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LuLu Flies

Rick6a

Rick6a

Well Known Member
With 6977+ RV's flying it is difficult to do something no one else has done before. My IO-360 M1B, Hartzell equipped RV-8 took flight today with veteran DAR and high time tail wheel pilot Frank Baldwin at the controls. Just to be different, I left almost all the blue protective vinyl on the airframe intact. I'd like to think that is a first. Frank reported zero problems and was aloft for nearly an hour. After completing tasks called out on flight test cards, Frank continued to explore the flight envelope including a slow fly-by. Without the wheel pants installed, Frank still managed to extract 190 MPH GPS groundspeed at one point during its maiden flight. The standard kit plane, fitted with Grove Airfoil gear, Dynon EFIS, Trutrak autopilot and AOA was built and completed in 24 months but for personal reasons, did not fly until today...nearly two years after it was awarded its Airworthiness Certificate. My RV-8 shares hangar space with the standard kit RV-6A I completed in 2005.

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Hey Rick, congratulations!

And yes, I'm sure that leaving the blue film IS a first :D

(Always great to have another -8 in the world...)
 
Bravo Rick, bravo!!! Congratulations!

First vinyl airplane indeed :) What would industry quality control inspectors think of that? :D
 
Congrats, Rick!

It'll be interesting to do some speed trials before and after you remove the blue vinyl :D
 
roee said:
Congrats, Rick!

It'll be interesting to do some speed trials before and after you remove the blue vinyl :D
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Did you see that ground speed? 190 without pants! (I mean wheel pants, guys...) The vinyl's got to be worth an extra 5-10...easy! :D :D

Congrats, Rick!
 
Congrats Rick! Love the color If you need extra blue vinyl for repairs I have mine all waded up in a couple of hefty garbage bags! :)
 
Rick,

I can already tell you what's going to happen. You're going to take the vinyl off and the plane is going to get slower by 8 knots. Then you're going to be scratching your head trying to figure out how to put it back on!

Congrats on the flight.
Phil
 
Congrats Rick! To be honest, I thought you'd been flying it for awhile - and just having so much fun with the -8, you didn't have time to post....:)

Paul
 
scsmith said:
That blue vinyl must be heavier than paint?
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The vinyl is heavy. For that reason, the final weight and balance numbers may approximate a paint job. Still, at 1106# "LuLu" with its leather seats and constant speed prop is only 7 pounds heavier than my O-320 fixed pitch equipped -6A. Additionally, with screws and nutplates installed to make virtually everything removable, I just don't buy into the "extra weight" canard some builders often assert.

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Congrats, Rick!

I must report, after a brief tour of your hangar last Saturday, the airplane is superbly built. (Rick is one heck of a builder.)

What could be more comforting than a first flight by the DAR?

Frank reports it broke ground way ahead of schedule with the CS prop and flies most wonderfully. He was all smiles late yesterday afternoon (lives in our air park).

I won't be challenging you to 10,000' with that light weight machine....:)
 
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Fabulous news, Rick. What a dream to have two flying RV's in that gorgeous hangar of yours. Will have to drop by from 1h0 sometime, uhhh, of course AFTER your hours are flown off :D.
 
Aeroheating

I was really expecting you to report that you planned to remove the blue vinyl by aeroheating at top speed. Now that would be a fun way to remove that stuff! :D I don't suppose they had blue vinyl on the titanium skins of the SR-71. :eek:
 
Congrats on the first flight! Now get that vinyl off there and start polishing! :)

On a serious note though... If that vinyl ever starts peeling in flight, it wouldn't take much to get it covering a control surface. You really should get it off ASAP if you plan to keep flying it.
 
I almost beat you...

My RV-12 was maybe 30 pounds heavier than the other ones. I weighed it with the blue vinyl still on it. I was embarrassed and peeled it off to reweigh it before flying it.

John
 
Rick, your work has been an inspiration to me almost from the first day I logged onto VAF. Great to see you enjoying the fruits of your labor! Thanks especially for your excellent posts (complete with pictures!) that you often make here. Congratulations, and I hope to meet you someday.
 
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