Rv 8 flight manual

Read what the press says The RV-8 is a tandem two-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt aircraft sold in kit form by Van's Aircraft. The RV-8 is equipped with conventional landing gear, while the RV-8A version features tricycle landing gear. The conventional takeoff and landing FA Lightning II is destined to be the most numerous version produced of the three version F family.

This add-on is an accurate representation of how the aircraft flies, what it looks like from the cockpit and how it operates. This add-on marks a new milestone for AOA Simulations. Since the FB, we improved drastically our modeling and programming skills. New talented members joined the team, sharing the same enthusiasm for flight simulation.

Read what the press says. FA Raptor 1. Buy now! T-7A Red Hawk 1. Roll rates are moderate in these two modes. Knife-edge flight in mode two gyro on can make an average sport pilot look like the sharpest tool in the shed, thanks to the manner in which the Aura 8 is factory programmed to eliminate all coupling.

As an all-around aerobatic performer, the RV-8 shines in mode two. Casual sport pilots will revel in what they can do with this model! In this mode, the flaps are mixed to operate in conjunction with the ailerons. Flex refers to this as "live wing mode. Pilots who wish to explore pushing the RV-8 through 3D and post-stall maneuvers will definitely want to do it using mode three. The shortish tail moment and low-wing configuration of the RV-8 airframe are features that most purpose-designed 3D models avoid.

This six-cell power system produces plenty of power and helps to bridge any gaps encountered while trying to perform low airspeed maneuvers. The extra roll authority created by the live wing mode is particularly advantageous for performing rolling circles. It is hard to imagine a scenario where a pilot would prefer to fly in the gyro-disabled mode one. This allows pilots to effectively decelerate the RV-8 in downlines and on landing approaches.

With the big flaps deployed to the landing position, the RV-8 will slide down the glideslope to the runway threshold in a lazy, slow fashion. Stall speed is slow enough to almost be nonexistent! Pilots will need a deft touch on the throttle and elevator controls when landing with full flaps in case the RV-8 bounces its way back to earth.

Whether performed with or without flaps, takeoffs performed with a modest amount of throttle application will see the RV-8 rotate up onto the mains within a few feet. The typical flight durations that are achievable with this big foamie will vary from 5 to 8 minutes, depending on flying style and throttle usage. If a pilot is simply cruising in a scalelike, realistic fashion, the flight duration can potentially be pushed out beyond 10 minutes.

The Flex Innovations RV-8 is a big green machine that pilots with varied skill levels and flying styles can enjoy. With the warmer days of spring and summer on the way in the northern hemisphere, there is something quite liberating about being able to head out in the cooler temperatures of dusk and night for a little flying action.

And flying from water is even better! Landings made with full flaps allow this big model to slip across the runway threshold at an impressively slow and steady approach speed. Indiana Warbird RC FlexGear. Digital Edition. Privacy policy Terms of use. Model Aviation is a monthly publication for the Academy of Model Aeronautics. All rights reserved. Memorial Dr. Muncie IN Tel: ; Fax: Park Pilot AMA. Skip to main content. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Search form Search.

Later kits have even more prepunching and include match-hole technology in places. It is a robust machine that easily mounts up to hp although the consensus seems to be that the lighter parallel-valve O gives more pleasant pitch handling than the angle-valve hp Lycoming and can easily do knots in cruise.

Conventional metal construction is used throughout, with fiberglass wing and tail tips, and a fiberglass cowl. The kit builds quickly if you are familiar with metal aircraft construction.

Most builders stick pretty close to stock for the basic airframe, but there are aftermarket options for a fastback modification that will take additional hours—as do all changes. The firewall- forward kit is quite complete if you are going with a standard engine installation, but many builders choose to go with different options up front and pick and choose from the kit list to allow them to buy aftermarket items.

The craftsmanship challenges in the -8 have mostly to do with fitting the Plexiglas bubble and its associated fiberglass skirt. New builders are sometimes worried by those who have gone before with horror stories about this process, but most complete the canopy with little problem—or maybe just a little frustration. Most customization in the RV-8 world appears to be in systems and avionics. Again, most stick with stock fuel and electrical equipment, but it is more common to see alterations being made to fuel pumps and ignition add-ons as pilots begin the march toward electronic fuel injection and ignition.

In the avionics world, the sky is definitely the limit—although the panel space being more limited in an -8 provides less real estate than in a side-by-side RV. A very large number of -8s are completed with a big single-screen EFIS and an IFR navigator as well as autopilot and backup instruments.

It is easy to build the RV-8 panel in a completely modular fashion, so upgrading can be done on the bench, rather than upside down in the cockpit. Put a hp engine with a constant-speed prop on an pound-gross airplane, and it takes off down the runway like a scalded cat. Pull back when you hit flying speed, which only takes a few seconds, and the airplane goes up like an elevator in a Manhattan skyscraper.

The feeling will come back! The RV-8 is astounding in a number of ways other than simple performance. It handles nicely, with good harmony in pitch and roll, and a rudder that is hardly needed in up-and-away flight. The slippery nature of the beast means that it is not the airplane to try and teach yourself aerobatics not that you should teach yourself aerobatics in any aircraft, but the RVs can be a little less forgiving than draggier machines.

When the nose goes below the horizon, the speed builds up quickly—one very nice reason to have a constant-speed prop up front to add some drag. But with some reasonably good instruction, the RV-8 pilot will learn that to do a simple roll, you just have to start with a pull to nose-up put your feet about on the horizon , then release the back pressure as you go full stick into the roll.

The nose will now come about back to the horizon as you come back upright, and it all goes much more smoothly. I generally start rolls with about knots indicated airspeed, and for a loop I like anything over Those are comfortable, everyday numbers—a wide variation works with a little adjustment. The -8 is a very honest taildragger in my experience. The fuselage is fairly long, giving good directional stability.

But put the -8 high on my list when it comes to not being out to get you. The airplane can be landed three-point, but most high-time -8 pilots that I know use a tail-low wheel landing for normal landings. One other thing to note in landing is that with a constant-speed prop, the airplane slows down very quickly in the flare, and unless you are trying for a very short landing in which a good three-point is preferred , you can add just a touch of power to keep it from dropping out on you.

Also with a far-aft CG, the airplane is likely to develop a negative pitch force gradient as you slow. Lots of RV-8 pilots discover this the first time they take a passenger aloft, having not fully tested the CG envelope before asking a friend along. Overall, the RV-8 is versatile, with the ability to load a lot in the forward and aft baggage areas, add a passenger and set off on a very long cross-country.

We generally pick leg lengths of miles, knowing that we can make with dry tanks pretty easily.