What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Rocket questions EVO and tail

schwartzer

I'm New Here
What are the benefits and draw backs to the EVO (I or II) wing vs the sport wing? Has anyone put an EVO wing on the Harmon Rocket? Does the F1 tail have any advantage over the RV-4 tail on the Harmon Rocket? Is there any Rockets if FL flying or being built?
 
Rocket EVO

I haven't heard of an EVO wing being installed on a Harmon Rocket. All of the EVO kits that were sold were quick build, meaning coming with the center section in the fuselage for that wing. I have not heard of Mark making any wings only. The EVO tail is considerably beefed up over the Harmon tail and I would recommend it's installation over the standard tail on a RV-4. The biggest is that the rudder is counterbalanced. You could use a RV-8 tail kit as well and modify it to suit your needs. The advantages of the EVO wing is slight gain in speed at alt, maybe a little more climb, smoother ride, and way cooler looks. Downside is $$$$$ and complexity with weight. Tom Martin could chime in here any time and tell you better than I could since I never got mine to fly.
 
The EVO tail provides a nice balance of elevator and rudder feel for rockets. There is no reason a EVO wing could not be used on a HRII. You would have to have the wing on hand when you build the centre section of the HRII. The wing is slightly faster than the standard wing with a greatly reduced stall speed. The roll rate is reduced but it is much more stable and provides a beautiful ride in turbulent conditions. It is heavier, however the increased lift compensates, so that no climb performance is lost. Contact Mark Fredrick directly for availabilty details as he is also researching a carbon fibre wing.
 
I question the softer ride of the EVO wing, It has a slower stall speed and, in my opinion, it doesn't ride as smoothly as the Sport wing. I have flown both airplanes and I am pretty confident the EVO is a stiffer ride, especially as the CG moves aft.

I love the high altitude performance however, and I would strongly recommend the EVO for a sport wing for anyone who does, lots of X/C and IFR.

Doug Rozendaal
 
Doug
I cannot say whether the wing is "smoother" than the standard wing but it is most definately a lot more stable. My wife suffers from motion sickness and for 30 years has not been able to ride with me and share my joy of flight. This includes, standard wing rockets, RVs and even Cessna's. She is the type of person that gets sick when riding in the back seat of a car. The EVO wing is much more stable than the standard wing and she has ridden with me more in this plane in the last two years than all the other years put together. We went together on a trip to the west coast last year and this year she, is planning a trip to the east coast. I would have a hard time convincing her that this was not a better ride for her. For pure fun, it is hard to fault the standard wing, as it is very responsive and I would not hesitate to reccomend that wing as well; just not for my passenger!
 
might be CG problems trying to put a EVO wing on a HR2?

I had a good time visiting with Mark at the Friday night Taylor Race dinner last month.
 
Rocketing in FL...

Ah-Nald!

Answering your #4 question, there are several Rockets in FL, mine included. Email me offline and we can chat...

Smokey
HR2
[email protected]
 
Last edited:
Rocket Article in KitPlanes Magazine

If anyone wants to read a review on the F1 rocket there is an article in this months KitPlanes magazine June 08.
 
Back
Top