwheel endorsement training and another 7 of RV transition training before I started flying the plane rather than it flying me. You’ll likely get the feel of it all of a sudden. Improvement doesn’t always come in linear fashion, in my experience. Hang in there.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your help

Thank you all for the suggestions, it has been really helpful and enlightening to read.

I've heard of people transitioning in 2-4 hours, but this is clearly not realistic for my TT and long hiatus from flying. Based on the FAA guidance and others' experience, it could take perhaps 15-20 hours plus an equivalent amount of homework.

My current instructor is an old "ag" pilot and has a very different style to my original instructor (ex-air force 20K hours) so there is some 'transition' on that front also.

I will check the idle speed on the engine, it may well be too high; in the air I am being instructed to CLOSE THE THROTTLE even though it is already fully out. Also, on the ground, the taxi speed seems a bit fast and requires braking even at lowest idle.

The control grip that has been instructed is to lock shoulder and elbow and to rest forearm on knee and use wrist/fingers only to move the stick, holding the tube low down below the foam grip. (Presumably to avoid over-controlling.) I will check the stick position in case it is contributing to the need for so much right rudder on take-off.

I'm considering whether it is worth getting current again on a Cessna or similar, as some others have done, then transitioning to the RV after. This would mean changing to a different school/instructor, but it may be better for building up confidence. I would miss >1000 fpm ROC though!

Thanks again for the support, I really appreciate it.
 
[/I] Also, on the ground, the taxi speed seems a bit fast and requires braking even at lowest idle.

The control grip that has been instructed is to lock shoulder and elbow and to rest forearm on knee and use wrist/fingers only to move the stick, holding the tube low down below the foam grip. (Presumably to avoid over-controlling.)
=================================

Paul,

You're already going to check the idle speed, but make sure the engine is fully warmed up when you do, like it would be when you're landing.

Let me rephrase "hold the stick at the top". By this, I meant use the stick grip and not somewhere below it. The stick is a simple lever; holding it low will increase the force required and decrease the amount of movement. In an airplane with higher stick forces this may work. The stick forces in an RV are so light when trimmed for the speed on final that you may not be able to feel the difference when moving down low, but any movement will be amplified because you're closer to the fulcrum.

I concur with Ed, " A big help is to rest your stick arm on your leg. I’d emphasize no more than fingertips on the stick;" Notice that Ed said "leg', not "knee". I totally disagree with the " lock shoulder and elbow" technique. This will just tire you out, and possibly interfere with fine control of the fingertips. Relax the shoulder and elbow, resting your forearm on your leg
will stabilize your upper and lower arm, allowing fingertip control. Do some "chair flying" and try both techniques, and see how it works for you.

Finally, you might try flying some traffic patterns out in the practice area. This will take all the pressure associated with the flare and landing out of the picture and allow you to practice aircraft handling at pattern speeds. Just pad the pattern altitudes with the appropriate number of feet to keep you legal in OZ.

Cheers, David
RV-6A A&P
 
RV9A Control

PaulvS,

I had a simular issue with my RV9A. I had remained current in my Cherokee 140, but had not flown a lot during the construction. My first flights were "all over the sky" with controllability issues.

My conclusion was " The RV9A is easy to fly, But very difficult to control".

Additional training in a Cessna or Piper to get better in your RV9A is like practicing for the big Sport Car race by driving around in a Pickup Truck.

The issue is the sensitive RV9A controls and your learning to manage that design feature, which is why most people love their RV's.

A very experienced RV pilot or a CFI checked out in a RV9 is your best bet to a quick transition. Fly your own RV, it is your baby.

One thing I did that helped quite a bit is to custom fit the arm rest. I used 1/4" ply wood, Comfort foam and matching fabric to build up the arm rests to my elbow height. Adjust the arm rest and seat height until your fingers are on the top of the stick and your elbow is anchored on the arm rest. That takes the bounce out of your left arm. Then fly with your fingers. My leg was too low and the arm in the air is too unstable.
 
Got to solo

Wheewh... I was just about ready to give up on retraining in the RV9A and thinking about to going back to flying cessnas, so as to get more current again. But thanks to others I persevered and went up for more circuits in the RV, and something kind of clicked on Saturday. Yesterday, I got sent off to fly on my own, just like when it first happened 25 years ago.
I'm still having to think about almost every action in order to stay ahead of the 'plane, and it will be a while before I take up any passengers, but at least I can go fly now.
I checked the idle speed on the ground as suggested in VAF, and it is 800 RPM, so I will look into getting that adjusted to maybe around 600 RPM.

Let the fun begin!:D
Thank y'all!!
 
Congratulations Paul!

Yes, reducing the idle speed will help a LOT on final.

I have a very lightweight Catto composite prop on my -9 and when warm, it will idle as low as 560 RPM, which is a bit too low but it sure makes for easier approaches.

I wish you many more enjoyable hours!
 
Wheewh... I was just about ready to give up on retraining in the RV9A and thinking about to going back to flying cessnas, so as to get more current again. But thanks to others I persevered and went up for more circuits in the RV, and something kind of clicked on Saturday. Yesterday, I got sent off to fly on my own, just like when it first happened 25 years ago.
I'm still having to think about almost every action in order to stay ahead of the 'plane, and it will be a while before I take up any passengers, but at least I can go fly now.
I checked the idle speed on the ground as suggested in VAF, and it is 800 RPM, so I will look into getting that adjusted to maybe around 600 RPM.

Let the fun begin!:D
Thank y'all!!

Congrats! I'm glad it's clicking for you.

The -9A is such an easy plane to fly once you're used to the quirks. I've got an FP prop on mine and I always seem to be a little high on final, but the chop-n-drop method (and maybe a mild slip) always gives me enough sink rate to get down in time.

Lots of rudder for take-offs, yes, but i love the fact there's so little adverse yaw in normal flight ops...I use just the tiniest bit of rudder to keep the ball centered. Other planes I've flown (DA20, 172, Cherokee) have needed a little throttle and/or back stick to maintain altitude in a steep turn; with the -9A I maintain throttle, bank it, and feel I might need a little down stick!

A passenger or some weight in the baggage area will make it easier to carry the nose wheel on landings.

If you still feel a little behind the plane, you might try getting the flaps in early and flying the whole pattern at 75 KIAS, then 65 on final. This is how I was taught, and it works great to reduce the pattern workload. When you get more comfortable you can feed 'em in on downwind, base, etc.

Have fun with your newfound skills. :)
 
Let the plane fly.....and only interrupt it when necessary........

Learn how to use the trims. :)

Very wise advice

The way to fly an RV smoothly is to keep it always in trim (pitch & roll) and only move the controls when you need or want to change the aircrafts attitude.

The one exception is I leave the pitch trim set so that once slowed on short final it is just very slightly nose heavy. This helps reduce pitch sensitivity in the landing flare.
 
Hiatus timing

Back to the point...
Had 300 hours (200 hrs complex)
Took a 26 year hiatus
Took 14 hours to become re-current.

BUT, let?s be clear, I?m waaay wide-eye, cautious, and psyched about the great changes since ?back then.? Starting instrument training and Van?s build. :)
 
Landing Technique for FP

I restored an RV-3A w/FP prop and I found that setting the idle "stop" point to 450 rpm or so allowed me to shorten the flare quite a bit. After doing that I was able to pull it all the way back (on short final) and the fwd airspeed would keep the prop rpm in a normal range until in the float in the flare. As I touched down it would start to stumble a bit, so a slight increase in the throttle to the normal idle rpm kept it from dying. Just a technique I found worked for me.

Doug

RV-3A restored and sold
RV-9A waiting finishing
 
That's really good advice

+1 on the slow pattern w/ flaps.

One of the many sterling qualities of the -9 is that it is absolutely delightful to fly at 65-75kts with the flaps down. In that configuration it has especially easy, predictable handling; practically no adverse yaw; and (despite its low weight and relatively slick airframe) no real tendency to either gain or lose speed quickly.

It's heresy to use this verb with an RV, but with full flaps at 70 knots, you can basically just "drive" the thing around to your heart's content. The feeling is kind of hard to explain. Try it first at altitude away from the airport and you'll see what I mean.

My Cessna-120-owning friend couldn't believe the difference in the pattern between the two birds. The 120 is a great aircraft, and his is especially gorgeous, but it turns out they learned some things about airfoils and airframe design between Clyde Cessna and John Roncz. :)

I suspect your transition issues are related to general rust rather than to the aircraft itself. The -9 really is a sweetheart. I'd actually recommend hopping in a 172 or Cherokee a few months from now, so you'll understand what you're (not) missing!

If you still feel a little behind the plane, you might try getting the flaps in early and flying the whole pattern at 75 KIAS, then 65 on final. This is how I was taught, and it works great to reduce the pattern workload. When you get more comfortable you can feed 'em in on downwind, base, etc.
 
Lessons learned

Thank you for the additional recent suggestions and tips, I can report the following:

I was originally having difficulty holding off the nose wheel after landing; once the speed reduced, the nose wheel would drop down as the elevator lost effectiveness. But some additional ballast in the baggage area (15 Kg water keg) has helped significantly and I can lower the nose wheel down gently at just above taxi speed. Also, it is possible to do a fast taxi balancing on just the mains and steering with rudder.

The -9A I am flying does not have any trim mechanism for the ailerons, and it doesn't appear to need it as it is stable and steady in the roll axis.

The elevator trim is manual and even small adjustments have a lot of effect. I am still getting used to sensing when the trim adjustment is right because the stick forces are so light. It is easy to inadvertently gain 200 feet on downwind, or increase speed from 65 knots to 70 knots on final, by just small movements of the stick.

The initial take-off roll is easier to control with right rudder if I go to full throttle a bit more progressively over 3-4 seconds. Once speed builds up the right rudder needs much less pressure.

The circuit procedure that has been instructed is: build up speed in ground effect and climb upwind to 500 feet at 110 knots. Turn crosswind and climb to 1000 feet maintaining 110 knots. Fly downwind at 110-120 knots. Reduce power to idle abeam the numbers so that speed drops to 80-85 knots at the point of turning base. When the base turn causes speed to drop to 78 knots Vfe, deploy full flaps and trim for 70 knots. Turn final by 500', hold at 65 knots, or better at 60 knots to reduce float.

I have tried flying downwind at 80 knots (no flaps) and it makes the workload more manageable, however my transition instructor advises that it is bad airmanship to fly an RV too slowly, so 110 knots it is I guess.

Definitely some of my transition training issues were/are related to flying hiatus rust, rather than to the RV-9A being a difficult airplane. I needed to refresh on how to make radio calls and think hard about ground movement (at an unfamiliar airport), entering and exiting the pattern, and engine handling details. I expect it would have been easier to knock off some rust in a familiar airplane, and then learn to fly the RV, though I think that would take longer overall. But I did consider it after reading on VAF how others did this to get current again.

Something that I could have done earlier on in transition was more reading and refreshing on procedures, radio work, circuit rules, checklists etc. I ultimately did this, and it helped a lot for when in the air as I could focus more on flying the plane.

I'll be continuing to fly the -9A regularly and carefully to build up my skills, so that by the time my -6A is ready I will be too.

Paul.
 
Your pattern speeds are unnecessarily fast, if you’re most comfortable at 80 knots. Flying at 80 knots while in the pattern isn’t bad airmanship at all. On the contrary, if you’re just working the pattern, I’d say letting it accelerate to 110 or so is bad airmanship...

If I was instructing in an RV-9, I’d teach enter the pattern between 90 and 100 knots. Midfield at 80 knots, a beam landing with flaps partially extended at 75-80 knots. Base around 70 knots, final at 55-60 knots.
 
Last edited:
The elevator trim is manual and even small adjustments have a lot of effect. I am still getting used to sensing when the trim adjustment is right because the stick forces are so light. It is easy to inadvertently gain 200 feet on downwind, or increase speed from 65 knots to 70 knots on final, by just small movements of the stick.

I have tried flying downwind at 80 knots (no flaps) and it makes the workload more manageable, however my transition instructor advises that it is bad airmanship to fly an RV too slowly, so 110 knots it is I guess.

80 kts is an excellent downwind speed, that is what Mike Seager (RV factory transition pilot with a gazillion RV hrs....) taught me when transitioning to the RV-6. If your instructor is uncomfortable with flying the -9 at that speed then take him flying sometime and train him in RV slow-flight maneuvers.... ;)

When setting the trim, just take your hand off the stick to verify you have trim set so the aircraft maintains level flight. This becomes instinctive after getting used to the technique.

Enjoy!
 
Slow?

My Vso is 43kt....80kt isn?t exactly slow! I?m going to try the full flap at crossing the numbers at 75kt, I?m curious how that works. Currently I?m 85/75/65 with half then full flaps at 75/65.
 
Your pattern speeds are unnecessarily fast, if you?re most comfortable at 80 knots. Flying at 80 knots while in the pattern isn?t bad airmanship at all. On the contrary, if you?re just working the pattern, I?d say letting it accelerate to 110 or so is bad airmanship...

If I was instructing in an RV-9, I?d teach enter the pattern between 90 and 100 knots. Midfield at 80 knots, a beam landing with flaps partially extended at 75-80 knots. Base around 70 knots, final at 55-60 knots.

Very close to what I do for speeds. Just looked back at my flight last Friday which was at night. Pattern entry/downwind ~90KT. 1st flaps (5) and 85 as I'm abeam the numbers. 2nd flaps (18), throttle to 12-13" as I turn base, trim for 70-75. Full flaps as I turn final and trim for low 60s. Cross the numbers around 60. Find myself adding a little power in on short final to curb the descent, although this is more likely at night. Touchdown is below 65 every time, best results are right around 60.

In my head I use 95/85/75/65KT for arrival/downwind/base/final speeds and the closer I adhere to that the better it goes for my landings.

If you look back at my posts from March/April this year, you'll see that my "instructor" had me coming in closer to 75 every time. After a landing incident caused significantly by that high landing speed, I had to retrain myself to do what my transition trainer taught and my description above is the result of that. I will say that 60 over the numbers seems really slow, so does 75 on base and even 90 on downwind, but for me the results are irrefutable. These speeds also make it so I play nice with the 172s that overrun this airport. I enjoy my 110+ when I away from the airport but I dial it back to <95 before I get within 3 miles. I like not breaking things when I land.

One caveat, I fly behind a C/S prop and have never landed a FP. I don't think it would be that different but I've heard that it is more difficult slowing it down with the FP. All the more reason to not go too quick on downwind.
 
Speeds

Take the following for what it's worth, because I'm not an instructor :)

I was originally having difficulty holding off the nose wheel after landing; once the speed reduced, the nose wheel would drop down as the elevator lost effectiveness. But some additional ballast in the baggage area (15 Kg water keg) has helped significantly and I can lower the nose wheel down gently at just above taxi speed. Also, it is possible to do a fast taxi balancing on just the mains and steering with rudder.

Yes it takes a bit of practice to be able to lower the nosewheel gently. Make sure your seat cushion isn't interfering with your ability to get the stick ALL the way back. The ability to taxi on the mains is how I learned that my shimmy is a main gear issue, not a nosewheel issue. :)

The elevator trim is manual and even small adjustments have a lot of effect. I am still getting used to sensing when the trim adjustment is right because the stick forces are so light. It is easy to inadvertently gain 200 feet on downwind, or increase speed from 65 knots to 70 knots on final, by just small movements of the stick.

This was my biggest issue transitioning from a Warrior - for a variety of reasons the 9A is MUCH quick to gain altitude. You'll get used to it pretty quickly though. I have a CS prop so it doesn't seem to speed up very quickly in the pattern.

The initial take-off roll is easier to control with right rudder if I go to full throttle a bit more progressively over 3-4 seconds. Once speed builds up the right rudder needs much less pressure.

Agreed, the rudder seems to have a lot of authority if there is any wind over it at all. Note too that the position of the nosewheel as you start the takeoff roll can impact how much rudder you need right at first. With a little practice you'll be able to position the nosewheel straight before adding takeoff power.

The circuit procedure that has been instructed is: build up speed in ground effect and climb upwind to 500 feet at 110 knots. Turn crosswind and climb to 1000 feet maintaining 110 knots. Fly downwind at 110-120 knots. Reduce power to idle abeam the numbers so that speed drops to 80-85 knots at the point of turning base. When the base turn causes speed to drop to 78 knots Vfe, deploy full flaps and trim for 70 knots. Turn final by 500', hold at 65 knots, or better at 60 knots to reduce float.

Respectfully, I'm not a fan of the first part of this procedure. You're climbing out much faster than Vy, and a downwind leg of 110 to 120 seems unnecessarily fast and requires a lot of slowing in the pattern. I slow to 78 on downwind, feed in all the flaps before turning base, and that keeps things super simple. No doubt there are various opinions on this sort of thing.

I have tried flying downwind at 80 knots (no flaps) and it makes the workload more manageable, however my transition instructor advises that it is bad airmanship to fly an RV too slowly, so 110 knots it is I guess.
I like your 80-knot downwind idea. I think the instructor is confusing the RV with a Lancair or F-104. There's bound to be some variation in RV weight and actual/indicated stall speed, but 80 knots is plenty fast in my plane on downwind. Plenty. Also the darn thing bucks like a bronco before it stalls, so a stall is not going to sneak up on you in level flight.

Have fun and keep us posted!!!
 
Back
Top