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Photo: Robert Deering 6/15/2013 Denton Municipal Airport (DTO) Denton, Texas |
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The
Van’s RV-8 is a tandem two-seat,
single-engine, low-wing homebuilt aircraft sold in kit
form by Van’s Aircraft. The
RV-8 is equipped with
conventional landing gear, while the
RV-8A
version features tricycle landing gear. The design is a
larger development of the RV-4, and is similar in
appearance, although larger, than the earlier model. Richard VanGrunsven designed the RV-8 series as an improved RV-4, itself a two-seat version of the single seat RV-3. The RV-8 first flew in 1995 and was first shown publicly at Oshkosh that year. The RV-8 incorporated changes as a result of lessons learned in producing the popular RV-4 design. The RV-8 airframe will accept larger engines, including the Lycoming IO-360, up to 200 hp. The RV-8 also has increased wingspan and wing area over the RV-4, as well as more cockpit width, headroom, legroom and an increased useful load, all with a view to accommodating larger pilots. Like the RV-3 to RV-7 that preceded it, the RV-8 is stressed for aerobatics. The RV-8 shares many common parts with the RV-7 and RV-9 which reduces production costs. Like the RV-7, the RV-8 uses computer assisted design to produce a kit with pre-drilled rivet holes, thus greatly reducing assembly time for the builder. The RV-8 was intended from the start to have a nose-gear stablemate designated the RV-8A. The RV-8A was first flown in 1998 and features tubular steel landing gear with the nosewheel mounting tube welded to the engine mount. As in all nose-wheel equipped RV aircraft, the nosewheel is free castering and the aircraft is steered with differential braking. The brakes are mounted conventionally on the rudder pedal toes. By August 2012 1143 RV-8s and RV-8As were flying. |
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