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Considering selling the RV...

Tram

Well Known Member
... I don't know if it's just a whim or what, but the idea of selling the RV has been coming up. I keep thinking maybe replace it with something like a Champ or a Cub.. Maybe a Citabria or a Starduster.

Then I start reading threads like "Citabria vs RV-6" and think, maybe I should just hang onto the RV..

If you guys were going to part with your RV's.. What would you replace it with?
 
XA-42

Why, an XA-42 of course. A cool $350,000 get's you a nice used 2014 model. Yep, and then theres that . . .:cool:
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I keep thinking about selling my -6 and building a Legend Cub. Love that airplane. Don't know how many medicals before Sport Pilot.

OTOH, Selling the RV might cost me big time in the divorce. And besides, no one would give me what I'd have to have.
 
I keep thinking about selling my -6 and building a Legend Cub. Love that airplane. Don't know how many medicals before Sport Pilot.

OTOH, Selling the RV might cost me big time in the divorce. And besides, no one would give me what I'd have to have.

That's a big concern for my dad and partner in the RV. He's not sure how many more medicals he's concerned with passing.
 
I'm with you both. Rather than a Cub-a-Like I'm seriously considering a Bearhawk LSA to replace the -9.
 
I'm selling my project and will build a Carbon Cub EX-2. My mission has changed and here in Idaho there is wonderful low and slow country everywhere.
 
Hi Jeff!

I’m assuming someone has already mentioned this to you, but if not I would humbly suggest:

Keep the RV and get three friends to go in with you on an old Cub to putt around in for a few years. Six grand a person will get you a perfectly flyable Cub. $50/mo to insure.

A&P friends will come out of the woodwork to help you with it. “Pay me? I’ll work on it for free if you’ll let me fly it occasionally!”

Having access to both an amazingly fast cross country RV and a low and slow J3C really lets you appreciate both designs’ strengths. I used to think there could be a perfect, meets most of your goals, aircraft. I later figured out that this mythical ‘one’ aircraft is an RV with a 65hp J3C parked next to it <g>.

Best case, you keep the Cub forever. Worse case you sell your share after a couple of years of fun.

It’s hard to get a picture like the one below in an RV….taken last year by yours truly.

As Stein says….my .02.

v/r,
dr

CubSunflower.jpg
 
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I've been trying to get a few folks to split a Cub for a couple years, no takers yet.....
 
Been there

I would suggest buying the plane you think you want and fly it with the RV. You may find that the RV is so cheap to own and joy to fly, that you may not want to part with it. I sold my -6 and got a Maule which was great but I never got over the RV and ended up building a -9. The Cubs are fun slow airplanes but sometimes you need to put the pedal to the metal and that -6 is hard to beat.
Good luck!!
 
I've been trying to get a few folks to split a Cub for a couple years, no takers yet.....

Tram,

I miss not having the -8. As suggested, the RV / Cub combination would be perfect. If it comes down to selling the RV to accommodate your dad's desire to transition to sport pilot, the -12 is not a bad option. However, with the potential of third class medical reform, would there be any need to sell the RV?

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...had a ride with a friend in a 65HP Cub last year, took 10 minutes to get into front seat and another half hour to get to 2500'...controls felt like an old truck without power steering...

I would never get rid of the 8 for a Cub...it's like going from a P-51 to a WWI airplane.

[ed. I tell people a Cub is a perfect 1-person airplane. Totally different beast with 2.... v/r,dr]
 
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...had a ride with a friend in a 65HP Cub last year, took 10 minutes to get into front seat and another half hour to get to 2500'...controls felt like an old truck without power steering...

I would never get rid of the 8 for a Cub...it's like going from a P-51 to a WWI airplane.

You choose Wisely Grasshopper ! 👍
 
...had a ride with a friend in a 65HP Cub last year, took 10 minutes to get into front seat and another half hour to get to 2500'...controls felt like an old truck without power steering...

I would never get rid of the 8 for a Cub...it's like going from a P-51 to a WWI airplane.
Why would you ever go above 500' in a Cub?? But 85-90 hp is a good improvement.
 
I would suggest buying the plane you think you want and fly it with the RV. You may find that the RV is so cheap to own and joy to fly, that you may not want to part with it. I sold my -6 and got a Maule which was great but I never got over the RV and ended up building a -9. The Cubs are fun slow airplanes but sometimes you need to put the pedal to the metal and that -6 is hard to beat.
Good luck!!

I agree , I can't imagine not having my RV. Don't sell ! I figure the day I sell my RV is the day I'm ready to call it quits and after driving a route 5 hrs in traffic yesterday thats usually a fun 1hr30 pleasure flight It just makes me appreciate it 10 times more. Plus I know I wouldn't get enough out of it to make me feel like it was worth it so maybe one day my son will take it over and enjoy it as much as I do. I realize everybody has different needs though.
 
A good friend of mine traded his nice RV4 for a hotrod aerobatic biplane, it was probably his 2nd worst aviation decision in his life, the #1 worst being losing sight of a powerline while spraying a field in a Air Tractor. (he did survive the crash, healed up and is flying/spraying again). The guy who now owns his old RV4 says no way would he want to sell or trade it!
 
Hang on to the RV6

I was thinking about moving into a Legend Cub a couple of years ago but parting with my RV8 was just too painful even though I do not fly it as often as I used to. I now own half interest in my hangar neighbor's newly restored 65 hp Taylorcraft and enjoy the best of both worlds.
 
I agree with all those who suggest partnerships on a second, specialty airplane. I personally would always want my own personal airplane (and an RV is just about impossible to beat), but for a specialty, something you use far less than all the time, a partnership is outstanding. We just did the first flight on our four-seat, high wing, all-metal bushplane - a Dream Tundra - yesterday morning. It is the perfect airplane for us to explore the back-country geology of the west - with two dogs, camping gear, and lots of water. Since we don't need that to be all ours, we have a great partner, and frankly, we could probably even have a couple more.

Now I need to find three other people in our area that want to share a Subsonex....... $30K each, and we'd have a neat little personal jet! Just like a Cub - you only fly it for an hour at a time.....
 
AirCam or SeaRey

The AirCam is far, far and away the best plane going for giving rides -- passengers absolutely love it, even those reluctant to fly in other small planes. And it provides far more sensations than even an open cockpit airplane. However, they're slow and not much good for anything else. I put 100 hours on mine but sold it when I lived in Iowa. Something about cold temperatures... Had I kept mine, it would have appreciated significantly in the last six years.

The SeaRey amphibian has excellent flying characteristics (and that was before they put the new ailerons on it) and water flying is a total hoot. The view out the front is excellent for both people. Unfortunately, where I live all the water is salt or brackish, or I'd have one. And the SeaRey is also slow.
 
Bearhawk

Paul has a great idea. I've had my eye out for someone with a Bearhawk that wants a partner, or swap the Bearhawk for my RV from time to time.
No such thing as too many airplanes.
 
I'm curious... people mentioning selling planes because of medicals... do you think you are unsafe to fly? If not, you do realize in the next 12-18 months the medical requirement for the vast majority of GA private pilots will be gone... right?
 
Downgrade to bare bone RV9. She flies slower, very stable, you can keep up with a Cub gang and have decent short field capabilities. I've heard they make them LSA too :)


 
I think you guys are right...

I don't rightly know what I'd do without the RV.. I need to find some partners in a Cub or something similar.

I'd love to have a CH701 I think, just to play in.


[ed. Jeff, your profile doesn't list where you live, other than USA, so if you're near DFW give me a ring. We'll go for a Cub ride. I'll even give you the 'roomy' seat (the back). v/r,dr]
 
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I'd love to have a CH701 I think, just to play in.

Now THAT's slow! :D

I'm fortunate to have my own "low and slow" airplane as well as having access to a faster, heavier hauler. It's a great combination. When the airplane I'm building finally gets airborne, I expect the "low and slow" airplane may be replaced by a membership in a multi-partner airplane, either the CH750 Cruzer or the Fleet Canuck. This type of arrangement truly represents the best of all worlds.
 
[ed. Jeff, your profile doesn't list where you live, other than USA, so if you're near DFW give me a ring. We'll go for a Cub ride. I'll even give you the 'roomy' seat (the back). v/r,dr]

That's awful gracious of you, I'm in Alabama, but if I get in the DFW area, I'll give you a shout.

I've about decided the RV needs to stay, or at least be sold and replaced with something different than a Cub, more like a Starduster Too.

We've had the RV for a while, I guess I'm kinda wanting a change of pace.
 
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Cub and RV

I have a 180 Hp exp Super Cub and a RV8. I use both planes often.
This weekend is the Llano, Texas STOL Compitition . Taking the Cub 'Shooter'
The RV8 'Borrowed Horse' will take us to Key West this year from DFW area.
I don't leave without Carol, she helps with maintence cleaning...better than a partner!
 
I use my RV-9A for fast travel (150 hours last year).

I just tracked down and purchased my grandfathers J-3 Cub. It is still in pieces, but less pieces than a couple weeks ago :).

Aside from not having a four place airplane, these two should fit my mission profile pretty darn well. RV for fast, IFR, J-3 for low and slow.

-Dan
 
I had a Citabria (7GCBC) before I bought my RV9. Although I liked the Citabria while I had it, it doesn't compare to owning the RV. While it would be nice to have a little more room when I have a passenger, it's hard to beat 180 mph while sipping gas.
 
I use my RV-9A for fast travel (150 hours last year).

I just tracked down and purchased my grandfathers J-3 Cub. It is still in pieces, but less pieces than a couple weeks ago :).

Aside from not having a four place airplane, these two should fit my mission profile pretty darn well. RV for fast, IFR, J-3 for low and slow.

-Dan
The -9s do low and slow pretty well...flaps out, 65-70 kts and fuel burn in the 4.x gph range. But I'm a huge Cub fan too!
 
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