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Roadster's Web Site
Welcome to my RV-10 experimental aircraft website. What Is an RV-10? The RV-10 is the first four-seat airplane kit produced by Van's Aircraft. The performance, handling and cost of the RV-10 make it an obvious choice in the four-seat experimental field, and make it a viable alternative to four-seat production airplanes as well. General Description The RV-10 is a low wing airplane with a fixed tricycle landing gear (no tailwheel or retractable options). It uses slotted flaps and mass-balanced control surfaces. The primary structure is aluminum with a composite cabin top and doors, and it is designed to accept the 260 hp, six-cylinder Lycoming (I)O-540 engine. Performance The RV-10 exhibits very good performance characteristics, with sufficient power and an excellent wing design. Van's RV-10 prototype revealed some impressive numbers. Flown at 2,200 lbs, representing a typical 2-person-and-3/4-fuel weight, it achieved a take-off distance of 360 ft and a landing distance of 525 ft. The climb rate averaged about 1,700 fpm. At 75% power and 8,000 ft, true airspeed topped 200 mph. Cabin Gull-wing doors let occupants board from both sides. A large baggage door provides access to the aft cabin. Oregon Aero impact-absorbing front seats are standard. Controls are ball bearing/pushrod assemblies wiggled by conventional between-the-knees sticks on both sides. Removable rear seatbacks allow two people to travel with lots of baggage. With rear seats installed, the cabin will accommodate four adults, up to 6'4" in the front and about 6'2" in the rear. Kits RV-10 kits are fully matched-hole designs that come in four progressive stages: Empennage, Wings, Fuselage, and Finishing. The Empennage kit includes the vertical and horizontal stabilizers, rudder, elevators, trim tabs, and fuselage tailcone. The Wing kit include all the components of the wing panels, ailerons, and flaps. Composite wingtips are molded to accept streamlined lenses around position/strobe lights. The Fuselage kit contains all the components between the tailcone and the firewall. It includes the composite cabin top, molded in one piece from high strength composites and including the necessary recesses for the doors and windows. The Finishing kit includes the door and window components, along with cowlings, landing gear, and fairings. Why Am I Building An RV-10? Primarily because it fits me physically, and it fits my mission. I'm a pretty big guy -- 6'4" tall and 235 lbs -- and I don't fit very well inside the cockpit of many small planes. But the cabin of the RV-10 is truly cavernous compared to the Cessna 172 Skyhawks that I flew in all my flight training! Despite my height, shoulder width, and inseam, I have plenty of headroom (even with my headset on), and I have to move the front seat forward well past the mid-way point on the seat tracks to reach the rudder pedals. Plus I have plenty of space between my shoulders and fellow passengers and the cabin door. (I enjoyed none of these creature comforts in the C-172 Skyhawk.) Finally, I'm a low-time pilot, so I'm not really interested in aerobatics at this point in my flying experience. And since I have a wife and two kids, a 4-place plane makes a lot of sense for a cross-country, family touring machine. Enjoy the site, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments.
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