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two seaters

Mark_H

Active Member
If I wanted to buy a 4, 6, 7, 8 or 9 how would you counsel me. I figure on tandem my wife and I will be swapping out anyway so no issue there. Thanks ahead of time.
 
If you will be flying with your wife, I might suggest a side by side and swap left/right, rather than front/back.

If you?re primarily flying by yourself, or with the additional performance/feel/visibility of a fighter, go tandem. Otherwise, go side by side. It?s more social.

Bevan
 
My wife is not a pilot, but she does like to be involved. When I was deciding what to build (I wanted a 4) she said "if you want me to fly with you, I'm sitting next to you".

That made the decision.


Also, mods, should this be in a different forum?

Moved it to General Subjects area....Scroll
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My wife is not a pilot, but she does like to be involved. When I was deciding what to build (I wanted a 4) she said "if you want me to fly with you, I'm sitting next to you".

I was considering an RV8, I received ?permission? to build a 7 or 9. I?m happy.

Happy wife = happy life.

Bevan
 
If I wanted to buy a 4, 6, 7, 8 or 9 how would you counsel me. I figure on tandem my wife and I will be swapping out anyway so no issue there. Thanks ahead of time.

Get the wife involved. Her input is more important than mine.
 
Side by side

My wife said, "Build anything you want as long as it's side by side and the wheel is in front"
Happy wife...
 
Tandem

We've owned both an 8 and a 7. I absolutely loved the 8 but wife would not ride in the back. I persisted and just flew by myself or with friends. Then, one day, my son had our then five year old grandson in the back and he undid his lap belt just before takeoff. Thankfully, he told his dad. We both realized at that point that a 7 was a much better option for us.
 
It is hard to beat a 6. They can do anything that the 7 or 9 can do, but can be found for sometimes 1/2 the price.
 
Wife said she did not want to be in the back, especially if we are IFR; so we have a 7. However her plane is a Decathlon and I ride in back. Go figure?
 
As a serial -4 owner, I'd have to reluctantly advise avoiding the -4, if you expect any extensive cross country work or 2-up acro. The back seat is pretty tight, 32 gallons means range is somewhat limited, baggage space is limited, CG can quickly become an issue, and gross weight can become a factor, as well. My -4 was/is pretty light (930 & 910 lbs) and so is my spouse, but with her in the back, I'm still limited to around 50 lbs baggage. Acro gross is around 1350, so with 180 lbs of fuel, there's not much capacity left for a passenger.

But... If 2 seat acro and 2 seat cross country aren't factors, it would be hard to find a better flying a/c.

Charlie
 
Wife is good either way on seating as she's a pilot and would be taking her turn. Mission is go see the kids. Farthest is 1274nm. Lower cost would make it an easier sell to wife.
 
So it's a four or a six if my 5'10" frame fits in the back of the four in terms of less cash up front? I would love a 9 for the high altitude cruising reports I read on here. Please correct me.
 
There are just a handful of guys that have been flying RVs an rockets longer then I have. Here is my reality; my wife and I like to travel in the airplane but certainly it would not be her favourite method of transportation. This happens maybe one long trip per year and three or four one hour flights. She would prefer side by side seating but it is my passion and not hers so she goes along, comfortable in the back with less forward vision but better side to side views then I get in the front. Less then 10% of my flight time is with my wife.

Flying a side by side RV is like driving a motorcycle from the sidecar.

Centre line seating, flying a RV or better yet a rocket, is as close to being a bird as you are going to get. When you have actual flying dreams it is never two feet off to the side.

My wife understands that, she is the best.
 
Well there you go. Now will I fit in the back of a four when she wants to fly a leg? 5'10" 180# when I'm where I should be.

I'm thinking of fours and sixes since I read that's where the deals are.
 
Both of you should try sitting in the back for a bit before buying something tandem. I know after 30 minutes in the back of an -8, I was going nuts because I felt like my legs were trapped.

Some people are perfectly fine back there; others can't stand it.
 
To be fair: There is a lot more room in the back of a Rocket then there is in a RV4. That was one of the deciding factors in my switch from the RV4 to Rockets. The RV4 rear seat is challenging for most folks over 5"8 or so.
The RV8 was designed for two larger pilots.
If room is an issue then you should really be looking at a RV14 or RV10
 
Plusses for a six

Mark,
Your post mentioned you might look at 4's and 6's due to the good deal you can get. I second that thought. We bought a 6a which was made locally but not flying much. I got it inspected, and when I got the green light I went ahead and bought. Since it is an experimental I have slowly changes the inside and avionics to match my desires. Even with all the changes, I am still 10's of k$ less than what a 7 or 8 would have cost me.

If you are building I think it is a different answer. If you are buying, it is really hard to beat a 4 or 6. I think the fact of the matter is all of the Van's planes are great flyer. No doubt some are better than others. Any of them win over other planes hands down for value and fun.

If you seek to maximize value, look at the older models. So many 6s out there mean the real sale prices are always much less than the other models.

cheers
Geoff
 
You asked for council:

Fly a side by side and a tandem and figure our what SHE wants. Then decide how often she's going to fly with you - then buy a Rocket. They can often be found for less money than an -8 and while not quite the financial deal that a -4 or -6 delivers, are a better "value" owing to their FAR, FAR better performance.

And as my signature suggests, I have an -8 and a Rocket and my wife is with me probably 75% of my hours flown. And 95% of that time is long cross country trips, loaded to the gills with baggage. We've done the side by side thing and my wife strongly prefers her comfortable "nest" in the back.

In the end, internet opinions are not going to make you happy - go get some seat time.
 
I'm a little over 5'8", 155 lbs. I've ridden a couple of 1.5 hr legs in the back of my -4, that has rudder pedals in the back and no foot wells. I'd call it a tolerable, but not pleasant experience.

Again, I love the flight characteristics of the -4. But it is a *very* limited a/c for 2 up, extended-stay cross country. The tandem vs. SBS issue is for you to decide; I've owned a Luscombe 8A (my training plane for my Private ticket), a Thorp T-18, a Globe Swift, a Bede BD-4, and a couple of RV-4s. All the purchased planes were purchased because they got the job done and were available at the time. I *chose* to build a -7, & would happily own a -6, if one became available.

Charlie
 
Like everyone else has said, only you and your wife will know what really fits
you and your mission. I looked at -4s and -6s and bought a 6A. While it may
not be a fighter style tandem aircraft, I am not a fighter pilot. So the wife and
I talked and she likes to interact while we are flying. So the -6A fit our needs
and mission. We can load both of us in, the dog(a yorkie), the cat and all the
baggage we need for a long weekend and full fuel and still cruise at 8500-10500
at 175mph drinking 8-8.5gph. Sure makes going places a lot more fun.
 
Thanks everyone. Sounds like it's a 6 or a rocket?

Based on your original post, I think a -6, -7 or -8 is what you want, with the -6 being less expensive, that would be my choice, in your situation. Plus you can share duties while flying with a dual screen EFIS setup. Little to no room in the back of a tandem for much more than an iPad and rear rudder are limited in functionality.

I rode in the back of a -8 for 2.5 and was ready to get you. Not much room to move around @ 5'8" and ~200 lbs, for me.

You can likely buy two -6s for the price of a Rocket.
 
Mark,

At the risk of sounding heretical, you could consider other options. If money is a significant factor (it always is, for me), and you both are of small to medium proportions, you could also look at the Thorp T-18 and the Bushby Mustang II. Both have slightly narrower cockpits than the RV-6/7, but can be comfortable for smaller framed people. A typical Thorp will be a bit slower than an RV but not enough to justify the nearly doubled price of a -6. A Mustang might be slower, or could be quite a bit faster than a typical -6. Most examples of both are likely to be much closer to scratch built, so build quality (and potentially, flying qualities) will vary more among individual examples. Neither handle quite as well as an RV, but both are pretty close. If there are examples for sale near you, it might be worth your while to at least take a look.

Several of us here have experience in both. If you're interested, I'm sure you could get input off-list.

Charlie
 
The only plane most all wives seem happy with is the RV-10. Some seen happy with the RV-14 as a second choice.

My wife got tired of sitting in the back of my RV-8A so I built an RV-10. With time however she preferred to fly in the back of the 10 curled up in a blanket. She can no longer fly so the RV-10 got sold and I fly solo in an RV-8.

If you have the cash go with the RV-10. You will be a hero with your wife and the RV-10 is Van?s best plane for all around ?let?s do a long cross country with all your stuff? mission.

Carl
 
Dang you guys are whipped. :) I wonder how married guys ever came to own Cubs, Champs, and Pitts'. ;) Of course my wife has a horse she rides all the time so she can't complain about what type of plane I own.
 
I should add I have a share in a 172 with a 180hp and the STC for extra weight. If I need four seats and carrying capacity I can do that at 112 knots. Most of the time it's just the two of us. We made KARM to KMTH in a 150 and enough gear to attend a wedding. That's togetherness. Pretty sure the wife would think she was doing great in a 6. I guarantee you she would not be amused by the extra 100K for the 10.
 
Ride

I'm kind of partial to the RV6 best bang for the buck.I will just add one comment to the Rv6 recommendation the more Horse Power the better!
Bob
 
Yeah the other ideas are interesting but it's a VANS community at my airport and I'm impressed with the planes, the company and the people so yeah, a 6 it is unless someone offers an awesome partnership deal in a local 9. Thanks for listening and commenting all.
 
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