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Second Airplane?

Who's counting?

I've always thought the ideal mix is a cruiser, a warbird, and a glider.

You don't have to count the glider as a third aircraft, because you can put it in the trailer and store it in the back of the hangar behind the Stearman. :)

Matthew
 
Second airplane right now is a Turbo C Comanche, but am selling it to make room for a Twin Bonanza. RV8 for fast & effecient, T-Bone for family cruiser and comfort.

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Kevin
 
Found out today...

...that my "second airplane" is going to be an RV-3B! I just purchased Larry Lane's project and look forward to completing it alongside my 10. When I told my wife, she said, "Well your Christmas present's taken care of.." :D What a trooper she is!
 
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I looks like #2 for might be a 108-3 ground up restoration project with an O-360. That will make a good family hauler, even if it is slow.
 
Sky Wagons Rule!

I have 6 friends near my airport that have RVs and, Sky Wagons!
We get together for different types of fly- ins. Back Country stuff and RV fly outs.
I love being able to have a choice, and the utility of both airplanes.:D
 
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Pietenpol

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My airplane partner, rswalden in the forums, and I just bought this--2004 Pietenpol. Isn't she cute?
 
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Wow, lots of love for the Highlander SuperSTOL

If I had the money and time to do so, I'd like to build a Just Aircraft SuperSTOL .

Ditto. Whole lot of cow pastures, sand bars, and logging roads around here.

Count me in on that. I watched it for over an hour at Oshkosh this year and thought it would be great fun to throw in camping gear and hop from strip to strip in the mountains. I still backpack but it is getting tougher each year on me physically, however I am not ready to give up going to remote places.

The Just Aircraft Company airplanes look pretty good to me.

Just aircraft in SC is about an hour and a half up I-85 from me Jay:p So when you come over...

Come on out Jay and we will arrange a demo flight. I guarantee you will write the check.

Someone on this forum mentioned a Just Highlander a couple of years ago as a step up from a Kitfox. Well, long story short I'm in the painting stage now, hope to be flying it this Spring. (...) I hope it will be the perfect compliment to the 7A.

I watched the demo flying in the ultralight section at OSH this year ... WOW! Would be a great compliment to an RV!

I was looking for a local fun airplane. I am currently building the Just Aircraft SuperSTOL. It will be a hoot to land most anywhere. I think it will be a great second airplane to compliment the RV10.

For me would have to be a bush airplane, so that means high wings and STOL capability as well as some load-carrying capacity. I've drooled over the Highlander (and did a test flight with Steve Henry, the dead-stick guy).

I'm thinking Kitfox, Rans S-20 or Just aircraft...

The JustAircraft is wider across than a side-by-side RV. Mostly because the doors bow out. Even better is that you can fly with the doors open. (They fold up against the bottom of the wing.) The thing I remember most about flying the Highlander was Gary pointing to a friend's front yard and saying, "I landed there." I'm looking down and thinking, "Absolutely no way! He may have landed there but probably had to fold the wings to tow it out." After spending an afternoon with him and Troy, I found out that that thing can get in and out of some places that you just would never believe! Even better is that with the side-by-side seating you have tons of room for camping gear in back.

Lots of people owning and wishing for Bush Planes, Highlanders, Kit Foxes, C170s, C180/185s. Back Country flying is the faster growing part of GA. A lot of folks are finding out about the fun and challenges of flying the 'back Country'.


I, too, have been drooling over the super short landing videos of the Just Aircraft. Have you guys seen this, this, or this? Holy cow... :eek:

I thought this was a relatively obscure aircraft... and then I came to check out this thread and apparently a big fraction of RV owners want one too! I'm feeling validated.

To be honest, though, I might wait until they come out with a factory-built S-LSA version. We'll see.
 
Just highlander

Yes, looks like a lot of interest in the Highlander, Super STOL
I too watched it at Oshkosh this year. Impressive!, I want one, maybe someday.
 
Kolb Pireps??

Breathing a bit of life into this thread-----------

Anybody out there have experience with Kolb aircraft???

Looking for any info as to the company, quality and performance etc------and specific info on the two place side-by-side models.
 
Mike, I flew a Kolb Mark III before selling out for the RV speed and performance. See my logon photo.
Miss that little plane,. I started what became an annual event of Kolb enthusiasts going out to Monument Valley for several days of camping and fun. Checkout the Kolb list on the Matronics forum, for all I know they still do the trip, it was usually scheduled for May.

The Kolbs have an ingenious wing fold system that works quite well and can be done alone within 5-10 minutes with no tools. Great for trailering behind your rig. The Mrk III hits a wall at about 90 mph no matter how much HP is applied due to drag, so you wont be setting speeded records, but makes a great short field landing machine. I had a Rotax 912S on mine.
Th simplicity of these machines is nice, but don't expect the same level of sophistication from the company as Vans. Not being critical, they are plenty nice, it's just more in the ultralight world than high performance aircraft.

Erich
 
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Breathing a bit of life into this thread-----------

Anybody out there have experience with Kolb aircraft???

Looking for any info as to the company, quality and performance etc------and specific info on the two place side-by-side models.


I landed at their field couple times but never saw any people. As soon as their grass is functional I will go again and ask around :)


 
third aircraft, i dumped the gyro and bought this turbine powered helicycle. it is my j3 cub, for cruising around for a little fun.
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third aircraft, i dumped the gyro and bought this turbine powered helicycle. it is my j3 cub, for cruising around for a little fun.
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how are you liking the helicycle? does it really handle like the R22?

I've got a few hundred hours in R22/R44's, helicycles are so tempting
 
I came close to buying a Champ a while ago, and still wouldn't mind having something like that to putt around in... Champ, Chief, whatever. But what's really got me thinking impure thoughts recently is an Airdrome Sopwith Camel or D-VII.
 
how are you liking the helicycle? does it really handle like the R22?

I've got a few hundred hours in R22/R44's, helicycles are so tempting

if you can get by with a single seat then the helicycle will be the ticket. a newer build will give you the current updates. good safety record, low maintenance, and fun to fly behind a turbine. it flys much better than a r22! love it. :)
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this is a friends machine.
 
I wanted to add a little spice to my diet so acquired Chica Chiquita recently. Landing the RV's don't prepare you for the tango.




<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=avmpvq" target="_blank"><img src="http://i61.tinypic.com/avmpvq.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
 
My plane wish list

Would love to own one of these:

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My wife likes to fly but not a big fan of the RV-4 backseat. I absolutely love the -4 and doing formation with the KC guys is a real hoot. But if I could have another, the Commander would be a great cruising airplane and my "Commander" would join me on more adventures.

Oly
 
Turbo,
Are they still in business? No one ever answers the phone. A pal of mine Mark Whistler has one of those, and I've been drooling over it for years...
I wouldn't mind having one...

Dm


if you can get by with a single seat then the helicycle will be the ticket. a newer build will give you the current updates. good safety record, low maintenance, and fun to fly behind a turbine. it flys much better than a r22! love it. :)
img2931m.jpg

this is a friends machine.
 
Wow, what a great thread! some of you guys have way too much fun!

While I cannot currently afford a second plane, I will be building a -14 when I get my Rans sold. I was really torn between the new Rans S-20 and a -7 or a -14, but the wife wants another plane we can travel in a couple times a year and the -14 wins for that purpose.

Regarding the SuperStol, it is really cool but when you compare it to the Rans S-20 it comes in second plane in my opinion. The SuperStol does not really do anything special other than the falling leaf "smack down" landing that it is famous for, and this little party trick is dangerous and will eventually get the airplane bent or worse. At SNF this year I noticed that the Just guys are no longer doing a "smack down" landing from 50-100 feet like they used to do, now they make an approach with the slats out way behing the power curve untill about 10 feet then hold the stick full aft and cut power for a mini smack down landing. In the past I have watched the smack down landings and have seen the demo guys almost bend the plane due to a wind gust and lack of control during this type of landing. When the SuperStol is flown normally, it does not land any shorter than the S-20. Takeoff performance is almost identical and the S-20 climbs a little better. All of the Just planes use fiberglass fuel tanks which is a deal breaker for me, if I were building one I would have to have some aluminum or roto molded plastic tanks made. Also the S-20 has a bigger cockpit and is a much more refined and finished airplane.

If anyone is looking for a second or third plane to add to the hangar I have a factory built Rans Super S-12S/912S for sale and my hangar partner has a valley engineering big twin powered Legal Eagle XL and fully restored PA-16 clipper for sale.
 
Family Haulers

With the arrival of my son, Ayrton I was looking for a family hauler. I looked into building an RV-10, but even if I sold the 8a it was going to be a lot to stomach. Not that I could bring myself to sell the 8a...

It turns out that co-ownership was the path for me. A 1/12 share in a PA32R Lance, and a TB-20 Trinidad lets me keep the RV-8a and have family haulers for about the same expense as owning an RV-10 alone.

Here's a photo of Ayrton logging his first PIC in the Trinidad.
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Here's the Trinidad:
Trinidad-L.jpg


And the Lance:
Lance.jpg
 
Ayrton looks like a real natural

In the photo, he is obviously cross checking the attitude indicator with the horizon outside as he is going about the same speed that a F1 car would be cruising down the Mulsanne straight.

He is thinking, "This yoke sucks. I want a stick."
 
Low compression on #4 cylinder on the Bucker's 0320 wasn't going to fix itself. 2300 hours and decision time led to a flight to the restoration shop yesterday. So, two years with only the RV wasn't acceptable to me.

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I sold my Aeronca, my first airplane, years ago, and miss it often.
Time for some new fun, in an old bird. I love the RV, but nothing beats the low and slow sight seeing, and honest flying of a classic, low horsepower, tail wheel airplane.....
I forgot how big that wing is! I guess you need a big wing to get two butt's in the air with only 85h.p.
 
Of course I appreciate the RV's and the great community, but I was born in a Jurca all wood aircraft, so next to my 150hp MJ5 Sirocco, I'm building a 300hp MJ51C Sperocco.

mj5_17_08_w.jpg


MJ51C_02FR_en_croix.jpg


Equipment at a glance: Lycoming IO-540 with home made carbon/Epoxy sandwich cowl and James inlet rings, EFII dual EI, PCU5000X governor, Rod Bower RAM AIR, Andair fuel system, EFIS Garmin G3X Touch with AP, electrically actuated canopies (front hinged and rear up and over), Fatboy A15 throttle grip, Otto Cobra stick grip and several nice improvements...

More pictures on the (french) facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.570198989691603.1073741851.568388206539348&type=1

Happy building!
 
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Well, I guess I should close the loop a bit on my part in this..............

Made a deal to buy a Rans S12 project, also bought a used Rotax 582.

Learning curve starting all over again............:eek::D
 
Got my RV-10 for travel and restoring 1940 J3. Getting close to
covering.
High and fast and low and slow
0_0_e1e3abcad67fedbe917c70b0547ebedf_1
 
Skywagon.....

Fun Thread!! I'm fortunate enough to already have a second airplane, a Cessna 185 Skywagon. It actually came first, then the RV8 which had its first flight 5 years ago this month.

The way most people assessed it, and the way I now describe it.....the Skywagon is the SUV for camping, people hauling, etc and the RV8 is the Sportscar for fast, fun, efficient operations.

If I were to add one, gee it would be a Supercub, Rans S7 Courier, Carbon Cub or similar. The funny thing is that the Skywagon actually gets about the same MPG as a Supercub type airplane, just needs a couple hundred feet more to take off in the dirt. The Courier is appealing due to mogas on the Rotax and offroad adventures more close to home. For going to the back country in ID, MT, UT, AK, etc cant beat a C180 or 185.

Tim
 
I have a G36 Bonanza with tip tanks for serious cross-country and business trips. I'm having it turbo-normalized next month. Average trips are about 2-1/2 hours in it. Building the -8 (ever so slowly) for fun flying.
 
4 seater

I have a share in a Piper Dakota that is my "station wagon" for hauling people. I just bought a -8 to build as my "sports car".

Can't wait to get started building. Got to clean garage now......

Same story for me. I own a Dakota with 4 seats. The RV-7A will be more fun and fly more often. But I can't keep both, so which one will I sell?
 
Just Highlander

My first flight was July 4th on my 3rd build, a Just Highlander. Someone on this site suggested a Highlander as a good second airplane to an RV a couple of years ago. Mine is the standard version not the Super Stol. So far it's been a blast to fly and after almost 30 years of flying forced me to get my tail wheel endorsement. Well they do have a nose wheel option but getting my tailwheel endorsement was the goal. Working with fabric was also a goal as my first build was a PulsarXP (composite), second was the RV7A. The Highlander already has skis for winter flying and hopefully I'll be putting her on amphibious floats in a couple of years.

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Gary
N715AB RV7A 1140 hours
N325AB Highlander 14.5 hours
 
Here is my Second Airplane. A Just Aircraft SuperSTOL. First flew Dec 17, 2014. Lucked out on the day:D It has a Rotax 914 Turbo and a Catto prop along with G3X in the panel and 29" bushwheels. It is covered in Stewarts and I painted it myself using a Sata gun. It is fun to have two totally different aircraft. Approach at 40mph just feels wrong!

2vuwlsy.jpg
 
Perfect combo

Troy,
Of course I'm a little bias but your pairing is perfect :)

Have fun with both.

Gary
 
Second airplane for sale

I put the deposit down on the RV-8 right after the immaculate, IFR straight-tail Cessna was sold. And then the Cessna buyer backed out the night before he was supposed to come pick it up. So now I have two...

Cessna advantages:
* Great for IFR, doesn't go completely nuts in turbulence, big panel
* There's lots of marginal VFR that is really super easy IFR. Lots of dispatch flexibility that the VFR RV-8 doesn't have
* Springs in the seats and more wiggle room, so it's more comfortable than the RV-8. Then again, with the slower speed, you have lots of time to enjoy the comfort.
* High wing for shade in the summer and for sightseeing all year around
* Handles crosswinds easily, even ugly, gusty crosswinds
* Carries a load and has four seats
* The handling doesn't change as you load it up -- it's as easy to fly fully loaded as solo
* Much easier to land if you're tired or having a bad day (safety)
* Tricycle gear makes taxiing easier and safer because you can see everything, all the time, without having to S-turn
* STOL kit makes stalls a curiosity, not a hazard
* Mine has outstanding radios that minimize workload

RV-8 Advantages
* Speed
* Adrenaline rush, or semi-, when you fly it. 60 degree banks are easy and safe
* Speed
* Experimental maintenance rules reduce cost and hassle
* Speed
* Shows any shortages in your skills (both a plus and a minus) and that makes it more satisfying to fly really, really well
* Speed

If I could sell them both, I'd probably go for an RV-14A. Properly equipped, an RV-14A would have most of the advantages of each.
 
Right now I have a Warrior II and I intend to start building an RV-10 as my primary cross country machine to replace the Warrior. Once that is complete I would hope to eventually acquire (or build) a Super Cub or maybe a Super STOL as a fun flyer. If I could afford a third I would look at a six seater of some kind.

But first things first...
 
Here is my Second Airplane. A Just Aircraft SuperSTOL. First flew Dec 17, 2014. Lucked out on the day:D It has a Rotax 914 Turbo and a Catto prop along with G3X in the panel and 29" bushwheels. It is covered in Stewarts and I painted it myself using a Sata gun. It is fun to have two totally different aircraft. Approach at 40mph just feels wrong!

That's going to be my next airplane. I will hopefully start building it in one year if budget predictions hold up!
 
When this thread started last year I had just one plane, my RV-8, but now my fleet has grown by 1/5! Yep, a 1/5 partner share on a T-28A; I'd like to call it my own, but in this case, I'm glad to have partners to help share the expenses.

Being an A model also helps the wallet a bit since it has the smaller 800hp Wright R-1300 with less fuel burn (35-40 gph) than the big-engine B/C models (50 gph), plus you don't need a type rating or LOA for it. My checkout flight was less than an hour around the patch with airwork, 3 landings, done. Flies nice, like a big RV-8A... but a really thirsty -8A! It'd be nice to have the extra grunt of the big engine, but what the heck, this one does fine for out farting around.

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Twin Comanche ($50,000) or RV-10 ($170,000)

If I had my druthers, and an extra $170,000.00 cash laying around, I would have definitely gone with the RV-10 as a hanger mate for the RV-9. However, seeing that the sexy Twin Comanche market is depressed and for $50,000.00 a nice IFR low-time engine jewel can be had, well, looks like I'm a twinky driver now. $140,000 can pay for a lot of maintenance and hanger costs till the next mission arrives.
 
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