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Another RV-9 takes flight

agirard7a

Well Known Member
It?s been a six year project. It?s finally finished and flies
well. Weighed in at 1025. 160 hp.

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Congrats Al

Way to go Al. Your about 60 lbs lighter than mine. Looks like you beat me in build time by 4 years. 160 hp is sweet in these.
 
Looks good Al, I will change your status on my RV-9 owner list. Time for you to change your signature line.
 
Looks good Al, I will change your status on my RV-9 owner list. Time for you to change your signature line.

How many flying -9's do you have Mark? (I know of at least one more that is very close to its first flight.)
 
Hey Bill,
I have found 43 in the US and another 19 in other counties.
Surprising large number in Europe.
 
Bravo!

Well done Al - I'll be curious to hear how you like her compared to your 4 (3?). Also, nice job on the 9A to 9 conversion.

Now I need someone to kick my butt... :D
 
Congrats! Very exciting!...........Can you tell me where you got that cushion in the left seat?

Hi Mike. That cushion is the bomb! It was 30-40$ online. I bought it on Amazon.
It was cheaper than a seat wedge and very comfortable.
The best part is it’s comforfoam and can be removed and kept in a warm spot
In the cold winter months. We all know how hard they can get in the cold. I bought the one with a hole for your tail bone. “Comfi Life”, great product!
 
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Well done Al - I'll be curious to hear how you like her compared to your 4 (3?). Also, nice job on the 9A to 9 conversion.

Now I need someone to kick my butt... :D

Hi Tom. Well the Rv-3 is definitely more sporty. 160 hp in an 800 lb Plane vs. 1025.
I like having more room in the 9. The tip up is really nice for visibility and it’s definetly more of a cruiser. Seems to move right along at 155 knot cruise. I have a Sterba wood cruise prop and it is smooth and helps to keep the Plane light.
I think the 160 hp is plenty adequate and is lighter as well. If your going to weigh the plane down with a heavy interior, constant speed prop. I might consider a an 0360. Be careful of nose weight on the 9a. Not worth a digger.

It seems to land easier than the 3 because of the wing. I can see now why
Vlad is a master in this plane for landing short. It doesn’t have the climb performance of the 3 but it’s hard to tell for sure as I am dealing with a warm #2 on climbout and have to keep the climbs shallow for this critical break in time.

My recommendation is keep it simple and light. I’m not even sure I plan the paint the Plane for this reason.

Keep on Tom. It’s a royal pain in the *** sometime but very satisfying and a very nice flying Plane.
 
Performance

Did some testing. Pretty happy with the performance.
8k, 75% power, 2500 rpm, 180 mph TAS.

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11,500 on up

8k has nice performance but 11,5k - 12,5k, the doggone thing just comes alive with speed and efficiency. My old -6 would start to sit on its tail at those altitudes. Your Tailwheel -9 is Vans best kept secret. Hard to believe that out of 10,000 flying RV's, only 43 or so folks know the secret...... less than ? of 1%.
Enjoy being unique. It's a great achievement and welcome to the club.


Did some testing. Pretty happy with the performance.
8k, 75% power, 2500 rpm, 180 mph TAS.

jq3i52.jpg
 
Congratulation!!!



@ Grubbat:
8k has nice performance but 11,5k - 12,5k, the doggone thing just comes alive with speed and efficiency. My old -6 would start to sit on its tail at those altitudes. Your Tailwheel -9 is Vans best kept secret. Hard to believe that out of 10,000 flying RV's, only 43 or so folks know the secret...... less than ? of 1%.
Enjoy being unique. It's a great achievement and welcome to the club.

According to the VANS Hobbsmeter there are 1064 flying 9s around:
https://www.vansaircraft.com/public/first-flights.htm
 
Temps

Al,

Your seeing better temps than I am but I am still breaking the engine in - mine are around 390 - 405. Also what are your settings for your manifold pressures on you GRT?
 
Manafold numbers

Al,

Your seeing better temps than I am but I am still breaking the engine in - mine are around 390 - 405. Also what are your settings for your manifold pressures on you GRT?

I was reading my Sport Sx manual and the numbers happened to be there for my 0320 160 hp. You can download the manual from the GRT web page.
 
Al,
I just saw your post, congratulations on the successful completion! I like your wood veneer panel! It's like driving around in an old sports car, classy!
Hope to see you around New England one of these days.
 
Albit, Great seeing you this past week! I heard that you stopped by my hangar this weekend but I wasn't there. Sorry I missed you.

Keep up the good work!

See you around the patch!

:) CJ
 
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