News and commentary about homebuilt/experimental aviation from the editors of Kitplanes Magazine.
After many years of both building and not building (about 50/50) N184GC (One RV-8 for Grandpa Christensen) and I made the maiden flight on April 22, 2015 from Santa Fe Municipal Airport, Santa Fe, NM. That was prior to paint and empty weight was 1,041 lb. Continue reading "Robert Anderson's RV-8"
Here is my RV8: 8 years, 4300 hours with a Lycoming 180 HP, Dynon EFIS/EMS/AP built mainly in Eastern Canada, finished and now based in Arizona!
--Jeff Mitchell
Trying desperately to escape the media center and mingle among the show field the very first tie down rope we tripped over was hooked to William Shook's RV-8. Wow!
Obviously built to impress, the Denver-based Shook says his RV is for go, too. Now flying for 16 months, he's put 340 hours on the Hobbs and has plans for plenty more. Trips so far include Florida (multiple times), so Shook isn't just working the pattern. Continue reading "RV Eye Candy!"
Earlier we showed a happy Drew Bowlds with girlfriend Stephanie Neil and very clean and getting cleaner RV-8. Here's a peak at a crafty under-cowl aero-aid he took from his Reno racing friends.
The idea is to direct the cooling airflow out the lower cowl with more authority and organization than normal. The resulting pair of under-engine baffles are thus bent to fit and provide an airfoil shape at the critical cowl exit. He worked up the shapes with cardboard before hitting the sheet metal brake. Continue reading "Bowld’s Baffles"
We stopped to admire Drew Bowlds RV, he stopped working on it to talk to us, but girlfriend Stephanie Neil kept right on swapping out zip ties for judge-pleasing adel clamps. We hope Drew knows how lucky a guy he is! The couple hails from Sammamish, Washington; the RV sports an angle-valve IO-360 and some under-cowl speed mods we'll detail shortly.
I finished N188DW and inspection was completed in the fall of 2012. First flight was November 6. All went well and the plane has been a delight to fly now for over 100 hours. It is powered by an Aero Sport Power IO-375 with dual P-Mags turning a Whirlwind 200RV. An all Garmin IFR panel including the G3X makes navigation and engine management straight forward and adds to the fun. My first cross country was to Oshkosh 2013 fulfilling a goal I have long held; to fly a plane built with my own hands and park it at the show.
Thanks to the great sport aviation community here in Houston with a special shout out to Doug Knab for his help and encouragement. And a final very special thanks to my wife Susan who is always supportive of whatever I want to do. When a task produced less than pleasing results and I was a bit down, it was her encouragement that kept me going.
Location: AXH
e-mail address: cmccluggage@comcast.net
