This morning I connived another coworker into round-tripping me from the airport. After a couple of meetings we headed back to the airport and went flying. This guy is a former formula race car driver, so he dug the speed and the turns.
He did most of the flying and seemed really into it. He already offered to drive me again next week if we can go up again. Caught these photos of his RV Grin™.
We stopped up at Camarillo briefly for fuel. The winds were blowing pretty good across the runway, but the RV-7 handled absolutely fine. This plane rocks. Anyway, we were hopping back in after refueling when somebody started walking over from the hangars...here we go again. I warned my coworker that this may take a while...people love to ask questions about these RVs. As he got closer I realized it was my friend Tom Nalevanko. When I first moved to Santa Monica a couple of years ago, it was Tom who was kind enough to introduce me to Camarillo's EAA Chapter. I had been looking for a Tech Counselor and RV resources at the time. Tom is building a Stallion (that is a serious airplane and a serious project!) and is nearing completion on it. Anyway, we bopped over to his hangar to check it out. It looks great. Just needs to be buttoned up and it'll be flying any day now. Go for it Tom!
Tom asked me if "the pain is gone" at this point. I had to answer with a resounding YES. The blood, sweat, and tears are seriously just a distant memory at this point. It's bizarre...when I was building, I thought of myself as a builder at heart. You know, I had flown a bunch, but I found this building and problem solving thing to be so cool...very rewarding. But now that I'm flying this plane, I'm enamored with it, and the building process is quickly fading from my mind. The pain is definitely gone. It's good and bad, I guess. The bad is that I'm probably getting rusty on the construction side already. The good is obviously that the pain has been replaced with an immense sense of pride, accomplishment, and pure joy when flying this beautiful design (thanks Van!). Great design...today my passenger was asking how to use the rudder pedals properly. My answer was that in this plane, you don't touch 'em usually. Van's aileron design kicks butt. I'm just amazed at how Van has managed to produce such a beautifully flying design and continue to enhance the kits to a point where a chump like me can build one in a little over 2 years.
Anyway, after some more flying I dropped my coworker back off at Santa Monica and launched for home. As I was taxiing to the active, ground asked me what I cruise at. I told 'em it will true out at 180 knots, and "Wow, 180" was the response. On takeoff, 14D used all of 200' of runway...by the time I reached the end of the runway I was at 1500'. I started a steep climbing turn for the right downwind departure, and I was at 2500' by the time I was downwind abeam. Tower literally said: "RV 14D, you sure climb fast, frequency change approved." This plane with the 200hp Lycoming is friggin' awesome. I love the way it climbs. The other day, I led a 3-RV formation with two 180hp RV-6s. One guy described the takeoff as "You pulled away like I was chained to a pole." That's what I like to hear!!!
Yesterday, after landing back at Chino on the way home from Mojave, tower said, "RV 14D, right turn when able, contact ground, and I have a question if you have time." Shoot. "Do you have speed brakes?" Nope, I just have a prop that likes to flatten out nicely. He was commenting on the approach to land that I always do now...come in at pattern altitude until on final, and then enter a steep but stable approach to the numbers. The RV/Hartzell comes down like a brick when you leave in only about 8" or less of manifold pressure and have full flaps hanging out. I like to make my patterns in tight and high until the last minute, and the RV easily accommodates this style with a constant-speed prop.
It's nice to have the controllers make comments about the plane's performance. I'm glad they don't see this type of profile every day. You know, every time I spoke to Van's during the construction process, they would yap and yap about how the 200hp powerplant was a bad decision, and how the 180hp setup feels so much better, lighter, handles better, yadda yadda. Screw that. This thing handles absolutely beautifully. The plane is anything but heavy...it requires barely any pitch trim throughout the transitions. It goes where you point it, and it's as docile as anything else in every phase of flight. I have no regrets...and I'm glad I didn't fall prey to all of the hype about the 200hp setup's foibles. There are none in my mind!
Builders out there...you are gonna LOVE this. Keep going, because it is SO WORTH IT. This plane will fly however YOU want it to fly. It's so versatile, docile, obedient, and FUN!!! It really flies like it's an extension of your mind. The cliche about "wearing" the plane is definitely true for me at this point. If you can imagine the maneuver, you can fly it. Unreal. I hope this feeling never fades.
Here's a shot of downtown LA on my way home to Chino.
I love the flight to and from Santa Monica, because the departure out of Chino takes me right over my house, and of course the arrival takes me back over it as well. I wag the wings and zig a bit in case Jen happens to hear me and look up.
Back at Chino the winds were picking up, 20 knots about 20 degrees left of the nose on landing. With the left wing low and a little right rudder, I chirped the left main on first for another good wheel landing (I do nothing but wheel landings) and was off at the first taxiway. Ok, so this flying commute to work sure doesn't save me any time, even with horrible LA traffic, but it sure is the most pleasurable way to get to work and back. 54 hours and counting...this plane rocks!