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Open Cockpit-N584RV

S

Sam C

I'm New Here
RV4 with the top down. My open cockpit conversion that is interchangeable with the canopy when it gets cold out there; or when you're going somewhere beyond local bouncing around, and need more speed. I call it an RV4-C. The only other one I know of is in Mohave, CA.

See: http://i36.tinypic.com/dvofah.jpg

Thanx to longranger and Phil to get photo up. Photo attribution: Frank Britton, RV4 driver, CFI, Aerobatics/formation instructor, KSEE.
 
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Here's the photo.

dvofah.jpg
 
NICE!

Too bad you cant fly a rv6 with canopy open. . . I do miss my old Ercoupe. Nothing like flying around with you arm sitting on the window sill.
 
What would you guys think of next ?!?!?

My jaw dropped so low, I am having a hard time putting it back in place.
 
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What notations in the logbook are necessary when you switch from the throw-over canopy to open cockpit? I'm guessing there's a significant change to the CG...
 
Nope, we have one in Petaluma....

Sam C said:
RV4 with the top down. My open cockpit conversion that is interchangeable with the canopy when it gets cold out there; or when you're going somewhere beyond local bouncing around, and need more speed. I call it an RV4-C. The only other one I know of is in Mohave, CA.
See: //tinypic.com/r/dvofah/4
Click to expand...

Take a look on the back cover of Van's 2009 catalog. Look at the small picture in the top center of an RV4 with NAVY on the side. He built a slider on that aircraft. The slider can be removed and a cover goes over the back seat and makes a head rest for the pilot and makes it an open cockpit single seat.
 
THAT is too freakin' cool! I wonder how involved it gets changing it to and changing it back from a drop top? Either way, I bet it doesn't overshadow the fun of an open cockpit :)
 
Ain't "experimental" great?

....and who says you can't fly a -6 with an open cockpit?

I know of one guy who did, albeit for just a short "hop",

Regards,
 
Very cool looking as long as you are willing to accept the risk. There's absolutely no rollover protection whatsoever. In the event of an off-field landing and a tip-over,well, I don't want to think about it. We just had a Rocket guy flip and it pretty much scrambled the rear deck and vertical stabilizer.

Not trying to rain on anyone's parade, just think before you get too excited.
 
No reason why you couldn't leave the rollover bar in place. Similar to a PT-19, with a roll structure between the open pits.
 
Too cool! I would love to have something like this for my -4, but the rollbar is a must. As previously mentioned, I'm sure it can be done with the roll bar in place.
 
Notations?

Notations in the logbook? OK, how about: Aircraft inspected IAW with the scope and detail of FAR part 43 appendix D and found extremely airworthy. Questions? :)

Smokey
HR2

PS: Having responded to several RV forced landings, 100% of them were on their backs, even the nose-draggers. For you Matronics Rocket-Listers, there has been a great forced landing thread recently. If you don't carry a canopy breaker tool, start. If you think pastures are good options, re-consider. My first choice: paved roads...
 
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Open Cockpit Wide Body RVs

Very Cool looking plane indeed! :cool:

Has anyone else considered going with an open cockpit on an rv-6 or rv-7?

I would like to build a second canopy that could be installed in place of the closed canopy for summer fun flying. That should be great fun and make my rv-7 a great camera platform.

In my imagination, it would use the same hinge points, struts latching mechanism, etc. as the normal tip-up. There would have to be some type of frame built to brace the windshield, perhaps a T-bar type of thing to give strength fore and aft as well.

Maybe it could even incorporate two bubbles for windshields, sort of like the batmobile from the 1950's. That would look really cool!

If anyone has plans to do a wide body open canoopy, I would like to get in touch with them. :)
 
Please show this to VAN's!

That "RV-4-C" is beautiful! It looks like my fantasy LSA that I wish someone (VAN'S!) would design as a kit! I recently got a renewed desire for this type aircraft when I saw a video interview for the Warner Sportster here:

http://www.lightsportaircraft.ca/volume3-issue34/webcast-3/

It too has an interchangeable cockpit enclosures. Now if we could get VAN's to make us a kit. LSA speeds are perfect for open cockpits.

DJ
 
About 5 years ago, I took one of the three-angle-views of the Sportster and mated it with the three-angle view of the RV-8... I took the RV-8 canopy and mated it to the Sportster fuselage. Then I emailed the image to Warner and said "why not try this?"

Good to see they looked at it, but the results aren't that encouraging. That two-person canopy doesn't really fit the lines of the airplane like an RV-8 shaped canopy would. But I think the Warner needs a larger canopy, I think it's a longer cockpit than the -8, so it might not be an easy mod in any case.
 
pierre smith said:
....and who says you can't fly a -6 with an open cockpit?

I know of one guy who did, albeit for just a short "hop",

Regards,
Click to expand...

How did that work out? I was toying with the idea of making a combination headrest fairing/cover that would install in place of the sliding portion of my canopy on my -6 for tooling around on pretty summer days. Might be fun?
 
Dan-
If you give me your e-mail add, I'll send a bunch of my project pics. Don't want to over-use this site.
Also Note the posting by D.J. "Phrycooler" on the Warner Rocket; it's amazing how close that is to what I did. AND Note Randy Pflanger "f1rocket"'s posting about the absence of a roll bar. The conversion up in Mohave I mentioned retained the roll bar, but I decided to go without it; may not be too smart. Sam [email protected]
 
It started out as a fast taxi...

rodrv6 said:
How did that work out? I was toying with the idea of making a combination headrest fairing/cover that would install in place of the sliding portion of my canopy on my -6 for tooling around on pretty summer days. Might be fun?
Click to expand...

...that ended up airborne for a short time and then an immediate landing. The guy needed a roll of toilet paper thereafter:D

Regards,
 
Open cockpit speed

It was suggested that open cockpit might not be good over 100 mph. I think that depends on the design. Years ago flew in a Pitts S-2E, an open cockpit homebuilt version of the S-2A, but with a short deck 180 and fixed pitch prop. Great airplane and so much fun in the summer. We got to 200 mph indicated on down lines and the cockpit comfort was superb!
 
I would love to see some more pics of this RV, even on the ground. It looks great!

I feel that you could incorporate the stock roll bar pretty easily and keep the good looks. Maybe even make a fiberglass fairing for the bottom part of it with a pad attached so it looks like a headrest (sort of like what this open cockpit -4 already has for the backseat).

I love open cockpit aviating, and being able to have the ability to choose makes this a tremendously fun airplane.
 
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