NEW RV-Nation 2013 RV Calendar

Get your new RV-Nation 2013 RV Calendar now! Date spread is from March 2013 to February 2014. This is one of the best RV calendars you have seen. Click below to order yours now!

Order yours by Clicking Here Now!

Free RV-Nation Flight Jacket Raffle

Ok Folks, Here ya go. Want to get your plane embroidered on the back of a new flight jacket .....free!! Enter the RV-Nation Flight Jacket raffle and win!! Only $3 gets you a ticket, buy as many as you want. (Jackets normally sell for $300) Drawing will be Friday, May 31, 2013. Click the link below to enter and win. All proceeds go to the RV-Nation Kids Scholarship Fund.

Enter here to win an RV-Nation Flight Jacket Raffle.

Check Out This NEW RV "jet" Heated Pitot Tube

I have been working on a new type of pitot tube for my Harmon Rocket and for my son's RV4. It has been fun to see it come to fruition. I started with a B-1B Bomber pitot tube and had one made that was much smaller and much lighter. But I wanted to have that "jet" pitot look. I am very proud to say that it is finally completed, and it really looks awesome, if I do say so myself. I have made a heated pitot version as well as a non-heated version. Both look the same, and have the same mounting holes, in the event that you have one and want to switch it our for the other. Here is a pic of the final product. It has been powder coated dove gray. I have them up on my website at RV Nation if you are interested in adding one to your "jet" (RV).

Look Good, Fly Good!

We had so much fun with the black RV Nation t-shirts, we thought we would add to our collection by getting some white ones printed up and offering them for sale. They really look nice. If you are interested in sporting some cool gear and representing one of the fastest growing aviation communities in the world, please just click on this link, RV-Nation, and go to the Pilot Shop. You can order and pay right there. If you get one, please make sure and send me a pic of you sporting your new gear, and I will post it on my website at www.rv-nation.com and on the Facebook website as well. Thank you for your support, and keep that RV Grin out for all to see. :o)

-- Buzz --

RV Owners / Builders Directory

If you are an RV builder or owner, please add your name to the RV Directory. It will help others find other RV builders in their area, as well as help you if you are ever traveling and break down. Ever need help from other RV builders in your area and can't find them? This is a way to get the latest and most updated list. Please remember, good stuff in, good stuff out. No data entered will ever be used for marketing, mass mailing, or unwanted sales. Thanks for being the best aviation community in the world!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RVDirectory

Building A New RV4 Extended Baggage Compartment

After about a year of flying my RV4 and being frustrated that I couldn't carry anything in the baggage compartment for being too small, I decided to finally do something about it. I had heard that many builders had taken the rear baggage compartment bulkhead out and continued the baggage compartment back to the rear of the plane. So, this is what I set out to do.

There were many things to think about when making a change like this, the biggest of course it a weight and balance issue is created. I started thinking about when I travelled, what were the items that I could not fit into my RV? The heavier luggage I never had any difficulty with, because it always was stored in the larger bin area behind the rear seat. But once that area was full, things like pillows, sleeping bags, my 2 person tent, and extra pair of shoes, and things of that nature were the items that would not fit.

These items were not really heavy. If I were to place my pillow and the far aft of the plane, followed by my sleeping bag, then the tent, and all the other stuff being lose, more towards the front, that would put all light stuff in the rear of the plane and all heavier stuff towards the front. Hmmm, sounds like it could work. But the wise thing to do at this point, would be to calculate the weight and balance for the aircraft, and then calculate what the extended baggage compartment would do to the weight and balance. Then, if everything was ok, determine the limitations.

So, that is what was done. Here are the calculations with the added extended baggage compartment.

Notice for the ARM I used 165 for the extended baggage compartment. I used this number because there was no way all the weight of an item placed back there would be at the 170 mark. Therefore, moving the center of the possible furthest aft weight up to the 165 mark seemed more plausible. I used all weights at their maximum to see what it would do to my CG, and as you can tell, the CG still was at 73, well within limits. I very rarely, if ever, carried bags that weighed 50 pounds, and never in my life carried a pillow that weighed 15 pounds.

So, now that the numbers were acceptable, what about the construction of the extended baggage compartment? I removed the aft baggage compartment bulkhead. This provided access to the rear of the plane.

Some things to consider at this point were....1) I did not want to build anything that would hinder the operation of the control rods for the elevators, 2) I still wanted to have access to all moving parts in the rear of the plane for inspection purposes, 3) I did not want to hinder the static ports that were located above the longerons in the next bay back.

Taking all of these things into consideration, I proceeded to make a shelf out of aluminum sheet that was braced with stiffeners, the same way we stiffened the control surfaces like the rudder and the elevators.  This worked out nicely. Then I riveted a brace to the further aft bulkhead so that it would hold the new shelf in place. Fitting my body back into the baggage compartment was a real challenge, and on the more-times-than-not occasion that I squeezed myself back into that God forsaken hole, just to realize that I had forgotten a tool, I became very good at waiting for the next passer-by to hand me my tools.

I drilled holes into the longerons and bolted the sides of the extended baggage compartment to them, so that I could remove them later for inspections. Once everything was bolted in place, the last piece of the puzzle had to be installed. There was still a gaping hole at the rear bulkhead where baggage, shoes, or anything else I could have back there, could find its way to hinder the movement of the elevator control rod. I considered how I was going to close this area up for sometime, as climbing back into that abyss was not desirable, as well as resting my 200 pounds on that shelf would not be favorable as well. I decided upon a better route. I purchased a 3 inch piece of foam, and made a pillow out of it that who fit very snugly into place at the rear bulkhead. The pillow could not be pushed through the hole, as it was a firm foam. I put the same material on it as my seats, and decided to embroider my seat logo on it as well just to give it that personal touch. It worked like a charm and was super easy to install, requiring just a broom handle to push it into place.

Carpeting on the new shelf helped to dampen the noise coming from the back of the plane, and helped to make it more esthetic.

Here is a picture of the finished product for my extended baggage compartment.

My new extended baggage compartment turned out really nicely. With all the added space, I could easily carry a set of golf clubs (accept I don't golf), but more apres peau, I could carry my gas powered Go-ped scooter strapped in place, so that I had cool transportation when I arrived at my destination.

I hope that this helps you with building an extended baggage compartment in your plane, but I will also strongly advise that you calculate the weight and balance numbers on your plane first, as all experimental planes are different.

Happy building!

-- Buzz -- RV Nation

Never Give Up!

Part of RV Nation's mission is about going back to the grass roots of flying. Our mission statement says:

RV-Nation is an organization formed for the purpose of serving those who enjoy the sport of building experimental RV Aircraft, to revive the grass roots of flying, and to generate aviation interest in our youth so as to preserve the sport of experimental flight for generations to come.

A very important part of the mission statement is "to revive the grass roots of flying," something I have spent the last 25 years doing and believe in whole heartedly. Part of that, I think, is to tell the stories of those that have battled the wars of life, and through shear commitment to self, have carried the tattered flag on relentlessly towards fulfilling their dreams of building their own plane, learning to fly in it, and becoming that weekend warrior flying into the sunset with his best girl.....ok, so that last part was for my female readers who desire romance instead of nuts, bolts, and riveting. :^)

Bruce Swayze is one of those guys. The dream that someday his own plane would be sitting in his hangar sometimes felt like a pinball game, the ball bouncing erratically from one direction to another, never going the desired way. But after raising four kids, and all the footballs, soccer balls, baseballs, and tu-tu skirts that goes along with that, time slipped by really quickly. Soon all the kids were leaving the nest and starting lives of their own, and Bruce was looking at a still empty hangar.

But like a man on a mission, Bruce decided that it was now his time ... and building commenced. He decided to build an RV-7A from Van's Aircraft. A sleek, fast, and very popular plane, the RV-7A brought Bruce back to the grass roots of flying, back to his early days when building a plane was a powerful dream that was put on hold for half a lifetime.

The empennage was purchased and the dream began. Successes would be small along the way. So, Bruce logged his accomplishments on a website he created, where he kept meticulous records and pictures so that when he felt that he just wasn't getting anywhere, he could look back at his site, and realize how far he had actually come. 

Bruce with his RV-7A tail completed!

Jumping forward a few years and Bruce is sitting is the fuselage of his RV-7A, almost completed. The empennage and wings are done and the craftsmanship is that of a professional. Custom ideas that Bruce would think of over the years have been implemented into his craft and documented for all to see. The engine has been purchased, and Bruce is now deciding what part to work on next.

Along the way, Bruce joined ranks with other experimental aircraft builders and formed friendships that will last a life time.  Yes, folks, Bruce Swayze is living the dream! And the cool part about it is that the dream is just beginning. Within a few short months, maybe just a year, Bruce's RV-7A will be finsihed, a life long dream.....completed! And those flights into the sunset with his best girl can begin.....uuuummm, ahem, I mean, the Weekend Warrior can conquer the next $100 hamburger with the Flight of Seven RVs from the 391st RV Fighter Wing.... yeah, that's better!

For one of the best builder's logs I have seen, visit Bruce's website at 

http://www.BrucesRV7A.com. Here is the latest picture of Bruce with his beautiful wife, flying into the sunset together. :o)

I have never met Bruce in person as he lives on the other side of the country from me. However, he is a member of RV Nation, and for that I am grateful, as it has afforded me a very good friend. His building story has inspired me to never give up in all the endeavors that I am undertaking! I hope that when we get our planes built, we can meet in the middle for that REALLY EXPENSIVE hamburger someday. Until then, keep riveting.....and never give up!

-- Buzz -- RV Nation

Best, Funnest Cockpit I Have Seen

I have a Facebook page called RV Nation that allows all of us experimental nuts to talk about RV's and Harmon Rockets, and share pictures and ideas on how to build them better, safer, and most importantly, cooler. One day when I was surfing the net and chatting with one of my RV friends, Ian Hoyt, online, the thread of conversation settled on one RV8 that we had both seen recently, either in person or on the net. The RV8 had so many features and cool ideas, it has driven me to show all that follow this blog those ideas as well. So get ready to drop your jaw, and if you so choose to duplicate the efforts of the builder, get ready to drop a few bills as well. But the fame and fortune that will soon follow will be more than enough for your efforts.....well maybe not the fortune part.

The RV8 at hand had been built and developed over a long period of time, and in that development, had taken on an identity of its own. The name that was given to it, or that it had earned, was "Smokey". The proud owner and creator of this amazing craft is Don McNamara. I emailed Don and asked him all about his RV8 and all its cool features, and he was more than happy to talk about it a bit and share how he came about developing such a unique plane.

"Smokey" sports a military paint scheme, that of the Jolly Rogers F14 to be exact. But the rest of the features of this plane is all Air Force. (The Navy always seem to have better paint schemes for some reason, but that's about where it all ends usually....haha.) Gooo Air Force. But, I digress.

So, let's get back to the RV8, shall we? The interior of this plane is where all the fun is. For that I am going to give the honors to Don, in his own words, as he described his plane to me via email.

"While the paint scheme of "Smokey" is that of an F-14 Tomcat squadron, it's impossible to find cockpit parts from Tomcats because we sold them to the Iranians, and we don't want them to have spares.  However, we sold F-16s to our allies, so parts are more plentiful.  I picked up parts over the years at Oshkosh and on eBay, and more recently from an online F-16 simulator site.  The ICP, for example -- which stands for Integrated Control Panel -- is front and center in the F-16 panel and directs what the pilot sees on the HUD, as well as other things.  Mine slides over my Garmin 496 for static display.

The simulated HUD is directly above that.  The black rectangular things on either side of the HUD are indexers, again from an F-16.  The left one gives angle of attack (AOA) info and the right one is for in-flight refueling and nosewheel steering indication, neither of which I need.  The mirrors are standard military stock, and the stick grip and throttle control are F-16.  From the stick I can start the engine, trim the plane, communicate on the radio and disconnect the autopilot. 

The ejection seat handles I just made out of wood and painted for static display at Oshkosh.  I had started making an ACES II ejection seat out of aluminum, but gave up.  I may someday resurrect the project."

WOW! That is quite a plane, and quite an imagination to create, or should I say re-create, the cockpit of an F-16 into that of an RV8. Don is now sporting the "ultimate weekend warrior" plane per se, and I'd say that it looks down right awesome. I wonder if he has some other secret armaments in there that he hasn't told us about? Hmmm, maybe. I liked the ideas so much, in fact, that I want to implement some of these ideas in my own plane, a Harmon Rocket, when it is completed. I hope that I have the creativity and craftsmanship as does Don when I do.

Well, this particular blog entry was meant to be a lasting tribute to Don and his beautiful RV8 "Smokey". I hope that I have done the creator and plane justice, as his craftsmanship simply has been a work of art and his RV8 is just gorgeous. Great Job Don!

-- Buzz
RV Nation