I wanna fly up high

Any oxygen system recommendations for the RV3. My battery is behind the seat so I was thinking of mounting a "A" bottle (6 cu/ft.) up front on the floor in front of the stick.
Thanks
Robert Ruggles
Surprise AZ

Hi Robert,
I have an A bottle if you want to try it.

Consider the Mountain High O2D1

Robert,

Flying high in an RV-3 is great. I flew two legs at 17,500' on my way to OSH this year. The plane climbed up there no problem and I enjoyed 40 mph tailwinds.

As a glider pilot I discovered the Mountain High EDS system which uses a small "smart" electronic box and a standard cannula (not the large Oxymizer version) to really make oxygen use efficient. Here is a duration chart comparing what it will do for you duration wise. I have a 9 cu ft aluminum bottle (AL-248). I bought the package, including a nice case, at OSH last year.

I think it's perfectly suited for the RV-3: small, light, and efficient.

while on the subject of flying high...

Does anyone have data on which is better:
1. Slow VSI / fast IAS climb.
2. Fast VSI / slow IAS climb.

Yes I know that there are trade offs, but which is better to do for best fuel economy? Which is better for fastest time to destination?

I know that winds aloft will have an effect on the answer, but how does that weigh into the decision?

Kent

kentb said:

Does anyone have data on which is better:
1. Slow VSI / fast IAS climb.
2. Fast VSI / slow IAS climb.

Yes I know that there are trade offs, but which is better to do for best fuel economy? Which is better for fastest time to destination?

Click to expand...

Kent,

To correctly answer this you'd need to do data plots with four variables: fuel burn, climb rate, TAS, and time. That's more work than I'm going to do!

Anecdotally, after doing quite a bit of cross country work in both my RV-8 and my RV-3B, my sense is that using a speed maybe 10-15 mph above your Vy is the best compromise. Vy for most RVs is around 125 mph so I've always found that a climb of 135-140 mph which seems to give me the best combination. Engine cooling factors into this as well. Your -9A wing (Roncz airfoil) might be a bit different too.

FWIW,

Agree with Randy

The Mountain High system is very efficient and makes the most of a bottle of oxygen. I have two complete systems bought through the forums for less than the price of one....