RV or Harmon Rocket for Competition?

[frank_rv4]

Wonder what he's planning on doing - ? I think it's also got a lot to do with $$ you have to spend - if you have the body - and aspirations to do aerobatics - start with a decatholon or CAB - etc... and move into other types - if you are able to progress. I have an RV4 - it's fun - I plan on competing in primary and hopefully sportsman this fall in rocky mountain house - I've registered. Definetly without a inverted fuel and oil it's a huge issue - I have to be quite carefull not to do damage to my motor and or stall the motor - takes more work to make the figures look nice and keep the engine happy at the same time. I would not really consider even with a full inverted system going beyond the sportsman with my plane. I would love to have a edge 360 - or extra 200 - or 260 etc... and prehaps that will be my next type of plane. I like those harmon rockets and F1 rockets as well but they are built for doing one thing really well that is going fast. faster you go - makes doing acro harder - as it exerts way more presure on the control surfaces etc... and can pull more G's too. Most aerobatic planes are highly manuverable - and very predicatable - stall spin characteristics etc... fast of course but usually for climb more than top speeds. 3000 feet per min - climb rates - etc... 200mph top speeds are prefectly adequate. Start going 250mph - and try staying in a box. So again I say it simply depends on what you want for yourself - and the coin you have to spend. If you want to do competition aerobatics - stick with planes designed for that purpose - if you want a sport plane that can do some aerobatics - then the RV series or HR's are fine for that - but are limited in what they can do re: aerobatics. I'm already hoping that a win fall - comes my way so I can up grade - and hopefully do some dual down in WA state to learn some intermediate aerobatic manuvers.

I did have a look at those F1 kits - compared to say doing a HR 2 - it's more pricy - but I think they are very well designed and built - the QB kits from Team Rocket I believe they are called if they are still in business - are amazing and well worth the coin - since much of the "hard" work has been done for you. wings are mostly completed - fuse mostly completed - etc... still meets the 51% rule though. To build a HR 2 - you get a RV4 kit from Vans - minus some parts and the HR kit from John Harmon - and get ready for about 2years min - of work. 1800 hours anyways. The F1 can be done in about 800 I believe they say. Not sure of the cost difference. I know they have 2 types of wings now - one is the laminar flow - the other is the sport wing - similar to the HR 2 - wing - design - better for acro then the other wing - I believe. there are lots for sale though here and there - and that's a good way to go too - if you can afford that - as you can be up flying quickly that way.

Also recommend - tranisition training - I did 5 hours with Mike Seager in Veronia OR - it was a blast - he's aweseome and very reasonable too. I would not of flown my RV4 without that training. Dido with a HR 2 or other. And consider yourself lucky as there are a lot of places where you can train to do aerobatics - we don't have that luxery here unfortunatly. Best of luck. Let us know what you decide - HR - or RV etc... or other. there are some great deals on some acro machines these days too - Giles - etc... check barnstormers or trade a plane etc... and or any of the local chapters.

[RetroAcro]

I like those harmon rockets and F1 rockets as well but they are built for doing one thing really well that is going fast....Start going 250mph - and try staying in a box.

Frank, just because an airplane can potentially do 250 doesn't mean you have to do 250 during a sequence. That's what being a pilot is all about...controlling the airplane. No need to use full power either. You can fly the Sportsman figures across a wide range of speeds. You could do the Sportsman sequence in a Rocket just fine without breaking 150 mph if you wanted to. Staying in the box is generally a pilot factor, not an aircraft factor.

If you want to do competition aerobatics - stick with planes designed for that purpose - if you want a sport plane that can do some aerobatics - then the RV series or HR's are fine for that - but are limited in what they can do re: aerobatics.

I can only think of one airplane specifically designed for competition acro - the DR-107 "One Design". The number of acro competitors is minute compared to the number of folks who have an interest in simply having a hot plane and flopping it around a little. My point is that since there is effectively no such thing as an airplane "designed" for competition acro, lots of airplanes are perfectly suitable, depending on the category you'd like to fly. RV's, Stearmans, Cubs, Citabrias, Buckers, etc. can fly Sportsman perfectly well. No need to discount their ability or suitability to fly competition. What folks who are not actually involved with competition don't typically understand is that competition flying isn't much different or any harder on the airplane or the pilot than recreational aerobatics. The difference is that the competition pilot attempts to fly with a high degree of precision - accurate 45 and vertical lines, round loops, level rolls, crisp points, stopping spins on heading, equal line lengths, precise attitudes before/after rolls, staying on heading, staying in the box, etc. All of these things are pilot factors, not airplane factors. I just feel the need to point these things out when folks who have no competition experience start minimizing the capability or suitability of certain airplanes, RV's especially. Ask 'willymac' here how suitable his RV is for competition : http://www.usnationalaerobatics.org/...?ContestID=312

[WLIU]

I will note that one of the most important skills that you must develop for competition acro is precise slow flight. Across the top of a loop or at the top of a vertical line pushing or pulling to level without any sinking to post a high score requires outstanding slow flight skills.

So you must be able to fly your ship well from Vne down to Vs as well as the speeds in between. You can't just leave the throttle in one position and zoom around. Its about doing "that pilot stuff".

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS