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xcountry model?

Todd LeClair

I'm New Here
Hi folks and thanks for allowing me on here.
I am a low time pilot that has flown a 182 more than anything so far and have been looking for a xcountry airplane to fly back and forth to work occasionally which is a 1000 NM flight one way.
I am somewhat intrigued by these airplanes and though that I would ask the group for any personal experiences and recommendations for my mission.
Thanks in advance and thanks for the band width.
 
Todd - welcome aboard - our official welcome wagon will be along shortly, I'm sure.

That's a pretty serious commute, unless you added an extra zero in there somewhere. Are you IFR rated?
 
Welcome,

The question people will ask is how many passengers do you plan to bring or have capability for, and do you plan to fly more than straight and level?

All the Van's will do it, and personal preference plays into it a lot. Money/fuel burn no object RV-10 would be nice.

2 seater the RV9 has the larger wing, lower stall but the RV7 or RV14 will do it just fine also. I would not consider any vans bad, just some might fit your mission a bit more than others.
 
Best airplane?

Reminds me of a pro photographer response years ago to my question ?what?s the best camera? His answer: ?The one you have with you?.
As applied to aircraft...the one that does what you want and that you can afford.
Hard to go wrong with any of the RVs, just decide how many seats you need.
Also note that most 4-seaters fly with 2 seats empty most of the time. You can rent a 4-seater when needed?
2-cents,
Dave
 
I know back in the day when the factory folks were flying from Portland to SnF they would draw straws to see who got the RV-9A. That airfoil seemed to take the bumps a little better. Now with the -10 and -14 that data might be stale. Maybe Scott?ll chime in.

And welcome!

v/r,dr
 
Thanks for all of the responses so far
I am not IFR yet. I do plan to get that.
It is a 1000nm trip.
I can probably be happy with 2 seats and some cargo capability.
I am looking for a balance of speed and efficiency
 
Thanks for all of the responses so far
I am not IFR yet. I do plan to get that.
It is a 1000nm trip.
I can probably be happy with 2 seats and some cargo capability.
I am looking for a balance of speed and efficiency

Disclaimer: I own a -10 so I?m biased. That said, an RV-9A is the best balance of speed and efficiency. If you think you?ll have a passenger, look at Vans web site to see if you?ll have enough useful load left for ?some? cargo, whatever that means to you. The -14 gives you more hip and shoulder room, and more cargo capacity, but burns a bit more gas and initial cost is higher. The -10 offers an interesting possibility: Pull the back seats and put in an aux gas tank, and make the trip non-stop, if you and your bladder are up for that. Finally, some advice: since this is for work there?s bound to be some ?get-there-itis?. An ifr rating doesn?t guarantee anything, but it will help. I wouldn?t even consider this commute to work without one.
 
Also depends on where you're going. Saw that you're in Kentucky...

No light plane is going to deal well with icing conditions or thunderstorms, or crossing one of those powerful fronts that likes to sweep across the eastern US. I've flown my RV-9A IFR some, and part of the secret is to slow down when it gets bumpy.

The rest of the secret is to take the airlines at the very last minute when things go to poop, as I did this year for Oshkosh.

Ed
 
The word from owners is that the performance numbers on Van's website are generally accurate. However some builders seem to have comparatively high empty weight, so you'll need to account for that.

If you're thinking of building one, the double-digit kits are basically a newer generation than the RV-7 and up kits, and I think are easier to build. And the RV-7 and up (through the RV-9) kits are a whole level of kit development better than the earlier kits.

If you're thinking of buying one, have a qualified RV builder have a good look at it and make sure that you get a very thorough prepurchase inspection. Construction can vary more than you'd think. I've seen two airplanes, both purchased as unflown incomplete kits, that were basically scrap. Both buyers knew it and were generous in showing me the defects. I've seen another that was okay but needed some rework - and know of a number of excellent ones. So please, finished, flown or not, get a darn good inspection by a serious and qualified inspector.

Dave
RV-3B under construction
 
2000 NM is a long round-trip commute

I am extremely impressed that you occasionally do a 2000 NM round-trip commute! That is some serious general aviation. Obviously you are our kind of people. :)

The 182 is an absolutely superb GA aircraft, but for that kind of work I'd definitely learn to love the additional speed of an RV-10.

The big deal is doing it with only one stop along the way -- that would be a huge time saver obviously. With the two-seat RVs I'd be concerned about range. 1000 nm would easily be a two-stop trip for me in the -9A if there were any headwinds to speak of. I don't know enough about the -10 to know what a 1,000 mile trip would look like, fuel-stop-wise, but my guess is that it could more reliably do it with only one stop.

Note that the two seaters are not as well suited to IFR as your 182 is. They're so light, and climb so readily, that it can be quite an adventure holding altitude by hand in serious bumps. At least it has been for me in East Coast cumulus. Again, I don't have enough experience with the -10 to comment, but it sure looks like it would be easier to fly IFR.

Final thought: if I were even occasionally round-tripping 2000 nm, I'd really want something pressurized with a turbine and FIKI. :)

Hi folks and thanks for allowing me on here.
I am a low time pilot that has flown a 182 more than anything so far and have been looking for a xcountry airplane to fly back and forth to work occasionally which is a 1000 NM flight one way.
I am somewhat intrigued by these airplanes and though that I would ask the group for any personal experiences and recommendations for my mission.
Thanks in advance and thanks for the band width.
 
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Just to be clear. I have not made that trip ina Ga airplane as of yet. I do aspire to do so in the future. And, I would have a few weeks between trips.
 
Consider the 737 as well

Additional thoughts from someone who frequently travels the relatively short distance between VA and PA in a -9A:

- 2000 miles round trip is a long way to go in an unpressurized piston aircraft. The fuel cost alone starts to look like the cost of a ticket on an airliner. The dispatch rate and reliability of the airliner will, meanwhile, be much higher than any GA option. It won?t be bothered by, for example, icing conditions.

- I think the instrument rating is an absolute must for this mission. Over that distance you usually will be moving through varying weather that will include IMC. As an example, my ability to reliably get from VA to OSH really improved with the rating. And I still couldn?t get there last summer. Winter weather in ND would be a much higher degree of difficulty.

Just to be clear. I have not made that trip ina Ga airplane as of yet. I do aspire to do so in the future. And, I would have a few weeks between trips.
 
- 2000 miles round trip is a long way to go in an unpressurized piston aircraft. The fuel cost alone starts to look like the cost of a ticket on an airliner. The dispatch rate and reliability of the airliner will, meanwhile, be much higher than any GA option. It won?t be bothered by, for example, icing conditions.

I took my 9A to Carson City NV for the Reno air races last month, that's 1057 nautical each way from my home base (with MOA and restricted avoidance routing). I burned 49 gallons going west and 42 coming back, so do the math.

I'm running 91E10 fuel, so my fuel cost is only $3.38/gal (last bulk tank fill) so that makes a big difference too. If you're running 100LL you'll have to SWAG the cost as it impacts you.
 
General RV speaking (Rockets are not RV's, but we let them linger here 'cause they are so darn cool), weather not considered, a trip of 1000nm or less can often be done in about the same amount of time as taking a commercial airliner depending on your commute to the airport, delays, etc.... The math gets better if you're headed to an area not served by a decent commercial airport, car rental, multiple legs etc....
However, if it is just you, it is almost always cheaper to fly commercially, in fuel cost alone. If you're two up, three up, etc... economy improves.
However, I didn't build my 6 not to use it and I enjoy flying cross country. I just flew a 1600nm round trip to Palm Springs and back. Hard costs not counting maintenance, wear and tear, just fuel and local fees, about double that of a plane ticket. Worth every penny.
 
Agree completely

Nothing I like better than lengthy trips in the -9A. Long trips by GA are absolutely doable and a ton of fun.

But I think the fact that this is a work commute changes the equation a bit. If I had to be at work 1000 nm away, I'd definitely worry about doing it reliably by RV or 182 etc., and especially during the winter--particularly if I were going east from ND and had to cross the Appalachians or travel in the vicinity of the Great Lakes. Not sure what the OP's route is.

As just one example, Ernest Gann was right: West Virginia is a freaking ice factory during the winter. I was once a passenger in a Bonanza that got iced up at night over WV and let me just say, never again. :)

Even for my flat-terrain trip between VA and PA, it's potential icing, more than anything else, that causes me to leave the airplane on the ground and go by car.

The instrument rating is actually an even bigger issue for this mission. Other's experience may differ, and things may be different in other parts of the country, but in my experience the rating is absolutely necessary to travel on anything approaching a reliable schedule by GA. Otherwise you can get stuck for days if you can't, for example, get up above a layer at 1000 feet, weather that would be super easy light IFR flying. Ask me how I know!! :rolleyes:

General RV speaking (Rockets are not RV's, but we let them linger here 'cause they are so darn cool), weather not considered, a trip of 1000nm or less can often be done in about the same amount of time as taking a commercial airliner depending on your commute to the airport, delays, etc.... The math gets better if you're headed to an area not served by a decent commercial airport, car rental, multiple legs etc....
However, if it is just you, it is almost always cheaper to fly commercially, in fuel cost alone. If you're two up, three up, etc... economy improves.
However, I didn't build my 6 not to use it and I enjoy flying cross country. I just flew a 1600nm round trip to Palm Springs and back. Hard costs not counting maintenance, wear and tear, just fuel and local fees, about double that of a plane ticket. Worth every penny.
 
xcountry in the -10

We (family of 3) live in Austin Tx and fly regularly fly our -10 to Culpepper VA. A fuel stop and leg stretch, but other than that easy trip with 25 to 50lbs of baggage in the back with room to spare. Always carefully plan the route and pay attention to weather briefs.
 
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