T

Tram

Well Known Member
How's the 3 fly compared to say the 4 or the 6?

Had a 6 for a long time, I've been contemplating a 4, but I rarely fly with anyone, so I've been eyeing the 3 a little bit.
 
Everybody has their own opinion. Mine is..a 150/160hp, F/P -3 is the best flying of all RVs. The -4 is a close second. With the -6 bringing up 3rd place.

The secrete is "light-weight". When you start adding constant speed props, heavy leather interiors, auto pilots, etc. flying qualities diminish quickly.
 
I have flown every RV model (except those ending in a “5”) enough to pretty definitively say that the -3 is the most enjoyable flying machine - from a pilot handling standpoint - of any of them. Unless you have a very heavy nose (think 200 hp, metal C/S….), it is fingertip flying. Ours is full IFR with an Oregon Aero seat, so fairly heavy (as -3’s go) - but with an IO-320 and a composite C/S, the CG is back where it belongs and the word I most often use when describing it is “delightful”. If I just want some purely enjoyable time in the air, the RV-3 gets the nod - its why its usually up front in our hangar.

As the airplanes get progressively bigger, they move away from this perfect little package of pilot joy - but the -4 and -6 are close…depending a lot on how the ailerons are shaped and rigged - so I wouldn’t dismiss them. But unless you’ve flown them all, its hard to compare them, since they are all better than anything else you have likely flown as a typical PP.

The RV-3 would probably be the last of our fleet that I’d want to part with.
 
Tram said:
How's the 3 fly compared to say the 4 or the 6?

Had a 6 for a long time, I've been contemplating a 4, but I rarely fly with anyone, so I've been eyeing the 3 a little bit.
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Having flown all the tail dragger versions of the RVs, i would agree with Paul and Mel in their assessments.
Mine is a 3B with 160 hp with an MT C/S prop weighing 832 empty.
It climbs like crazy, is light on the stick and fast. Take off is really quick and landing is about the same as the others, maybe a little bit twitchier.
overall it’s the most fun to fly and typically draws lookers where ever I go.
For general local flights though, I tend to fly my Legend Cub more, but that is a completely different kind of fun!
Flying the RV3 is something special
 
I have a RV-3A which I've owned for over two years. Its has a 0290 - D2 Lyc. I'm 82 years old, been flying since I was 19 and have flown over 64 different type including many Homebuilts, Warbirds etc. The 3 has been the joy in life. It is without a doubt the nicest well behaved aircraft i've ever flown. It's the icing on the cake as it were.

Unfortunately my health is now getting in the way and I've decided to sell.

[Link to non-VAF site deleted per VAF rules. Feel free to place an ad in the VAF Classifieds; S.Buchanan]
 
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I’ve flown the 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9. I‘m on my 2nd RV-3 and have about 450 hours in RV-3’s. The 3 is the best of the bunch for fun flying. As others have said, it’s much lighter on the controls and very “flickable” for lack of a better word. For the first 2-3 hours, you may think the controls are too light, but then you fall in love with it and want nothing else.

My current RV-3 is a bit chubby at nearly 900 pounds, but as Paul said, I think CG makes all the difference in the way the plane handles. Mine is perfect as far as I’m concerned. The only RV-4 I’ve ever flown that comes close to the fine handling characteristics of my 3 is an RV-4 built by Larry Jensen. It has an old fashioned Hartzel metal constant speed prop and an O360. If you could find another 4 that flies as nice as the Larry Jensen 4, I could see why a person might consider a 4 instead of a 3 just to share the RV experience.

My $0.02
 
Amadeus said:
Many accurate answers but surprised no one replied "with lift and thrust."
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I came here to say precisely this.

To be more historically accurate, others had worked out the lift and thrust issues sufficiently before 1903. The wing-warping Wrights added the magic 3rd leg to the stool - controllability.
 
Tram said:
How's the 3 fly compared to say the 4 or the 6?

Had a 6 for a long time, I've been contemplating a 4, but I rarely fly with anyone, so I've been eyeing the 3 a little bit.
Click to expand...
Here are some numbers on the -3 to support the group praise: with a 160hp stock Lycoming, 3-blade 68-70 Catto, day VFR panel, on a standard day at sea-level, I'll see 2400ft/min max climbout on takeoff (95mph indicated), 200mph top speed at 2750rpm (although I don't do that much b/c it's very noisy), 170mph cruise (much quieter) at 2450rpm, 6.5gph local flights at 5000' ; takeoff requires about 5 seconds, short final at 75 (70 if I want to stop sooner). Liability insurance is about $300/yr. The -3 has fit my mission very well for the 30 years since I built one: best performance at least cost. Cheers!

- Steven
1500 RV3 hours; another one last Friday!
 
Ironflight said:
I have flown every RV model (except those ending in a “5”) enough to pretty definitively say that the -3 is the most enjoyable flying machine - from a pilot handling standpoint - of any of them. Unless you have a very heavy nose (think 200 hp, metal C/S….), it is fingertip flying. Ours is full IFR with an Oregon Aero seat, so fairly heavy (as -3’s go) - but with an IO-320 and a composite C/S, the CG is back where it belongs and the word I most often use when describing it is “delightful”. If I just want some purely enjoyable time in the air, the RV-3 gets the nod - its why its usually up front in our hangar.

As the airplanes get progressively bigger, they move away from this perfect little package of pilot joy - but the -4 and -6 are close…depending a lot on how the ailerons are shaped and rigged - so I wouldn’t dismiss them. But unless you’ve flown them all, its hard to compare them, since they are all better than anything else you have likely flown as a typical PP.

The RV-3 would probably be the last of our fleet that I’d want to part with.
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Hi Paul
Just curious as to your statement about shape and rigging of ailerons? Do you mean the closer to VAN'S plans the better, or do you have a different formula?
Thanks
 
1rv4 said:
Hi Paul
Just curious as to your statement about shape and rigging of ailerons? Do you mean the closer to VAN'S plans the better, or do you have a different formula?
Thanks
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If its built to plans it shoudl be perfect. The shape is sometimes missed by folks - if you imagine the folded trailing edge to be a segment of the circle, the upper and lower surfaces of the aileron shoudl converge to be perfectly straight until they hit the tangent point of the circle - neither concave or convex. Then it’ll fly the way Van’s intended!
 
Been flying my -3 for the last 20 years, and I love it. You don't get in it, you wear it, and it becomes an extension of your body what you think, it will do and very well. I don't find it to be twitchy on landing, I normally do 3-point landings with the tail slightly low, so it touches first, Mine is rather light at 740lbs. O320 with a Sterba cruise prop. I transitioned in the -6 and found that after I got in the -3 that the controls felt very light, but after a few hours it just feels right. When I would do my Bi-annual in the -6 the controls always felt heavy to me. In my opinion, the -3 is the best bang for the buck.
 
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