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Single seat RV-4?

VCMaine

Active Member
I love my '3 but it is admittedly payload limited at full fuel if I'm trying to stay within the 1050 lb fun limit. I expect someone somewhere has re-engineered an RV-4, either in the build stage or later, to be a single seater? What's it look like? What useful load did it wind up with?
 
Kelly Wilson did it

Kelly Wilson, an AI in Indianapolis did what you describe. It was fabricated with the seat repositioned for solo optimization. Jim Winings now owns the ship and converted it to 2 place. If you cannot locate contact info, PM me and will see if I can help.
 
Or..

Why not just buy/build a -4 and leave the rear seat/stick ,ect. out? The re-sale will be much better, and you could carry alot of stuff if needed. You could put smoke tank (if your a smoker) at rear seat position and be in great weight/ CG range.
 
Bruce Bohannons flying tiger was an RV4 converted to a single seat.
Along with a bunch of other mods for his record setting attempts.

Ha. Greg beat me to it!
 
Good point fix and fly

My 4 project will rarely carry a passenger. My plan to optimize the 98% solo flying is a calculated weight on the tail spring to put CG where ever I think it flies best, in proper limits of course. That is why I didn't buy kelly's project to start with, to your point !
 
Bruce Bohannons flying tiger was an RV4 converted to a single seat.
Along with a bunch of other mods for his record setting attempts.

Ha. Greg beat me to it!

Seeing the Exxon Flying Tiger parked on static display at the Reno Hilton for all those years when we would go to races was really my first introduction to the Vans line, one of the best pieces of advertising they could do.
 
The RAA FEB 2013 cover page calls this a Rocket but the article gives a very detailed description of what became a highly modified RV-4.

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Mine?s Single Seat Optimized

After owning three RV-4s that I purchased flying I finally built my RV-4 Fastback optimized for me and my long legs. I moved the front seat back four inches and the canopy back six inches. My 6?2? and long legs are very comfortable now but I still carry the ability to have a back seater if I want. The back seat and leg room are the same, just the front seat is closer necessitating just a short ?emergency? joy stick in the rear.

With my ?heavy? O-360 and CS prop I have no CG issues and have carried more than one fat guy in the back. My not fat wife, at 5?7? fits fine for hour or less flights. Most of my flights are however solo by choice.

In general a ?two seater? will be worth more and easier to resell so I didn?t want to eliminate the second seat completely. Silly tho, since I will NEVER sell my -4😎

Anyway, it?s all been done by somebody at this point👍

Tailwinds,
 
A friend of mine purchased a flying RV4 and put it on our ultralight registration system by limiting its MTOW to 1320 lbs, hence no passenger but plenty of baggage capacity. He flies it solo but it can be easily converted back to 2 seat. Building a single seat RV4 is going to limit re-sale value.

Mart in Oz

I love my '3 but it is admittedly payload limited at full fuel if I'm trying to stay within the 1050 lb fun limit. I expect someone somewhere has re-engineered an RV-4, either in the build stage or later, to be a single seater? What's it look like? What useful load did it wind up with?
 
Single seat 4/Rocket

Larry,
I built a single seat clipped wing 4 after my 3
Rear seat solo, Aerosport 360, MT 3 blade, 3rd tank in the fwd pilot position, 48 gallons, 21 foot span and a few other differences.
Everything an RV 3 is but with 180 CS and not overweight like most of the 3s
It?s the one in the RAA magazine mentioned.
PM if you?d like more info.
Mike
 
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