Demo Rides? how many of you did it before ordering?

How many of you had some sort of demo ride before buying your kits?

I've been daydreaming about a retirement project, started focused on an RV-14.... spent a few minutes in the cockpit at sun n fun 2022 and mostly liked it.
Later I've been considering the RV-12 more....
and I keep thinking that since cross country is a big part of my mission
and I've even wondering about other branded options, but mostly keep coming back to daydreaming about the RV's. I guess because they seem to be more popular and I'm becoming more familiar with them

Anyway, There are some fundamental things about the designs I'm not excited about but, they seem to work well for so many folks I realize these are probably no big deal...

Anyway, I'm not super close to handing over a credit card yet, but still I keep wondering how to choose which one. The performance and spec sheets only answer so much
Great if you have a friend or some other hands on experience
and no doubt there might be folks in the area that might be willing but that's the sort of thing that might get familiar with one model, not to compare multiple models more or less side....

but otherwise, I recon you're left with travelling for a factory demo ride...which I'm starting to think about doing more and more.

Do they typically set up a ride in only one type, or do they commonly let folks compare multiple models?

Blw2 said:

How many of you had some sort of demo ride before buying your kits?

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I live three hours from the factory and I didn't do a demo flight before I started ordering the kits. I do plan on taking a demo flight but it may not be until I go there to pick up my first kit.

I've never flown in a Vans - only 152's and 172's. Well, my first couple of flights were in a Tomahawk but that doesn't really count.

I originally started looking at the RV-12 for ease of construction but at 6'4", I decided the -10 and -14 would fit me better and would be better at cross country flights. In the end, the RV-14A won out.

I watched a YT video (Flight Chops maybe?) of a guy that flew in at least a couple models while he was at the factory so I think if the planes are available on the day of your visit you can do more than one demo flight.

Blw2 said:

How many of you had some sort of demo ride before buying your kits?

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I did. I flew in Marvin McGraw's beautiful RV-14. It took me a year or so after that to come to the decision to order a kit but I pulled the trigger last month. I think a demo ride is ideal but not absolutely necessary. The RVs fly great and their popularity speaks for itself. Perhaps more important to me was a demo ride in a Glastar Sportsman, which I was also considering. It's a great airplane but too slow for me. I also visited a builder assist shop and all the fiberglass work didn't appeal to me.

I also was interested in the Sling HW and put a deposit on one but at #250 or so in line, I finally realized I didn't want to wait 3 or 4 years to get started building.

I decided the RV is the best choice for a first time builder like me. I helped a friend work on his Zenith 750 and realized that working with aluminum is not only fairly easily mastered (with practice) but enjoyable. Vans seems to have developed the best formula that balances ease-of-building with performance. Plus there is a huge builder community for assistance.

My advice is to fly one and then go to a class so you can do some dimpling, riveting, de-burring etc. and decide if you want to spend a couple of years doing that. If so, line up some workspace near you (so you don't have to travel far to work), get permission from your wife (if you're retiring, she'll probably be thrilled you'll be otherwise occupied), line up your budget and then hand over your credit card. Go for it! What better way to spend retirement?

I was looking for the next plane to buy and a very nice RV7 owner flew to my house and gave me a ride in his plane. I was so hooked that about 3 weeks later I bought my RV8 !

Pilot135pd said:

I was looking for the next plane to buy and a very nice RV7 owner flew to my house and gave me a ride in his plane. I was so hooked that about 3 weeks later I bought my RV8 !

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And that’s just it .. the OP is in Florida. Van’s is in OR. That’s a long way to go for demo rides. Instead, I’d suggest making friends with some of us on here, especially those that are not too far from you, and asking for a ride. You’ll meet some great people, and you’ll have your choice of types to try out, as long as you’re willing to drive/fly a bit to meet up.

It can all start with a post in the proper VAF forum for the type: Looking for a ride near <location> ..

Demo ride

The first demo ride I had in an RV-10 was my First Flight.

It was AWESOME!

After more than 5 decades entrenched in the certified world and finally wanting out, I figured if I was going to go Experimental, I might as well go for the mainstream (Van's, obviously). I'd never even seen one up close. A demo flight was too hard for me to arrange in the time frame I wanted, so I took on reputation and faith that the RV-7A/9A were great flying airplanes. I had zero interest in building an airplane so my search was for an already-built 7A/9A that had the features and avionics that I wanted. I found that plane, bought it, and subsequently found that my hopes and expectations for its handling and flying were completely what I imagined them to be. I did get a chance to sit in a -9A on the day before I flew down to look at the one I bought, just to make sure I'd fit the cockpit. Not even a hint of regret about the way that all unfolded for me.

Demo ride..........

Blw2 said:

I've even wondering about other branded options, but mostly keep coming back to daydreaming about the RV's. I guess because they seem to be more popular and I'm becoming more familiar with them.

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Back in the day (when only the -3 and -4 were available [and I would not have chosen a side-by-side anyway]), I was vacillating among several options: RV-4; Glasair TD; Lancair. There were many reasons I gravitated to the RVs, not to mention they were made of something I was very familiar with: aluminum. And I needed a tandem tail-dragger. It was solidified for me with a ride in the back seat of a friend's RV-4. I was instantly hooked!

That turned out to be one of the best decisions of my aviation career. Next to buying my J-3 Cub when I couldn't really afford it. I have been most pleased with the looks, handling and performance of my RV-4. Even when subsequent models came out (including the -8: WAY too roomy up front!) I was most pleased with my choice. Others I was considering: Glasair TD has NO forward visibility on the ground, worse than the Cub; how many of those do you see flying?; Lancair: no longer being sold. RV's: pretty popular design. SO: did the test flight help? Yeah: helped confirm what I already knew. I would advise finding some of the models you are considering and hamburger-ing yourself into a ride. How else are you going to know? Sitting in one is not enough. Builders are pretty proud of their craft and you could likely find some pilots willing to take you up. A visit to your local EAA chapter might yield some results.

Anyway, There are some fundamental things about the designs I'm not excited about but, they seem to work well for so many folks I realize these are probably no big deal...

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I'm a little interested in what you find unexciting about those designs? Curious minds want to know. And how much better other designs might be in those areas......

There are a lot of folks on this forum that would tell you that there IS no better design out there. I was reading a recent article about the carbon fiber P-51 replica: the ScaleWings SW-51. Budd Davisson (not a rookie writer) said handling was "...very RV-like.....somewhere between an RV-3 and an RV-8.." Wouldn't that be an RV-4....? I would consider that comparison to be quite the complement. The SW-51 looks like a pretty sweet aircraft....for about what a real one used to cost not too long ago.....

Bottom line (VERY biased opinion): you won't go wrong with whichever model you decide to fly. "Total Performance", you know......

Back in 1987 I visited Van at the original North Plains hangar, hoping to get a ride in the RV-6 prototype. Unfortunatley the WX was lousy and no flying that day. I did however get to spend some time with Van and tour his quite modest facility. Having been duly impressed by the design and performance of the RV-6, I ordered a kit on the spot. I finished the slow build kit in 1991 having never flown an RV. Needless to say I was hooked, and have since built a QB RV-7.

SPX said:

And that’s just it .. the OP is in Florida. Van’s is in OR. That’s a long way to go for demo rides. Instead, I’d suggest making friends with some of us on here, especially those that are not too far from you, and asking for a ride. You’ll meet some great people, and you’ll have your choice of types to try out, as long as you’re willing to drive/fly a bit to meet up.

It can all start with a post in the proper VAF forum for the type: Looking for a ride near <location> ..

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That's what I did and the RV7 owner flew almost an hour to my house. It helps that I live on my airport because I'm real far from Oregon too.

He lives in Florida, I'm sure he can throw a steak out the window and an RV owner will catch it before the alligators do.

In 2008 I was near the Vans factory for work, and had pretty much made up my mind I wanted to build by that point. I went by Vans, got the factory tour, flew the 9A demonstrator, and wrote a check for the tail kit right there on the spot.

Since I've had my airplane flying, I've given uncountable rides to people, and 8 of those have resulted in a purchase of either a flying RV or a kit for building by the person I gave a ride to.

Mission

I knew I wanted to build my whole life. I knew the mission. I had friends with kitplanes so getting a demo ride was easy. There were other concerns before ordering. 14 was not an option when I started.

A couple of issues to consider.
-Significant Other
-Budget
-Mission
-Skills
-Intrest

Will your significant other support the project? Does your SO like to fly with you? Beside you? Behind you? Will your SO help build? Their involvement and support is significant.
Is there adequate budget for the project? See the previous topic.
What's the mission? Buzzing around? Aero? Cross Country? VFR? IFR? Light Sport?
A pulled rivet project is easier, but maybe not as fast or aero capable. A happy SO is pretty important. Some prefer not to sit tandem. SO will help narrow the mission and models of intrest. Make some friends. Take your SO to sit and ride in the airplanes. That answers will probably narrow the result to one or two models.
Skills are less important. I think anyone can learn to perform the necessary tasks. Find a Mentor for the type of construction and spend a few hours making some parts. Intrest can be difficult. Building takes a lot of time. Intrest wanes. Do something every day even if it's just clean up.
Answer those few questions and you will know.

I bought my tool kit from Avery in 2001 and have "preview plans" for RV-3, RV8 and RV-9. I did a 20-minute demo ride in an RV-9 at Sun-N-Fun about 2003 and visited the factory about 2009 but did not do a demo flight while there as I was told only one demo flight per customer (I actually rented a Diamond Katana at Aurora and flew with my wife down the valley). I finally decided that an RV-12 best fit my mission and I purchased a partially completed kit in late 2016. I made almost no progress until I was retired and will start on the Finish Kit as soon as I complete three more Service Bulletins. On April 2 I flew 1.3 hours in an RV-12iS at Sebring (Lockwood Aviation) in Florida. The RV-12 is very different than a Cessna, especially the glass panel. Paying for the flight and instructor was not cheap but I was in control throughout and did 6 takeoffs and landings along with typical air work. If building a 12 is a possibility, renting a factory-built RV-12is LSA trainer with an instructor is an option in Florida and many other states. It took me almost 20 years to make a decision on what to build but I am absolutely certain I made the right choice.

Almost two years into my first build (RV-8A) before I even saw and RV up close. Got my first ride at Oshkosh 1999 in the blue RV-6A demo plane.

Carl

long delayed demo ride

I did the Oshkosh demo ride waaaayyyy back in about 94....back when Van's did demo rides at Oshkosh during show week. The models sold then were the -3, -4, and -6/6A. I knew I wanted to build a -6A. Tried to get a demo ride in the -6A, but it was booked, so I signed up for the -4 ride. Net result (even riding in the back of a -4)....SOLD...sign me up for the 6A....take my money please!

Interestingly enough, I did get that -6A ride(s) in the same Van's "old Blue" airplane, when I did transition training with Mike Seager in Oregon. It took a few years (...OK, it took me a lot of years) to get there, but it did finally happen.

Stevea said:

...back when Van's did demo rides at Oshkosh during show week.

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And we still do demo rides at OSH. Sign up early in the week at the booth.

Demo rides at the factory are generally one ride. We use whichever of the available aircraft that day the customer desires (based on aircraft, weather and pilot availability of course). And you can take you time to sit in anything that's in the hangar, too!

Even before I started my PPL, I'd been reading about these "homebuilt aircraft" and was pretty interested in building one. I guess it was serendipity that the instructor I got paired with when I started training was a -7A builder. We were barely into my real training before he invited me for a flight in the -7, and that pretty well cemented my intent to build an RV.

One of these days I'll even finish the **** thing...

First time sitting in and flying in a RV was at my transition training flights 8 years after I started my build and 30 days before my first flight of my 6A.

The first RV-8 I ever saw not counting pictures was the one I was building. Got my transition training in a 7 and the first ever flight I had in an 8 was the first flight of my 8.

Never regretted a thing. How can you go wrong with that many flying?

Oliver

I started doing research for my retirement project several years ahead of retirement. I took a demo flight at the factory, staying in Portland after a business trip to that part of the country. I made advance reservations with the factory to demo the RV-10, and was also able to sit in an RV-14 to check fit in that plane (I'm 6'-7" tall). Note that the factory isn't open on the weekends (or at least it didn't use to be), so you will need to plan for a demo flight during the week. Also, I believe they still have an east coast representative who can give you a demo in some of the planes without your needing to go all the way to Oregon.

As part of my research I also took the EAA sheet metal class when it was offered in my area, to be sure working with sheet metal was something I wanted to do. It was a good intro that I recommend.

I waited until I retired to start the build, buying the RV-10 empennage kit a couple months before retirement date. I started the build with Synergy Air in Oregon, which was a great way to get started. It allowed me to get a fast start on the build, and to work with several of their A&Ps and try a variety of different tools which helped me decide with ones I wanted to purchase.

Making this build my retirement project, starting the build just a couple months after my last day at work, was also a great decision for me. I basically treated the build like my new job, working on it 5 days a week, 6-8 hrs per day. This allowed me to make good progress, which kept me enthusiastic and engaged with the build. And I wasn't changing my wife's routine since I continued to "go off to work"; just on the plane build. We also took a few more vacations since I had the time, but I went back to the shop after each vacation and resumed the build. This strategy worked out great for me, but may not be for everyone - depends on your personality and family.

I have also given a few intro rides to others in my RV-10 since completing it. I find a lot of builders are happy to provide help to people considering building. So as someone posted earlier, you may be able to just ask with a post on this board, giving the area/distance you can go to visit, and which model(s) you are interested in. If you ask nicely, you will likely find someone willing to give you a demo ride and/or invite you to their build location to show you their project in progress and discuss their experiences.

Also, if you will say more about the "fundamental things about the designs I'm not excited about", I'm sure there will be VAF members who can provide their opinions/experiences with these design features.

Enjoy your upcoming retirement.

I got a demo ride in an RV-12 - locally, not via Van's - before starting my RV-3B kit, and the RV-12 was just delightful. Later, after getting going with the RV-3B kit, I got a demo ride in an RV-6 and it was fine, decent performance, okay handling, but nothing I'd go out of my way for. A ride in an RV-4 quite a while later was much more to my taste. I liked the RV-4.

Now I'm working on the cowl and baffles for the -3B and mentoring a local high school group building an RV-12iS.

Dave

DRMA said:

......
As part of my research I also took the EAA sheet metal class when it was offered in my area, to be sure working with sheet metal was something I wanted to do. It was a good intro that I recommend.

I waited until I retired to start the build, buying the RV-10 empennage kit a couple months before retirement date. I started the build with Synergy Air in Oregon, which was a great way to get started. It allowed me to get a fast start on the build, and to work with several of their A&Ps and try a variety of different tools which helped me decide with ones I wanted to purchase.

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The same year I spent a lot of time in and around the RV-14 at Van's sun n fun tent, I walked into a little sheet metal class that was on the grounds. Sadly it was pretty basic and short, and didn't get much out of it. About the only things was a little hands-on with clecos for the first time!

Anyway, yeah I have been thinking about both those things as possibilities..taking a class ND/or doing something like a builder's assist jump start

DRMA said:

Making this build my retirement project, starting the build just a couple months after my last day at work, was also a great decision for me. I basically treated the build like my new job, working on it 5 days a week, 6-8 hrs per day. This allowed me to make good progress, which kept me enthusiastic and engaged with the build. And I wasn't changing my wife's routine since I continued to "go off to work"; just on the plane build. We also took a few more vacations since I had the time, but I went back to the shop after each vacation and resumed the build. This strategy worked out great for me, but may not be for everyone - depends on your personality and family.

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THAT is EXACTLY my thought process currently. My wife owns her own business and likes what she does, so odds are good that she'll keep working for some time. I figured treating the build like work would be the perfect way to keep steady on the progress + keep me busy. Realistically I see more like 6 hours a day, knowing that I'll also have regular household chores and stuff to keep up with too.... + like you, I totally see that more vacation trips, long weekends will be happening becasue my time off now is our biggest limiter in that regard...so yeah, we both will enjoy taking more long weekend trips and maybe a bit longer ones now and then..... but still returning to the build wehn she goes back to work.

DRMA said:

I have also given a few intro rides to others in my RV-10 since completing it. I find a lot of builders are happy to provide help to people considering building. So as someone posted earlier, you may be able to just ask with a post on this board, giving the area/distance you can go to visit, and which model(s) you are interested in. If you ask nicely, you will likely find someone willing to give you a demo ride and/or invite you to their build location to show you their project in progress and discuss their experiences.

Also, if you will say more about the "fundamental things about the designs I'm not excited about", I'm sure there will be VAF members who can provide their opinions/experiences with these design features.

Enjoy your upcoming retirement.

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I might just have to do that when I get a bit closer
I need to work through some of the questions that wirejock posed, and also just work out my timeline. I want to retire 6 months ago and get started already, but I still don't have a particular date or time frame in mind. A lot of things might change between now and then.
To Wirejock's points about SO.... my biggest thing is that I'm an extremely rusty pilot, and my wife has never been up in a small airplane. i pretty much stopped flying about the time I met her....work life got in the way, not her. I'm not entirely sure if she'll enjoy it. I know that she'll enjoy the travel and such, but the whole of it I'm not so sure. I know I should go get current and do some renting, get her up....

regarding the design points I'm not excited about. Mostly just sort of preference stuff... no big deal I'm sure. Probably things that I just think I don't like....but probably will like just fine in reality.

I guess the big things that come to mind
I don't really love the canopy designs, tip up especially...and both models I seem most drawn to only offer that. I want a window to open. I like the way the RV-10 is configured with doors. I just like doors and opening windows I guess.
I don't like the idea of the fixed seats...would prefer a more standard slide/fully adjustable (or something similar)
and the free castering nose wheel...not a fan, but then I'm not sure if I've flown anything with one before so I know probably a non-issue.

You might find that the upcoming RV-15 has things you like.

A local mentor will greatly assist with the learning curve.

Dave

Okay, imho your first item of business should be….get your wife up! Arrange a cfi and rental plane to get yourself current, and have her come along in the back seat a few times. Have her sit up front and get a couple of lessons from the cfi. Then you’ll know: she wants to learn to fly, she’s happy as a passenger, or she hates it. This will affect your aircraft choice. If she won’t come along, you probably won’t do many longer trips. So an RV-12 for local flying would work. But if she likes flying, you may want something faster for cross country.
Ask around, see if local owners will let you and your wife sit in various planes. Some may be a bit tight, depending on your sizes and weights. See Vans Aircraft web site for interior dimensions of various models.
Only the rv10 has seats that adjust fore-aft. The others you adjust the rudder pedals, fore-aft, to fit you.
The free castering nose wheel is a non-issue. See if you can rent a grumman Tiger. Probably as close to an RV as you can find.

I totally agree with Bob. Mine had flown before in my Cherokee 180. She wasn’t a fan due to its cramped sized and lacking decent air flow in the cabin.

At Oshkosh, Tim Olson took us up in his RV-10. After that she was on board for building and she insisted that I install the overhead console too since it provided more air circulation.

The other thing you can do is to get involved with other pilots whose spouse flys a lot. Once your wife makes new friends who fly and can share stories of what flying means to them, it may help take take away any anxieties. Arrange for a day trip with another couple. Show her the fun side of flying.

Now go brush that rust off…….

The nose wheel is a no brainer. Another aircraft that will give you a similar experience is a Diamond DA-20. It’s similar to a RV, just a lot slower. Many flight schools are using them these days.

No ride needed

I watched from OSH,,the RV series evolve from a RV3 demo team ,, then RV4,, then a RV6,, I Knew I wanted to have one of those kit planes. But I lived on a Yacht, (my job) . No place to build.. man,,, I was wanting to build bad..
finally I quit my job and moved back to my home town.
I built a RV6 in about 18 months. I thought it was pretty straight forward. I owned a V tail Bonanza at the time.. similar speeds.
I loved the economy and handling of the RV6 Put 180 hours on it the first year. That was 1996-7. When the Blue RV8 was introduced at Oshkosh,,,, 1997. I thought ,,,I Knew,,, I was living at the right time on this earth.
I ordered / built a RV8 pronto,, took about a year. I was in RV heaven, I had a RV6 and a RV8. The tandem seating for me is just right.
I’m flying my third RV8 now. With 6,000 hours in my log book. About 4,000 hours are tail wheel hours. Including RV4,6,8,14,and 10. I have not grown tired of the RV series of airplanes. They are fantastic airplanes.
I did not need a ride to know I would love them.
I’m 5,11” and 180 lbs.. so they fit me well. I like flying the RV7 more than the 14,,, because I fit it better. And prefer slider canopy.
I have built 3 RV14s and one RV14a. I like the RV7 better. I fly an RV8 because it is the best RV the company has to offer.

Jaypratt said:

I fly an RV8 because it is the best RV the company has to offer.

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Jay,
I have to respectfully disagree.

Giving rides

I've always taken the view that it's some kind of crime to fly around with an empty right seat.

I have a briefing doc I send to passengers which tells them what to expect, and also includes a bit about payment which starts with, "Please don't, it's embarrassing," and suggests that they can repay me for the "free" flight by returning the favor when they get their pilot license.

My "free" flights have thus far caused the existence of 7 private pilot licenses, a handful of light sport certificates, and the acquisitions of an RV-7A, an RV-7, a Cessna 140, and (as part of a group effort with other people offering free rides) an RV-6. My back-of-the-envelope estimate is that my free rides have stimulated about $2 million worth of expenditure in the Australian general aviation industry. So far.

I like to be more infectious than COVID-19.

My attitude has always been that we grizzle a bit about GA being an industry in decline, but if each of us evangalized enough to convince ONE other person to get a pilot license, our numbers would hold steady because we'd be passing on "the bug" to someone else who'd replace us when we left; And if everyone with a license persuaded just TWO other people to get pilot licenses, our numbers would double overnight.

I figure I'm doing my bit. Enough to make up for some slackers who aren't.

This is all a long winded way of saying that if someone is in the Sydney area and wants a ride in an RV-6 as part of their acquisition decision making process, hit me up, I'm keen to help. Let me turn you into one of my statistics

- mark

No demo ride for me. I always thought it would be cool to build, so when the time was right, I started looking around at options.

Quickly discovered that Vans suited my mission, had good factory support, parts availability, and a proven track record.

Found a set of wings advertised on barnstormer that turned out to be about 5 miles from my house and were mostly done. Paid $5k for the wings, an empennage I mostly scrapped, and a DRDT-2 dimpler. Bought all the tools I didn't already own from a guy who was retiring from Boeing/Spirit.

The first (and only) RV I've ever flown in was a joy ride with a guy I met during the avionics class in KC.

I used the "white pages" list here on VAF to inquire about getting a demo ride from a local builder. We met, talked and then went for a quick flight (weather wasn't too great). After that I committed to building. I was more concerned with whether or not I'd be able to fit comfortably in the RV-9A than its flying qualities. I hadn't flown in 2 decades, so taking the stick for a few minutes was all I did flying wise. I was pretty sure the flying part would be way better than your typical Cessna/Piper.

Easy to sit in a cockpit, but flying characteristics . . . . .

In the decision process, the 7 was the prime candidate from a mission perspective. The only concern was this pilots ability to be comfortable with high performance airplane flight characteristics. A rusty pilot with a 25 yr hiatus from regular aviation. The famed sensitivity was a concern.

One flight at OSH with Mike Seager erased all doubt, and proceeded with search purchase, build, and ownership.

It took two years to get the flight as they were always booked on arrival. VAF was little known at the time.

Zero. I've still never flown in an RV-8

Local rides

Chances are there’s a local pilot that would enjoy giving a ride to anyone interested in experience the different Vans line up.

EAA chapters, +1

Roadjunkie1 said:

A visit to your local EAA chapter might yield some results.

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+1
The best way to know for sure is to go fly, and EAA chapters are where it's at. Attend a meeting(s), stand up and introduce yourself and state your dilemma and I'll bet you'll get some takers. If not right away, keep coming around so they know you're serious.

rocketman1988 said:

The first demo ride I had in an RV-10 was my First Flight.

It was AWESOME!

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Same here!

I rode in a friend's RV-14 while waiting for the DAR for my RV-10, but the first time I ever sat in any RV-10 was when I took mine out for that first flight.

Ann & I each flew "Ole Blue" with Mr. VanGrunsven at Sun-N-Fun 1990.

We had started our -6 build a couple months prior.

I got a demo ride at Oshkosh '92 in Van's RV-4 with Jerry Van Grunsven in the front seat. "Ole Blue" was also there but it was fully booked. I recall that compared to the Pipers and Grumman that I flew:

The interior was spartan and noisy
The controls were very light
The visibility was phenomenal and it felt like we were sitting on top of the world

I ended up ordering the RV-6A because it was more sensible