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Rocket vs. RV-4

LovelyLibertyRV8a

Active Member
Hello to all of my VAF family. I have a question regarding cockpit size of a rocket to a rv4 front and back seats. I am a big guy and have flown in the back of a rocket before but it was tight. Not too uncomfortable but do-able. My father and myself are looking into a rv4 while we finish building our 8a and 9a. I think that if the back seat was any smaller in the 4 than the rocket, I couldn't do it. Heap your wisdom upon us if you please:D
 
The passenger shoulder width is the same in a rocket as it is in a RV4. The big difference is in leg room. The back seat of a rocket is 5" futher aft then a RV4. This gives larger guys room to move their legs.
 
Front cockpit is MUCH wider.

The Harmon Rocket is 4 inches wider than an RV-4 at the main spar bulkhead (font cockpit) tapering back to a standard-width RV-4 rear seat bulkhead.
 
The Harmon Rocket is 4 inches wider than an RV-4 at the main spar bulkhead (font cockpit) tapering back to a standard-width RV-4 rear seat bulkhead.

What happened to the baggage area with the relocation of the back seat? I guess the Rocket fuselage is 4 inches longer, but does anyone know the actual dimensions of the Rocket baggage area (if there is one)?
 
What happened to the baggage area with the relocation of the back seat? I guess the Rocket fuselage is 4 inches longer, but does anyone know the actual dimensions of the Rocket baggage area (if there is one)?

The HRII fuselage is indeed 4" longer than the RV-4. My Harmon HRII plans are at work (working up 3-views on my CAD program for color scheme deaming), so I can't give you exact numbers today, but the baggage area is the same size as the RV-4's.
 
The main baggage area of a rocket is the same as a RV4 but there is more height due to the raised turtle deck. However most rockets add an extra aft deck between the #8 and #9 bulkhead. This is limited to 15 lbs but it allows lots of room for pillows, sleeping bags etc.
 
My hips and legs hurt for weeks after taking rides in rv-4's. Not the case at all in Hr2.

6' 2" 215#
 
The HRII fuselage is indeed 4" longer than the RV-4. My Harmon HRII plans are at work (working up 3-views on my CAD program for color scheme deaming), so I can't give you exact numbers today, but the baggage area is the same size as the RV-4's.

Okay,here are a couple of pictures of what I have on the HR2. The first is a blank 3-view (top, bottom and sides) to show you what I've been working on, the second shows the baggage area dimensions Pat was asking for. The 3-view is drawn directly from John Harmon's plans, so it is accurate.

fdhaaq.jpg



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BTW, if anyone would like an 11x17 pdf (prints out to an exact 1/4"=1'-0" scale) of the blank for your Crayola collection, please send me an email or private message with your email address and I'll send you one.
 
My original website is still out there. www.vincesrocket.com The first, and still the best, Rocket site on the web ;-) It details the construction of my F1H (Hybrid) Rocket and truly has a ton of info on it.

One thing that I did to really put the back seat roominess over the top was to use a custom canopy from Todd Silver, who does a great job. The canopy was blown to give extra shoulder room to the backseater. It required new turtledeck bulkheads but really wasn't too difficult at all. And it gives the backseater enough room to make a huge difference for larger guys.

Build on!
 
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