Pre-Build – Intro
What is an RV-10?
· The RV-10 is a kit plane. Van’s Aircraft makes the kit. You build the plane.
· The Van’s web site for the RV-10 is here:
o https://www.vansaircraft.com/rv-10/
· Here are the basic specs for an RV-10:
o Seats: 4 people
o Engine: Lycoming O-540 or IO-540, 235-260 hp
o Prop: Variable pitch (constant speed)
o Top speed: 211 mph
o Ceiling: 20,000 ft
o Stall speed: 63 mph
o Fuel capacity: 60 gal
o Range: Assuming 10 gal/hr and cruising at 160 mph, it would have a range of about 960 miles before it crashed. You might want to stop for fuel after 500-600 miles.
o Below is a picture of an RV-10
Why build?
· Advantages of building your own plane
o Lower cost for a comparable plane. The RV-10 is roughly comparable to a Cirrus SR20 which has a base price of $500k. You can build an RV-10 for about half of that.
o You get to have the fun of building a plane. If this is not your idea of fun, then you should not try to build a plane.
o You can do whatever you want. You could put a car engine in it if you wanted to. You do not have to use certified parts. Lycoming sells a non-certified version of the IO-540. It is built the same way at the same factory, but it is cheaper. You do not have to use certified electronics which is much cheaper.
o You can do your own maintenance (another cost savings).
· Disadvantages of building your own plane
o It will be licensed as Experimental as opposed to Certified and this will affect the resale price.
o It takes about 2000 hours to build an RV-10.
o You might screw-up building the plane, it might crash, and you might die. Many RV-10’s are built by novice builders with no experience. You just need to be careful, pay close attention to what you are doing, and follow the directions precisely.
Why an RV-10 as opposed to some other kit plane?
There are two other kit planes somewhat similar to an RV-10 that one might consider building. They are the Sling TSi and the Lancair 320-360. Here are some considerations:
· Van’s RV-10
o Van’s is by far the largest airplane kit manufacturer.
o The Van’s factory is in Aurora, OR. So, factory support seems OK (maybe better than OK).
o A lot of people have built Van’s planes, so there is a large Van’s community. So, there is a lot of builder support.
o The RV-10 is a flush riveted aluminum airframe.
o The RV-10 uses a Lycoming O-540 (230 hp) or IO-540 (260 hp) engine.
· Sling TSi
o The Sling TSi factory is in South Africa. So, factory support seems questionable.
o Not very many Sling TSi’s are built in the USA each year. So, builder support seems questionable.
o The speed of a Sling TSi is somewhat lower than an RV-10, but it gets somewhat better gas milage.
o The Sling TSi has a pop riveted aluminum airframe. This significantly reduces the build time, but it increases wind resistance.
o The Sling TSi uses a Rotax 915iS engine (141 hp).
o The cost of a Sling TSi is in the same ballpark as an RV-10.
· Lancair 320-360
o The Lancair 320-360 has significantly better specs than the other two planes.
o The Lancair costs about twice as much to build as an RV-10.
o The Lancair has retractable gear. This improves performance, but it introduces a lot more moving parts and additional maintenance.
o The Lancair has a composite airframe. The build process is significantly different. You have to spend weeks at the factory building your plane under their supervision.
o The Lancair factory is in Uvalde, TX.
Here are a couple of YouTube videos on the subject:
· Q&A #2: Why the Van’s Aircraft RV-10 versus Lancair Mako or TAF Sling TSi
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUoANUYEx0U&t=1203s
· The Best Personal Plane - RV-10 or Sling TSi In-depth Comparison
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaktFoIN4t0
· Why I Bought A Lancair IV-P. Gary
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xopGqGLVBCQ
Factory Visit
I visited the Van’s Aircraft factory in Aurora, OR on Aug. 12, 2022. I took a lot of notes, but unfortunately I lost them. Their RV-10 was away for customer transition training, so I did not even get to see one.
Training Class
I went to a one day training class (Fundamentals Class) on how to build a Van’s RV plane at Synergy Air in Eugene, OR on 8/13/2022. The instructor was Brenden. We (teams of 2 people) built a practice kit which was basically a 1 foot cross section out of a rudder (see picture below). It was a pretty good class, and I guess that it was worth $275.
Empennage Kit
· I ordered the empennage kit on 8/12/2022 while I was visiting the factory.
o RV-10 Emp/Cone Kit, $5200
o Crating Charge, $185
o Tax, $390.41
o Deposit, $1300
· The empennage kit arrived on Dec. 2, 2022 (4 months later)
· I completed the inventory on Dec. 26, 2022 and found that several things were missing.
· I notified Van’s about the missing parts, and the parts arrived about a week later.
· The parts in the table below are on backorder and have not arrived yet (as of 1/12/2023).
|
Quantity |
Container |
Stock Code |
Bin |
Description |
|
1 |
BAG 1145 |
Whole bag |
MD3614M/MD3616MNA146 |
|
|
2 |
E-912 |
E3A |
FIBERGLASS ELVTOR TIP 9/10/14 |
|
|
2 |
HS-910 |
E3A E6A |
FIBERGLASS HS TIP |
· Empennage kit
· Arrived on Dec. 2, 2022
· Shipped by Old Dominion Freight Line
· 2 crates
o 115” x 48” x 13”
o 137” x 7” x 4”
o 311 pounds
· $685.17
With the lids still on.
With the lids off.
Wings Kit
· I ordered the wings kit on Oct. 5, 2022
o Order #220665
o RV-10 Wing Kit – 2 $12,150.00
o IE F-385B, fuel sender left tank $46.00
o IE F-385C, fuel sender right tank $46.00
o EA-10 Kit, Elec. Aileron/Roll Trim RV-10 $550
o Crating charge $185
o Deposit $3244.25
· At the time the lead time was about 12 months, so I was not expecting the kit until Sept.-Oct. 2023. However, on 12/12/2022 I received an email with the following:
o Order #220665
o Item: RV-10 Wing Kit – 2
o Status: Parts Being Produced
o Crating: Feb. 28, 2023 – Apr. 11, 2023 (estimated)
· It seems like Van’s does not do a very good job of estimating their lead times, but I can make this work.
· Should I be getting the quick build kit for the wings???
o Other builders say they hate dealing with the sealant for the fuel tanks
o As of 1/13/2023, the lead time for a quick build wing kit is 12-16 months. That could be a year longer than a regular kit. There seems to be nothing quick about the quick build kit. It seems like I could easily build the wings in less than a year.
o The additional cost for a quick build wing kit is $9550. Unless dealing with the sealant is really, really bad, this does not seem like a very good value.