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RV-8 as an instrument platform

flyboy10

Member
How is the RV-8 as an instrument platform? I won't be doing hard IFR, but I'm curious how the experimental autopilots and the airplane do in turbulence, intercepting courses, etc.

If you don't mind sharing what you think should be the minimum IFR electrical setup, and minimum redundancy, that's helpful too. Thanks.
 
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If I’m flying cross country in my RV-8, it is alway IFR.

I find the RV-8 to be, just like all RVs, and excellent IFR platform. I would never however fly IFR without a good, dual axis autopilot. Mine is the fully integrated Dynon SkyView system and I recommend it. It will do a full vertical nav approach - typically better than I can.

If you want to know what I did for for power distribution for my three RVs to support IFR flight, PM me your email address and I’ll send the diagrams and such.

Carl
 
I fly my 6 in IFR all the time. Mostly easy, bust through a layer, ifr, but I have done hard ifr. As in, in the soup for an hour without seeing the wingtips. It’s all about the type of weather. A mature weather system with stable air and little turbulence and convective activity is not a big deal to fly in. The bad summer stuff - stay out of it.

The more weight you have the better. Rv’s are light so bumps will be magnified.
 
Many hours in IMC in my 8 with dual 10" sky views and 2 axis autopilot. Loved it. the 8 performed as you would expect. Go for it - you'll love it.
 
agree with the other posts. WIll add that the pitch sensitivity of the 6 (assume 8 is the same) adds a bit of workload during training (mostly hand flying that you wouldn't be doing with a rating, outside of a problem). Manageable, but different than a spam can. The altimiter or VSI can't leave your scan for more than several seconds, especially in bumps. For tasks taking more than a few seconds must be broken up. My CFII was a bit surprised that we couldn't set up and brief an approach without going back to the scan several times while doing it. Remember, these a sport oriented airframes and not stability oriented planes and you must incorporate that into you training discipline if you ever plan to be able to fly it in real IFR conditions without the A/P.
 
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There is an RV8 pilot on here that flies hard IFR with vacuum gyros, 430, CDI and no auto pilot. I’m always impressed.

It can be done. I can do without the autopilot when practicing and have done it when the plane turns in an unexpected direction, but not by choice.

Maybe he will give us all some tips.

George Meketa
 
There is an RV8 pilot on here that flies hard IFR with vacuum gyros, 430, CDI and no auto pilot. I’m always impressed.

It can be done. I can do without the autopilot when practicing and have done it when the plane turns in an unexpected direction, but not by choice.

Maybe he will give us all some tips.

George Meketa

Thank you for the compliment George! But I did have a slight advantage when I started flying my RV IFR... 20+ years of military flying, 11 as an IP, and often looking cross cockpit. I also fly for my day job.

That being said, I do not take my experience for granted. While I get plenty of IMC and approaches at work, the skills I use on the Airbus simply don't transfer to what I need flying my RV-8 solo, in the soup, without an autopilot and flight director.

I use the same recipe for my IFR flying as I do for my aerobatic flying... PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! I look forward to the days of 500'-1000' ceilings so I can hone my skills. About once a quarter, on a day as described above, I plan what I need to work on, I file IFR and usually get 3-4 approaches. I fly only one as radar vectors and the rest are flown own navigation starting from the IAF to include Procedure Turns and Holding In Lieu. At least once, I will fly the full missed approach procedure including the holding. This is all in addition to the IMC time and approaches I get during the the regular course of flying the RV. BTW, I do it in the Bonanza too!

As Larry said below, you have to be disciplined. Come up with a training plan and execute. While flying, it is essential to be intimately familiar with avionics and instrumentation, so any guess work doesn't occur. Prior to flying my RV-8 IFR, I read the 430 manual cover to cover several times and spent hours practicing on the trainer. Also, cockpit organization is equally important. There's no time for fumbling. I remember in the days of paper charts when the corner of the chart would touch the stick and send me into an unwanted 30 deg bank!

Finally, Aviate, Navigate, Communicate in that order and slow down. Be methodical. Due to the nature of this sport airplane, It does require me to spend a larger percentage of my time just staring at the attitude indicator than in other airplanes! I make sure the airplane is fully trimmed at all times. Only then, when I'm satisfied with the attitude and the trimmed condition, will I adjust the OBS, tend to other tasks, or answer a radio call. One of my favorite words is "Standby." ATC will understand.


Remember, these a sport oriented airframes and not stability oriented planes and you must incorporate that into you training discipline if you ever plan to be able to fly it in real IFR conditions without the A/P.

I will close with these final words. If you're not comfortable flying your airplane in the soup without an autopilot, then get comfortable or don't fly IMC. Remember, the autopilot is an aid, not a crutch.
 
A Bit of a Different Take

My $.02. I'm not instrument rated, so take it for what it's worth, but I've been fooling with little airplanes for almost 50 years, both as my profession and my passion. When showing off our RV-6, of course I extol all the many virtues of the RVs. I also always add that if the RVs have a weak spot, it's that without autopilots, they're miserable IFR platforms. Spiral stability is low, and they're not too particular about holding altitudes on their own. (I marvel at the stability of the Cessna 172!) Flight characteristics of most of the RVs are heavily biased toward maneuverability at the expense of stability and that can make the workload much heavier. Add some turbulence, a complex clearance and a cranky passenger, and you're busier that a one-legged man in a butt kickin' contest. What makes any of them into true IFR airplanes is an autopilot. Autopilots are getting amazingly capable even as the prices come down, especially for experimentals. A good autopilot along with rational system redundancy (backup battery, alternator, gyros... all or some smart combo of those, you choose) makes our airplanes pretty capable and reasonably safe. Sounds like the OP is planning fairly light duty instrument flight and I think that's great. Hats off to the guy who's doing all the hand flown IFR, but understand, he's very current, trained, and on his game. Bob Turner is right, if you're not comfy without an autopilot, you need to get comfy, whether you have an autopilot or not. Autopilots are pretty reliable, but they're not infallible.
One more thing. When talking about single engine IFR, I also think about really, really bad weather and the possibility that a small airplane can get accidentally caught up in some. I'm pretty sure an RV-8 can carry about 125 lbs of ice, as long as it's in the baggage compartment.
 
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I'm pretty sure an RV-8 can carry about 125 lbs of ice, as long as it's in the baggage compartment.

Gave me a good laugh. My day job is in a big twin turboprop around NW Ontario. I get a good dose of icing quite frequently, and see what it's capable of. Everything from benign, to scary. Any airplane without a full airborne anti/deicing capability needs to stay quite far away from clouds when the temps get close to freezing.
 
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