New to the RV World!

[flyavater324]

Originally Posted by Sam Buchanan

The RV-6 has little to no tendency to ground loop even with aft CG. But pitch can get very sensitive when the CG goes aft due to lack of feel and feedback in the stick. This can make landings challenging for a pilot who isn't familiar with this tendency. The springy landing gear can quickly initiate a PIO which can end badly if the pilot isn't prepare to deal with it.

Get good transition training and enjoy your new ride!

Thanks for the input!

[DanH]

You will be assimilated...

[Martyrv6a]

+1 what Sam said. I have the -6A model which is the “auto-land” version. Be aware the CG moves aft with fuel burn so when two up with full baggage the stick gets very light in pitch when landing after a long x-country, and I have an O360 with CS prop!

[flyavater324]

I umderstand what PIO is. I’ve never experienced it or if I did it was so slow and recoverable I’ve never that twice about it. I guess I’m just going to have to fly it to understand what you nice peeps are telling me about the lack of stick?? How do you keep that from happening or inducing it? Thx as always!
Al

[flyavater324]

Originally Posted by Martyrv6a

+1 what Sam said. I have the -6A model which is the “auto-land” version. Be aware the CG moves aft with fuel burn so when two up with full baggage the stick gets very light in pitch when landing after a long x-country, and I have an O360 with CS prop!

Mine has the O320 with fixed blade. Would I be correct with less hp and a fixed blade, this would be MORE of an issue?

[billytime1]

Welcome to vans forum. I’m building a six, I think they are awesome. Enjoy the community and the plane

[ronrapp]

Originally Posted by flyavater324

I guess I’m just going to have to fly it to understand what you nice peeps are telling me about the lack of stick?? How do you keep that from happening or inducing it? Thx as always!
Al

I have an RV-6 with IO-360 and a ground-adjustable composite Sensenich propeller, so my CG is on the aft end of the envelope even with very little in the cargo area.

In my experience, when the airplane is in the roundout/flare, the aft CG manifests itself as a greater sensitivity in pitch. It's a little annoying to the OCD part of me that always wants a perfect landing, but I wouldn't call it unsafe. Just be aware of it, and if you see any PIO developing or you bounce the landing (mains first), just go around. A wheel landing may be preferable to a 3 point in this configuration. I'm split on them -- I do the 3 point and wheels in about equal number.

Even with me, my 8 year old son, and 100 lbs of baggage on board, I still come up within CG for takeoff and landing. It's close, but it works.

--Ron

[Sam Buchanan]

Originally Posted by flyavater324

Mine has the O320 with fixed blade. Would I be correct with less hp and a fixed blade, this would be MORE of an issue?

My RV-6 is also O-320 with fixed metal Sensenich prop. What we are all stressing is the need for good, thorough transition training. The RV most likely has control forces during landing that are much lighter than anything you have flown, and it being a light aircraft means slight control inputs result in large pitch excursions. This is compounded by the design "feature" of gear legs that are too short to allow the wing to fully stall while landing three-point in a manner that is customarily seen with taildraggers. So landings can be abrupt unless precise airspeed control is maintained which requires familiarity with the airplane. Too fast by three knots and the infamous "RV Skip" occurs or three knots slow and it is an arrival instead of a landing. I transition trained with Mike Seager who has thousands of RV hours. I recall him telling me "The RV is easy to fly but challenging to fly precisely". Very true.

RV taildraggers have had prop strikes due to pilots not being prepared to address these factors (two at my airport, no, I wasn't one of them) which are compounded by the springy gear. But once you gain familiarity with the RV-6 you will love flying it. I've been flying mine for 24 years and it's still teaching me how to land.....but maybe I'm just a slow learner.

[DanH]

Sam is dead on, as usual. Back in 2010, the underwriter for my then brand new RV-8 asked for two hours of transition training, despite a fair bit of previous -8 time. So I hooked up with a CFI and his RV-6, a model I had never flown. It was an eye-opener.

I had been flying a Legend Cub for the previous year, so I was using control inputs way in excess of what was necessary. It was more pitch sensitive than the -8 I had been flying, unless the 8 was loaded way aft. And be aware of convex (bulged) aileron trailing edges, which will make roll really sensitive.

You didn't mention it, but if you're tall, do all you can to get the pedals as far forward as possible. Bad leg and foot angles can make a decent taildragger driver look like an idiot. Ask me how I know...

[Mel]

Originally Posted by DanH

Sam is dead on, as usual. Back in 2010, the underwriter for my then brand new RV-8 asked for two hours of transition training, despite a fair bit of previous -8 time. So I hooked up with a CFI and his RV-6, a model I had never flown. It was an eye-opener.
I had been flying a Legend Cub for the previous year, so I was using control inputs way in excess of what was necessary. It was more pitch sensitive than the -8 I had been flying, unless the 8 was loaded way aft. And be aware of convex (bulged) aileron trailing edges, which will make roll really sensitive.
You didn't mention it, but if you're tall, do all you can to get the pedals as far forward as possible. Bad leg and foot angles can make a decent taildragger driver look like an idiot. Ask me how I know...

I always said that the RV-6 is easy to lane, but very difficult to land consistently.

Just about the time you think you've got it, it will surprise you.