Which platform for cross country IFR?

So there are so many different models.
Are any of these planes really the right plane for regular cross country IFR and at the same time have some acrobatic capabilities?
Can the 10 loop and roll and spin?
Not that I fly that way I'm trying to get a feel for the different models and where the practical uses are.

Thanks Paul

Aerobatic

The aerobatic component restricts you to a few models.
The next question is side by side or tandem.
Then build or buy.
Then pre-punched or not
The resulting selection will be pretty small.

Bugsiegel said:

So there are so many different models.
Are any of these planes really the right plane for regular cross country IFR and at the same time have some acrobatic capabilities?
Can the 10 loop and roll and spin?
Not that I fly that way I'm trying to get a feel for the different models and where the practical uses are.

Thanks Paul

Click to expand...

Paul, have you seen the 'which RV is right for me' page?
http://vansaircraft.com/public/rv-which.htm

Not sure it will answer all your questions, but I think it answers most...

Charlie

The very thing which is desirable for aerobatics - light, responsive controls - also means it is less stable, and therefore more work to fly ifr.
The 10, followed by the -9, are probably the least work to fly in imc. They are also not recommended for aerobatics.
The -7 or -8 can be flown in imc but require constant attention. A lot of fatigue flying in imc without an autopilot.

Have not flown one, but I would imagine the 14 would be fairly good at fitting the bill. If money were no object I'd build one (or a 10). You will find people who fly just about any RV model IFR, but most would probably say a good autopilot is a must. The -9 and -10 may be a bit more stable than the shorter wing versions, but you give up the acrobatics.

Chris

7 IFR

How many guys regularly flying IFR in a 7?
Is it like driving across the country in a corvette, fun for a short while but can't wait to get out?
Or can it be a comfortable ride?
As you cas see I've never been in one.
I do plan to see the east coast rep soon to test fly something.
Thanks in advance.

I've had the opportunity to fly long cross-country trips in the RV-6, -7, -9, -10, -12, and -14. Very little of that was in IMC, but I feel that I have enough straight-and-level stick time in all these models to make an informed comparison.

In my opinion, *any* RV is going to be a handful in IMC, at least when compared to something solid and truck-like such as a 182. An autopilot helps tremendously - in fact, my personal MEL for IFR flight in an RV includes either a functioning autopilot or a second crew member - but of course you still need to be able to hand-fly the trip on your own if you have to.

I would say that the RV-10 is the best all-around choice if you plan to actually fly real trips in IMC. If you must also have acro capability, the RV-14 is the default choice for your mission, since qualitatively speaking it is the "heaviest" of the acro capable RV models.

Regardless of which airframe you pick, frequent practice under the hood to maintain proficiency is a must, even more so than with a typical certified airplanes. Even the non-aerobatic RV's can develop rates and gain energy a lot faster than most certified airplanes, so if you're going to fly one in the clouds you need to bring your A-game.

The above is my opinion, worth what you paid for it...

mcb

To add to Matts comments, I find hand flying approaches in my rv7a to be easy. However, like Bob said aerobatic performance and ifr stability are opposites. I need an autopilot during the enroute portion in order to stay on course and altitude while fiddling with stuff in the cockpit.

Bugsiegel said:

So there are so many different models.
Are any of these planes really the right plane for regular cross country IFR and at the same time have some acrobatic capabilities?
Can the 10 loop and roll and spin?
Not that I fly that way I'm trying to get a feel for the different models and where the practical uses are.

Thanks Paul

Click to expand...

As others have stated, they all can handle IFR well, but an auto pilot is recommended. The -9 and -10 are the most stable, but not officially aerobatic. The -9 can loop and roll, I know for a fact. In fact, it rolls really nicely. The -10 can roll and spin, I know for a fact, but the one time I was in one that spun I decided I never wanted to do that again.

Lots of people fly IFR in the aerobatic models. Just do yourself a favor and get a good autopilot. They are relatively inexpensive and worth their weight in gold when needed.

ifr

Having owned a few IFR capable airplanes and the IFR ticket and not being the best inst pilot in the world I think you have to treat each plane different. Cessna planes are great stable for cross country and IFR my 182 and 206 were hand flyers but slow and you had time to correct . Next came the twin bug and the Ted Smith Aerostar different animal and no IFR without autopilot for enroute it shined on the slope though on rails if you kept the speed up. Now to the RV in IFR my first RV6A had autopilot 430 and steam panel and it was OK ifr now I have an RV6 with efis and no autopilot and 200 HP and constant speed and its the slickest plane I've flown and not very stable so no IFR with out an autopilot.

IFR/Aeorbatics

One important consideration is the use of conventional instruments in inverted flight(not). I,m using the G3X which is Ok to use inverted and has a stable A/P system.