SELECTING THE AIRFRAME

By Jim Ruttler, Instrumented Rated Pilot, RV-10 Builder, Patent Attorney
www.ruttlermills.com
jim@ruttlermills.com

In previous posts we've discussed experimental aircraft and how, because of the fifty percent rule, more technology is available to these aircraft at more reasonable prices.  We've discussed traffic, synthetic vision, airframe parachutes, weather, autopilot, baggage pods briefly and will cover this much more in later posts.   The main point right now to understand is that there is a lot of great technology, but in order to have it, you've got to have an experimental airframe.  This experimental airframe will allow you to take advantage and have the technology that is available.  If you don't have an experimental airframe, well, you are out of luck and generally stuck with older technology unless you have lots and lots of disposable income.  Once you have the airframe, you can add the avionics and technology and engines you desire.  

It is a bit like the old Dell Computer model to aircraft.  First, you choose you airframe and then you choose the options, which in this case are the avionics, interior, engine, and other technology.

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of airframes available to choose from.  However, there are in my mind only a handful of ones that should be selected by true amateurs.  Unless you have the skills to build an aircraft from scratch, which I and most do not, I would recommend sticking with some of the established airframes.  These airframes are structurally sound and tested and will be supported better than some of the lesser known airframes.  They also have the benefit of having the most options for interiors, avionics, engines, etc.

The most popular airframes are Vans (RV) and Glassair.  These companies provide a combined array of airframes that will suit virtually every customer need.  I am more familiar with the Vans models, which are hands down the most popular and have been around for five decades, because I built the RV-10.  I will spend most attention discussing the RV models, but Glassair also has a number of good options.  They are known for faster construction times due to their composite materials, being high wings, offering float options, and being very affordable.  They also have many aftermarket options, making Glassair an option to consider.  I just don't have substantial experience with Glassair so I will focus my dicussion on the Vans models which I am more intimately familiar with. 

Note that with Vans, you don't have to purchase the entire airframe up front.  Instead, you make purchases as you've finished sections, allowing you to get started for a few thousand dollars.  There are financing options for the Vans models.  I financed the latter part of my build with the engine and avionics included in that and purchased the airframe for cash as I built.

There are four popular models of Vans: the RV-8, RV-10, RV-12, and RV-14.  There are many other older models, but these are the ones that people are mostly building now. 

The RV-8 model is a two seat tandem aircraft - high performance and aerobatic.  It is very popular among pilots who are thrill seekers, but it is compact, small, and has virtually no baggage capacity.  Here is an image of the RV-8 for the exterior and interior.

  

The RV-10 is a four seat model that is large with ample baggage and load capacity.  It is not aerobatic and is instead designed for long comfortable cross country trips at higher altitudes and fast cruising speeds.  Here are a pictures of the RV-10 exterior and interior.

The RV-12 is a two place aircraft that can be flown without a medical flight evaluation.  It is not aerobatic, but it performs better and flies faster than a Cessna 172.  It sips fuel at around 4 gallons an hour and includes a modest amount of luggage space.  It also is trailerable (wings can be removed easily) and can be built for you by Vans (the only model where this is an option).  Here are pictures of the exterior and interior.

The RV-14 is two place blend between the larger RV-10 and the smaller RV-9 (older two seat version of the RV-14).  The 14 is aerobatic and performs very close to the larger RV-10.  It also has a very large baggage area making it very suitable for comfortable cross-country trips for two.  Here are some pictures of the exterior and interior.

When making your airframe selection, you have to keep in mind to main decision points: how you are going to use the plane and how many people you will typically carry.

If you are going to carry four people, like myself with my wife and two kids, then the RV-10 is the only option.  There is the Glassair four seat option as well, but for RV models the RV-10 is the only four place.  The RV-10 cruises at around 200 miles per hour, has a takeoff and landing distance of about 500 feet, and can climb at an impressive 2000 ft/min.  The plane has amazing performance characteristics and you'll want one the minute you first experience the power of the IO-540 on a 1600 lb airframe.  It hauls.  The downsides to the RV-10 is that it has a higher assembly time that is double that of the two seaters and is more expensive.  Not only is the airframe more expensive, the engine, interior, paint, fuel are more expensive as well.  All in, the RV-10 will run you around $140k for a well equipped visual flight rules plane or $160k for a well equipped instrument flight rules plane.  If you have the budget, I will talk in later posts about how to reduce the build time using the quick build options to make the RV-10 more doable. 

If you plan on only carrying two people, then you have many more options with the 8, 12, and 14.  

The 12 is the least expensive of all the planes and is in the light sport category.  This means for about the price of nice new car and about 20 hours of training, you can have a plane that will take you and one other person to amazing destinations at a very capable speed of 120 knots.  The 12 is also something you can take to the airport in a trailer and assemble quickly before flight.  This reduces operating costs because no hangar is required.  These are very popular planes as well because no medical evaluation is required.  If you are older and you are denied a flight medical, you can no longer fly any plane.  But, if you haven't ever lost a medical, you can fly the 12 without a medical and never risk losing your medical.The 12 is also the only plane of the RV family that can be built for you by Vans.  The downsides to the 12 are that it only has room for one other person and limited baggage.  It also cannot be flown in instrument conditions, which is totally fine for most pilots. 

If the 12 isn't enough for you (either because you want to travel farther faster, want more baggage, or want to fly in instrument conditions), the 14 is the next option.  This plane is just like the RV-10 - very fast, roomy, and comfortable.  It has a glass canopy making visibility stunning and is aerobatic.  The other nice thing about the 14 is that, unlike the RV-10, the 14 comes with the avionics system as part of the airframe package.  This removes some of the complexity and decision making with the avionics, although this is becoming less of an issue with the quick panels that will be discussed later.  It comes with a slightly higher all in price of around $90k as compared to the 12, but you get a plane that can be instrument capable and cruises at an impressive 190 mph.  The only real downside to the 14 is that it is only a two place, so if you plan on carrying more than two people it won't work for you.

That leaves us with the 8 model.  The 8 is only interesting if you just want to fly yourself and you want to do lots of tricks in the air.  It has the ability to carry two people, but it is so tight that you'll have difficulty finding people that want to go with you anywhere.  And, if you have somebody with you, you'll not be able to take anything other than a handbag. 

I will talk in more detail later about assembling these aircraft, but the most common questions I can quickly address now to keep you from having to wait in suspense. 

These airframes are not difficult to assemble and require no previous building experience.  It takes time, but essentially do the same things over and over for a few hundred hours, blindly following the detailed instructions.  If you can put together a Lego set, than you can assemble one of these aircraft without too much difficulty. 

You don't need to be a pilot to start or finish these aircraft.  You can also assemble the aircraft before you have a pilot's license and obtain your pilots license in the aircraft reducing expenses associated with renting aircraft.

You don't have to buy the whole aircraft up front.  You build and buy in six stages, which can be spread out over many years and/or financed.  The first four stages are various sections of the airframe and the last two are the engine and avionics.  Much of this can be outsourced to experienced sources like the wings, fuselage, and avionics which are now available as quick build options.

You can assemble all of the aircraft in a two car garage or shop.  You don't need a hangar until the very end to connect all the parts, with the exception of the 12 which can always be trailered.    

Lastly, any of the airframes allow you to have access to the best avionics, engines, and other technology at very reasonable prices.   We will talk about this technology in subsequent posts.