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Would I be stupid to buy an RV8 before I can even fly?

moespeeds

Well Known Member
Friend
So it's not as simple as all that, but the short version is I'm a low time (135 hrs) PPSEL who built an RV8 in the 90s, sold it almost complete in 2001, then quit flying. I've regretted that for 20 years, and now I'm back at my flight training, albeit only 2 hours into getting current again.

I've come across an RV8 that I really want. Price is right, engine and panel are right, and it's got a great paint job to boot. Only problem is, I'm far from currency.

Would I be a fool to buy this thing now, then work on my currency while it sits? My stick and rudder skills seem to be right where I left them in 2001, but everything else I'm starting from zero. I can't believe all these foreflight/ipod gadgets that are around these days!

Thoughts?

Moe Colontonio
Cherry Hill, NJ
 
No, you wouldn’t be stupid. But first check with an insurance broker (I use Gallagher) to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
 
Do you have tail wheel time? This will make some difference on insurance. Your situation (training wise) was similar to mine. I had pretty much the same number of hours as you. Quickly worked about 10 hours in 152/172s then moved to 182 retract. It went quite quick. The biggest thing is to get transition training! That was the biggest help without question for flying an RV.

Now in just 3 months I’ve logged over 75 hours in my RV; I love it! You will too!
 
No.

You would be stupid not to. You know how to fly. Get current. Get transition training. Go fly. Life is short.
 
My impulse would be to jump on it. I got my PPL when I was 18 and flew irregularly until college & family & career got in the way. Then when kids were off to college and I was in my 50s, I got current again with a local instructor in a 172, built up some time in various RVs, got my tailwheel endorsement, flew with Mike Seager and started seriously flying my RV7. That was 15 years and 1500 hours ago and I've never been happier with a decision in my life as to get back into flying and fly an RV. I now have my Instrument rating and many, many cross country flights. A very good friend flies an RV6 and is 82 years young. He keeps me on his insurance as a younger pilot. I admire him, flying and being active at 82 and I hope to be a lot like him in years to come.
 
Is there a reason you couldn't continue getting current in the 8 instead? Unless insurance is beyond limiting, go for it. I've been flying for 30 years, most of that professionally, no accidents and now insuring a Harmon Rocket. Ridiculous cost? Yes(3.5x that of my sold RV-4). So some of us feel your pain, but hey, you can't take it $$$ with you.
 
I think it is a great idea. Beat up a rental airplane as you relearn your flying skills then get transition training to learn to fly the 8.

In addition to insurance, hanger space in South Jersey is challenging. Start looking now for a place to keep the 8.
 
There is no stupid here.
Get the plane, get the training, and go pee your pants with excitement cause of what your able to.
You will never regret it. GO FOR IT. Money is meant to be spent.
Art
 
DO IT...

This is no crazier than buying a Mooney 231 that you really liked and you only had 120 hours...So no, not stupid at all.

As others have said, get the currency, get the insurance, get the airplane.

Long term effects -- you'll be ruined for other airplanes; No airplane you ever fly will be as good as, handle as well as, perform as well as the RV-8

:)
 
If it were me, I would buy it IF I can get insurance, hangar space, and an instructor.
 
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The one thing not mentioned yet is you should probably make other arrangements for getting some training to get back up to speed and to transition into your new airplane.
I doubt you will find an instructor that will do it in your new airplane even if it has rear throttle and rudder pedals because of the lack of rear brakes.

Other than that, I say go for it.
 
I am with the others here. Do it-

I too took about 10+ years off from both flying and building.Started building again,got current in 172's, got transition with Mike Seager, and now have a fresh into phase 1 RV-7A.
 
I recommend having a proper pre-buy inspection done by one of the qualified folks here on VAF who specialize in it. This can save you a lot of headaches and $$ later on...e.g. making sure all the relevant service bulletins (SB's) have been implemented. After buying my RV-8 in mid-2017 I ended up replacing most of the engine auxiliaries over the next 2 years. Would have saved considerable money and downtime had I just replaced them all at once from the get go, but it depends on the age of your bird.

If you haven't flown a taildragger in awhile, I'd recommend completely re-doing your tailwheel endorsement before beginning transition training for the RV-8. Make sure the re-endorsement includes plenty of wheel landings as this is how most people land the RV-8. You will discover the RV-8 is much more responsive on the rudder pedals than, say, a Citabria. I did my transition training in Bruce Bohannon's RV-8 "Special Delivery" down in Angleton, TX...highly recommended.

Take-offs in the RV-8 are a kick, especially with a constant-speed prop...you really want a CS prop. Trust me. :)

I just LOVE flying my RV-8 and fly it most every day. It was the absolute perfect choice for me.
 
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Well for all you clowns that told me to do it, I did it.

Left a deposit on this beauty today. Now I just need to find someone to do the pre buy in the Saint Louis area, and someone to fly it from there to the Philadelphia area. I have a guy lined up but if he falls through I'd like a plan B, so any help is appreciated.

I have a hanger. I'm getting royally ripped off for insurance, but at least they'll insure me.

Thank you again for all of the encouraging words, and advice!
 

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Looks like a nice one, but don't fall in love until after the pre-buy. Probably too late for that, but anyway. :D
 
me likes that bird :D
Well done, hopefully a good buy that you will enjoy for many years, good luck 👍🏻
 
Tailwheel tribulations

If you have never flown a tailwheel, it is a real shock. My hat is off to all of you guys who love it so much, but after 20 hours of training time, I am about to throw in the towel.
Kind of like the ski slopes in my view - those black diamond slopes are not for everybody. I have to stay on the bunny hills. That seems to go for airplanes too.
 
Try a different instructor

If you have never flown a tailwheel, it is a real shock. My hat is off to all of you guys who love it so much, but after 20 hours of training time, I am about to throw in the towel.
Kind of like the ski slopes in my view - those black diamond slopes are not for everybody. I have to stay on the bunny hills. That seems to go for airplanes too.

Don’t give up too soon. Often a change of instructor for someone who can spot where your particular strengths and weaknesses are can make the difference. Breaking techniques down to simple manageable portions.
Getting stable early on approach so everything is calm before the flare etc
I have found that if rv’s are set up correctly there about the best behaved tailwheel aircraft there is. Good steering, plenty of rudder control and excellent brakes.
 
Well for all you clowns that told me to do it, I did it.

Left a deposit on this beauty today. Now I just need to find someone to do the pre buy in the Saint Louis area, and someone to fly it from there to the Philadelphia area. I have a guy lined up but if he falls through I'd like a plan B, so any help is appreciated.

This guy, Matthew White in Lee's Summit, Missouri, did a LOT of sophisticated work, including condition inspections, on my RV-9A for its previous owner over several years. I've spoken to him on a couple of occasions, as has my friend/transition instructor/general RV guru. I've found him to be impressive, but more importantly so has my buddy. I note that he lists "pre-buys" as one of his services. Based on my experience with him and what I know about him, I wouldn't hesitate to use him for a pre-buy. I don't know if he flies, or if he does ferrying.
 
If you have never flown a tailwheel, it is a real shock. My hat is off to all of you guys who love it so much, but after 20 hours of training time, I am about to throw in the towel.
...
It's not obvious to use your feet to steer, so give your brain time to get used to it. If you really want to learn it, might be cheaper to get a VR headset and some good rudder pedals and plug them into your PC, assuming it's got good power. You can download software like DCS World, and the Christen Eagle II aircraft is free, and a taildragger, and you can just taxi to your heart's content. It will help train the brain-feet connection. Other simulators like xplane and MS Flight Sim didn't seem to have very realistic ground handling. Between the DCS World Christen Eagle II, the P-51, and the Spitfire, you've got lots of opportunities to practice your rudder skills.
 
It's not obvious to use your feet to steer, so give your brain time to get used to it. If you really want to learn it, might be cheaper to get a VR headset and some good rudder pedals and plug them into your PC, assuming it's got good power. You can download software like DCS World, and the Christen Eagle II aircraft is free, and a taildragger, and you can just taxi to your heart's content. It will help train the brain-feet connection. Other simulators like xplane and MS Flight Sim didn't seem to have very realistic ground handling. Between the DCS World Christen Eagle II, the P-51, and the Spitfire, you've got lots of opportunities to practice your rudder skills.

I love DCS, though the Harrier is primarily what I fly.

I've got 37 hours of TW spread between a Citabria, 8KCAB, and a few in an Extra 200 and Pitts. I preferred tailwheels back when I was flying in my 20s. Hopefully I'll have no issues with it in my 40s. I specifically chose the 8 over the 8a because I wanted the TW.
 
I love DCS, though the Harrier is primarily what I fly.

I've got 37 hours of TW spread between a Citabria, 8KCAB, and a few in an Extra 200 and Pitts. I preferred tailwheels back when I was flying in my 20s. Hopefully I'll have no issues with it in my 40s. I specifically chose the 8 over the 8a because I wanted the TW.
Never flown the Harrier. I like all the tailwheel aircraft, and the SU25 is fun.

I use these rudder pedals, and they are very similar to the RV-8 pedals:

http://www.thrustmaster.com/en_US/products/tpr-thrustmaster-pendular-rudder

Get a good PC, decent graphics card, and a VR headset like this and you're in business:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/vr/reverb-g2-vr-headset.html
 
Oh you should see my rig...

Commercial grade motion sim that I use for my high performance driving business. When it's not being driven, it's all top of the line flight great. Brunner ffb pedals, stick, pimax 8kx vr, g seat, on and on.




Never flown the Harrier. I like

all the tailwheel aircraft, and the SU25 is fun.

I use these rudder pedals, and they are very similar to the RV-8 pedals:

http://www.thrustmaster.com/en_US/products/tpr-thrustmaster-pendular-rudder

Get a good PC, decent graphics card, and a VR headset like this and you're in business:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/vr/reverb-g2-vr-headset.html
 
Congrats!

Well for all you clowns that told me to do it, I did it.

Left a deposit on this beauty today. Now I just need to find someone to do the pre buy in the Saint Louis area, and someone to fly it from there to the Philadelphia area. I have a guy lined up but if he falls through I'd like a plan B, so any help is appreciated.

I have a hanger. I'm getting royally ripped off for insurance, but at least they'll insure me.

Thank you again for all of the encouraging words, and advice!

Insurance gets cheaper, there's a few milestones...25 hours in type, then 100 hours tailwheel...not too tough to get that 100 hours done in the first year while you're motivated and practicing to save on next year's premium.

Congratulations!

Read the sage advice here on VAF about prebuys. There's a lot of info here on VAF, namely a good rundown by Vic Syracuse. He wrote books about it too, so the cliff's notes versions here on VAF are probably a great discussion starter with your A&P or RV builder you are having do your prebuy. If they know what's in the advice writted by Vic you are in good hands.

Don't underestimate the value of LOTS of pictures. You can knock out 75% of a prebuy by having the owner send you pictures of the log books, every page, for you to go over with the A&P that will be signing off your condition inspection each year. Better if you can find an RV-8 builder in your area to sit down and go over them together.

Look at the Ops Limits, make sure you understand what the aircraft has been tested for...aerobatics? Yes please! Just confirm the wording in the Ops Limits.

Look over the weight and balance. Does it look like it was done with the current aircraft equipment installed? Or is it old and out of date?

FAA information. Get the information on the aircraft from the FAA. Request the data they have on file to make sure it matches what you are seeing on the logbooks and prebuy.

This is an exciting and time consuming process. Do the work now to make sure you know exactly what you are getting into. She looks nice from the outside, now start digging! Negotiate out any issues, have the current owner fix anything they are willing to fix prior to the sale, then get with your A&P to sort the rest out together so you are intimately familiar with your new bird.

This can all be done while you are getting current, tailwheel confident and some transition training under your belt.
 
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