Weasel
Well Known Member
I have in excess of 1200 hrs of flying 2 different RV-10 airplanes and as with everything - "When you get a little, You want more".
First I want to say I am mostly impressed with the "Total Performance" as Vans advertises it, from the RV-10.
My mission includes but is not limited to:
I did not list short feild operations because I might be willing to give that up and keep the airplane at a paved airport if there is something that can exceed some of the parameters lised as my mission and/or have something better to offer.
Some of the things that I dont care for so much in the RV-10 are:
Hopefully I can explain my thought on each of these items...my writing does not allways portray my thoughts.
Hard to get in and out???? I consider myself young and agil and have no problems whatsoever swinging myself in and out in one smooth motion. The problem comes when I want to give a ride to say an ederly person who has has hip surgury or is just not very flexible anymore. They have no problem stepping up on a Cherokee 6, Saratoga, or Bonanza step and flap and then setting down in the seat. On the RV-10 the first problem is stepping up on step and then the wing without stepping on the flap but it doesnt stop there. When they set down in the seat they can hardly lean over in the pilot side far enough to get ther second foot in past the door post because it is so close to the seatback. basicaly you have to bend your knee up to your chest.
Rough ride???? I understand keeping the wing loading low is what helps get the RV its short feild performance but....its just rough in turbulance compaired to most other singles (keep in mind I have never flown a Cirrus or Cessna 400 so maybe I am illiterate on this).
Hard to cool???? I even have Air Conditioning in my RV-10 but If I dont run it I will have sweat on my back anytime the sun is out and the OAT is above 65 degrees F. In Cessna and Piper airplanes I never break a sweat with up to 80 deg ambient temperature full Sun. Some of this is due to my obssession with keeping the cockpit air tight which results in no path for the vent air to easily exit. We sealed up almost everything we could think of which made it a lot quieter than other RV-10's but I am assuming it reduced the amount of ventilation air flow. Having said that the other RV-10 that I fly has standard air vents and a lot of air flow through the cabin but almost the same result. around 70 deg F. ambient and you have sweat on your back when you land. Not great when going to a business meeting or Sunday morning church.
No De-Ice??? Well I understand it weighs to carry this around and there are probably only a few out there that could utlize this in there mission but what would a guy do if he wanted to add this capabiliy?
Light Weight construction???? I know a lot of the performance comes from reduced weight but I feel like a TROLL when I take someone on a ride. Even people familliar with airplanes! Dont step here on the wing, only on the wing walk area. Dont slam the door like that, Let me shut it. Dont turn the nose wheel by pushing on the wheel pant. Dont let your seat belt sling off your lap when you get out and chip the paint outside the door. Dont mess with the door latch while we are flying. and then when you leave the airport you wonder if a big gusty wind will come along and whack the control surfaces from stop to stop. I mean I dont see Cessna, Piper, and Beechcraft guys worrying much about the control locks nor do I see very many damaged control surfaces on them from misuse.
Where would a guy go if he wanted to upgrade to carry a larger load? Lets say I want to carry 6 people or 4 adults and 300lb of luggage and go 600 kn miles with IFR reserves. And say I dont care if it burns 50GPH of fuel. Even a Piper Propjet meridian or TBM cant do that and best I can tell a Cessna 310R will not even carry that load that far because there is not enough fuel for the IFR reserve.
Would this mean the next step up from a RV-10 is a C414 or King Air?
First I want to say I am mostly impressed with the "Total Performance" as Vans advertises it, from the RV-10.
My mission includes but is not limited to:
- 160+ knot Cruise
- 800+ lb of payload when carrying enough fuel for 600 NM trip with IFR reserve
- IFR capabilities
- Comfortable to fly all year (Summer and Winter)
I did not list short feild operations because I might be willing to give that up and keep the airplane at a paved airport if there is something that can exceed some of the parameters lised as my mission and/or have something better to offer.
Some of the things that I dont care for so much in the RV-10 are:
- Hard to get in and out of the front seats
- Rougher ride in turbulance
- Harder to stay cool
- No de-ice capabilities
- Light weight construction of specific items
Hopefully I can explain my thought on each of these items...my writing does not allways portray my thoughts.
Hard to get in and out???? I consider myself young and agil and have no problems whatsoever swinging myself in and out in one smooth motion. The problem comes when I want to give a ride to say an ederly person who has has hip surgury or is just not very flexible anymore. They have no problem stepping up on a Cherokee 6, Saratoga, or Bonanza step and flap and then setting down in the seat. On the RV-10 the first problem is stepping up on step and then the wing without stepping on the flap but it doesnt stop there. When they set down in the seat they can hardly lean over in the pilot side far enough to get ther second foot in past the door post because it is so close to the seatback. basicaly you have to bend your knee up to your chest.
Rough ride???? I understand keeping the wing loading low is what helps get the RV its short feild performance but....its just rough in turbulance compaired to most other singles (keep in mind I have never flown a Cirrus or Cessna 400 so maybe I am illiterate on this).
Hard to cool???? I even have Air Conditioning in my RV-10 but If I dont run it I will have sweat on my back anytime the sun is out and the OAT is above 65 degrees F. In Cessna and Piper airplanes I never break a sweat with up to 80 deg ambient temperature full Sun. Some of this is due to my obssession with keeping the cockpit air tight which results in no path for the vent air to easily exit. We sealed up almost everything we could think of which made it a lot quieter than other RV-10's but I am assuming it reduced the amount of ventilation air flow. Having said that the other RV-10 that I fly has standard air vents and a lot of air flow through the cabin but almost the same result. around 70 deg F. ambient and you have sweat on your back when you land. Not great when going to a business meeting or Sunday morning church.
No De-Ice??? Well I understand it weighs to carry this around and there are probably only a few out there that could utlize this in there mission but what would a guy do if he wanted to add this capabiliy?
Light Weight construction???? I know a lot of the performance comes from reduced weight but I feel like a TROLL when I take someone on a ride. Even people familliar with airplanes! Dont step here on the wing, only on the wing walk area. Dont slam the door like that, Let me shut it. Dont turn the nose wheel by pushing on the wheel pant. Dont let your seat belt sling off your lap when you get out and chip the paint outside the door. Dont mess with the door latch while we are flying. and then when you leave the airport you wonder if a big gusty wind will come along and whack the control surfaces from stop to stop. I mean I dont see Cessna, Piper, and Beechcraft guys worrying much about the control locks nor do I see very many damaged control surfaces on them from misuse.
Where would a guy go if he wanted to upgrade to carry a larger load? Lets say I want to carry 6 people or 4 adults and 300lb of luggage and go 600 kn miles with IFR reserves. And say I dont care if it burns 50GPH of fuel. Even a Piper Propjet meridian or TBM cant do that and best I can tell a Cessna 310R will not even carry that load that far because there is not enough fuel for the IFR reserve.
Would this mean the next step up from a RV-10 is a C414 or King Air?