I'm looking into buying an RV for commuting to an airport about 100nm away. I have so many questions about this ambition and I would appreciate some insight.
I'll apologize now for the long-windedness of this post.
1 - WHICH RV? - For all my flying career, nearly every flight has been in a rental airplane packed with people. I love flying alone, but I don't get to do it too often. In the case of this commuting, I might need to fly quite a bit alone. The "aircraft choice guide" on Van's site is great (and honest), and for the first time, I really only need one seat. I would also love to go as fast as possible without consuming a huge amount of fuel, and ideally in an aircraft that is cheap to buy and operate.
It seems like the RV-3 is the perfect choice for a commuter aircraft for me, but I'll happily take dissenting opinions.
2 - VALUE? - Assuming the RV-3 is the right choice, what's a reasonable price to pay for one? Does the value change dramatically with an 0-320 compared to an 0-290? How much should age of the airframe matter?
3 - LIGHTING - Many RV-3s that I've seen for sale are daytime VFR ships. My flying will be before and after a workday, so in the winter I will want landing and navigation lights. I've been through several threads on wingtip vs leading light mounting and HID vs halogen. I'm curious to know if anyone has experience retrofitting lights on an already-built RV-3. Is it relatively easy to run wires through the wing/tail? What's a good choice for equipment? There are some COTS units or a few DIY approaches.
4 - FLIGHT PROFICIENCY - I have my tailwheel endorsement, earned in a Citabria, and some time in Decathlon, Pitts, and Cub. I've never flown an RV-4 (or RV-anything), so the idea of transitioning to a single-seat RV-3 is both exciting and slightly daunting. What's a good way to do this? Should I try to get RV-4 time? Any suggestions how I could find an RV-4 owner that's willing to let me get a few minutes of stick time?
5 - PRE-BUY INSPECTION - Assuming I find an RV-3 I want, what's a good approach for a pre-buy? How can I be sure the CN-1 / CN-2 spar mods were done (correctly)? Should I bring an A&P with me, or is it possible to run adequate checks myself?
6 - INSTRUMENTATION - What's a good choice for supplementing the sometimes-sparse instrument panel in daytime VFR RV-3s? A friend of mine suggesting getting a Garmin G5. I'd likely end up using my phone/tablet with Avare for navigation. What else should I consider adding? I'm obviously torn between keeping the aircraft light and adding useful and safety-enhancing features.
7 - LAST MILE PROBLEM - This whole notion of commuting with an RV comes both from the romantic notion of using an airplane regularly, and the practicality of cutting a 2+ hour drive to almost 1 hour. Actually making it door to door in 1 - 1.3 hours depends very much on the transportation provisions on both ends of the flight. For people who commute with airplanes, how do you solve the last mile problem? Do you keep a beater (or spare) car parked at the destination airport? Do you use an electric bicycle, or just call a taxi/Uber? I don't need to go very far (~5 miles), but it's long enough that I need to figure out something reliable.
8 - PARKING - Is it ok to leave an RV outside for a few hours, or even permanently? I'm not positive that I'll have a hangar available on either side. If I have to leave it outside, can I use just a canopy cover, or should I get a whole-aircraft cover?
Thanks for the insight!
I'll apologize now for the long-windedness of this post.
1 - WHICH RV? - For all my flying career, nearly every flight has been in a rental airplane packed with people. I love flying alone, but I don't get to do it too often. In the case of this commuting, I might need to fly quite a bit alone. The "aircraft choice guide" on Van's site is great (and honest), and for the first time, I really only need one seat. I would also love to go as fast as possible without consuming a huge amount of fuel, and ideally in an aircraft that is cheap to buy and operate.
It seems like the RV-3 is the perfect choice for a commuter aircraft for me, but I'll happily take dissenting opinions.
2 - VALUE? - Assuming the RV-3 is the right choice, what's a reasonable price to pay for one? Does the value change dramatically with an 0-320 compared to an 0-290? How much should age of the airframe matter?
3 - LIGHTING - Many RV-3s that I've seen for sale are daytime VFR ships. My flying will be before and after a workday, so in the winter I will want landing and navigation lights. I've been through several threads on wingtip vs leading light mounting and HID vs halogen. I'm curious to know if anyone has experience retrofitting lights on an already-built RV-3. Is it relatively easy to run wires through the wing/tail? What's a good choice for equipment? There are some COTS units or a few DIY approaches.
4 - FLIGHT PROFICIENCY - I have my tailwheel endorsement, earned in a Citabria, and some time in Decathlon, Pitts, and Cub. I've never flown an RV-4 (or RV-anything), so the idea of transitioning to a single-seat RV-3 is both exciting and slightly daunting. What's a good way to do this? Should I try to get RV-4 time? Any suggestions how I could find an RV-4 owner that's willing to let me get a few minutes of stick time?
5 - PRE-BUY INSPECTION - Assuming I find an RV-3 I want, what's a good approach for a pre-buy? How can I be sure the CN-1 / CN-2 spar mods were done (correctly)? Should I bring an A&P with me, or is it possible to run adequate checks myself?
6 - INSTRUMENTATION - What's a good choice for supplementing the sometimes-sparse instrument panel in daytime VFR RV-3s? A friend of mine suggesting getting a Garmin G5. I'd likely end up using my phone/tablet with Avare for navigation. What else should I consider adding? I'm obviously torn between keeping the aircraft light and adding useful and safety-enhancing features.
7 - LAST MILE PROBLEM - This whole notion of commuting with an RV comes both from the romantic notion of using an airplane regularly, and the practicality of cutting a 2+ hour drive to almost 1 hour. Actually making it door to door in 1 - 1.3 hours depends very much on the transportation provisions on both ends of the flight. For people who commute with airplanes, how do you solve the last mile problem? Do you keep a beater (or spare) car parked at the destination airport? Do you use an electric bicycle, or just call a taxi/Uber? I don't need to go very far (~5 miles), but it's long enough that I need to figure out something reliable.
8 - PARKING - Is it ok to leave an RV outside for a few hours, or even permanently? I'm not positive that I'll have a hangar available on either side. If I have to leave it outside, can I use just a canopy cover, or should I get a whole-aircraft cover?
Thanks for the insight!