Transition training for an RV airplane by Bob Collins

Photo: Dave Parsons

I've been wanting to write a fairly comprehensive article on transition training in RV aircraft, but I've been somewhat frustrated by the difficulty in getting some, well, cooperation from some of the major "players."

Then it hit my last week: there are two people in the cabin. And so I solicited RV builders who've undergone transition training and asked each of them a series of questions which, I think, will anecdotally tell the story. Since many were quite complete in their answers, I decided not to turn it into an article, per se, but just let them tell their own stories.

So here are the tales of some RV airplane builders who've taken the transition step. At the end of the page, you'll find a list of instructors who offer flight training. I'll add to the list as the information is provided.

By the way, all opinions expressed below are strictly those of the respondent.

T.C. Chang

How was your transition training structured? (and with whom?)

I flew with Mike Seager for 6 hours. The training lasted two days. Mike was training two pilots at the same day. There were two sessions each day. My morning session was from 8 to 10 and the afternoon session from 1 to 3. Each session begins with a short briefing on a piece of paper, and after the flight, a brief debriefing. We did the usual steep turns, stalls, slow flight, etc. in the first session. Afterwards, we did mostly stop-and-goes (a total of 38).

. How many hours do you have in type and were you or have you been able to fly much while you've been building?

At the time I went for the training I had 370 hours. I flew only 17 hours the last year and 40 hours the year before. My project finished in less than two years.

Did you have particular concerns about technique going into the training and if so, what in particular?

My concern was how to fly a stick and how sensitive is the control. I always feels than I did not have full control of the airplane during landing.

When you flew in an RV, did you find those concerns warranted?

I found it easier and more intuitive than other airplanes. My landings are much better than before.

Were there things you hadn't thought about that, once you were flying, you realized DID need more work?

I do need more work on all aspects of flying, however, I knew that always.

Was there anything that surprised you -- good or bad -- about flying an RV?

Keep the nose wheel off the ground during take off roll, the airplane will lift off on it own. No need to look at the airspeed indicator and pull the yolk back.

RV-6A has a very steep approach angle, fly a shorter final approach then I used to.

Any advice on landing an RV? Can you walk me through it?

For A-model, keep the nose wheel off the ground is most important. Speed on final is critical, too fast, it floats. 1500 rpm before entering the pattern. Slow to 90 kias. Abeam the number, carb heat on, 1100 rpm, slow to 80 kias, 10-degree flap, trim to 65 kias. Base, power idle, 20-degree flap, trim for 65 kias. Final, 30-degree flap, trim for 65 kias. Adjust power if necessary. 10 ft above ground, flare. hold back stick to keep the nose wheel off the ground as long as possible. Rudder is effective until the nose wheel drops on the ground.

Can you give me some background on your plane?

RV-9A, O320-D2A 160 hp, dual mag, Sensenich FP propeller, dual display GRT EFIS Horizon, TruTrak Digiflight II VSGV.

Any other advice?

A few times I saw the A-model RVs took off like a Warrior or 172, that is to keep the nose wheel on the runway until rotation. Nose wheel drivers need to pay extra attention not to put unnecessary loads to the nose gear.

Phil Birkelbach

How was your transition training structured? (and with whom?)

I took my training from Alex DeDominicis here in Texas. The training was done over a couple of days. Two flights a day if needed. Starting with airwork and them moving to the pattern to practice the landings.

How many hours do you have in type and were you or have you been able to fly much while you've been building?

I had ~50 hours Glider, ~80 hours SEL, and just less than 20 hours tailwheel. I didn't get to fly much during the 4-1/2 years of building but I did manage to get the tailwheel endorsement. This was a requirement since I was building an RV-7.

Did you have particular concerns about technique going into the training and if so, what in particular?

I assumed that the plane would be a little trickier to handle than the 172's and Citabrias that I was used to flying.

When you flew in an RV, did you find those concerns warranted?

No. Everything that I thought would be difficult was easy and everything that I thought would be easy, was stuff that I struggled with.

Were there things you hadn't thought about that, once you were flying, you realized DID need more work?

You bet! I had to really tighten up my patterns. The RV-7 with a C/S prop glides like a man hole cover when the power comes down and the prop goes to fine pitch. The problem with that is that it's so slippery before then that you feel like you can glide forever. That transition is still the best way for me to mess up a landing. If I'm not right on the mark (altitude and distance) when turning final, I'll find myself working the throttle or just giving up and going around. It's improved my piloting skill more than the 172 ever would have.

Was there anything that surprised you -- good or bad -- about flying an RV?

I was amazed how well harmonized the controls are. It takes little to no rudder to turn one and it's just as smooth and docile as a plane can be. It's much more fun to fly than I thought it would be when I started building.

It get's behind the power curve at pattern speeds so that is something to watch out for. It's got plenty of power to pull out of it but it took a little getting used to.

Any advice on landing an RV? Can you walk me through it?

Mine is an RV-7 so it may be different for others. Mine has a C/S prop so the drag is pretty high on final. Many of my flying buddies like to come in with a little power but I'm of the school of thought that if I land "power-off" every time then that one time when I have no choice, I'll be prepared. The drag from the prop means that it's slowing down quite rapidly after the flare so the flare needs to be spot on. I carry a little more airspeed than most over the fence because I still don't quite have the flare down pat. I'm on final at 75kts and over the fence around 70kts. My dad landed the plane at around 60 and it was the best landing the plane has ever known, but I need the extra time after the flare to get everything sorted out. I land three point and try to hold the plane about 2' off the runway. Any further and it's a big thud when the wing stalls, but any closer and it winds up sinking in and landing before it's really ready to. It'll float down nicely from 2' or so. I'm trying to get the wheel landings down but it's hard with that springy landing gear.

Can you give me some background on your plane?

I started building my plane in March of 2001. I flew it (notice I didn't say "finished") in September of 2005. I have over a hundred hours on it and it just got out of the longest annual inspection in history. Not because there were any problems but because I haven't had time to work on it. One of these days I intend to paint it. :-)

Any other advice?

Don't let anybody talk you out of transition training. Get it from a qualified instructor (don't just go fly with your buddy). You spend years and thousands of $$$ building your plane there is no excuse for not being fully prepared to do the first flight. If you show up and after 2 landings you have it down then all the better. You had a nice weekend away from home, maybe a little time off of work and you got to fly. More than that you have the confidence to know that you can handle the plane.

Make sure that the instructor that you choose has the guts to tell you that you are not ready to fly your plane. I had no doubt in my mind that Alex would have told me that I wasn't ready, mostly because at one point he did. I truly appreciate that. I wasn't ready, but he is a great instructor and spent the time with me to get me ready.

Bayne Just

How was your transition training structured? (and with whom?)

I flew commercial from San Diego, CA to Portland, OR and trained with Mike Seager at Scappoose OR (KSPB) in Vans Factory RV 9A demonstrator. We did pattern work, turns, stalls, cross country navigation, and cross wind landings.

How many hours do you have in type and were you or have you been able to fly much while you've been building?

I currently have 350 hours in my 9A. I was not the builder. My 9A was build by a gentleman in Vancouver BC. Prior to acquiring the 9A I owned and flew a Piper Archer for 18 years and 2000+ hours.

Did you have particular concerns about technique going into the training and if so, what in particular?

The RV 9A is 800 lbs gross lighter, 30 kts faster, and more responsive to the controls than the Archer. I was also concerned about the transition to a stick from a yoke.

When you flew in an RV, did you find those concerns warranted?

In part, yes. It took a few laps around the pattern to get the RPMs and air speed correct in order to get the 9A slowed down for flap extension and the proper final approach speed. I found the stick easy to adapt to.

Were there things you hadn't thought about that, once you were flying, you realized DID need more work?

On the ground, always keep the stick back and the weight off the nose wheel.

Was there anything that surprised you -- good or bad -- about flying an RV?

No surprises, I love every minute I fly in my RV

Any advice on landing an RV? Can you walk me through it?

Air speed, air speed, air speed. For the 9A its Flaps at 90 mph, approach at 80 mph, level off at 70 mph, start the flare and keep the nose up and pointed at the end of the runway. By the time you turn off the runway the stick should still be all the way back in order to keep the weight off the nose wheel.

Can you give me some background on your plane?

My 9A was build in Vancouver BC. S/N 90367 first flew on Dec 22, 2002 as C-FRVC. It had 99 hours on the hobbs when I purchased it Feb 12, 2005. Did the pre purchase inspection Feb 4th, my transition training with Mike Seager on Feb 16th and flew it to the San Diego area Feb 24th. Once I had the plane in San Diego I had to have it inspected and certified in the experimental category and was assigned to fly off 5 hours. Also, to speed up the process, I had reserved my registration number N910BJ and scheduled a DAR for the inspection in advance of my purchase.

Any other advice?

For those considering the purchase of a completed RV, a thorough pre-purchase inspection by an A/P with RV experience is a must. I was assisted by an A/P I/A who build his RV8 and I am very happy with my RV.

How was your transition training structured? (and with whom?)

Background: My plane was completed and awaiting final FAA inspection. My BFR was overdue and I had not flown since the last BFR. I had heard good reports about Jan Bussell who lives in Okeechobee, FL a couple of hours drive from my location in Orlando. So, I arranged to meet him at the Okeechobee airport with the plan to combine the BRF and transition training. My previous experience was SEL PVT in 1951; Naval flight training in SNJ-4,5,6, T-28, SNB, PBM through Multi Engine Sea 1956. Then P5M squadron 1956-58. Then owning Cherokee 235 1967-1981. So the accumulated pilot hours were about 1700.

We accomplished the total in two days using about four hours. The training was pretty much as one would expect: airwork including stalls, slow flight and steep turns and simulated engine failure. Then, many landings. For the purpose of the BFR, he included chart and airspace discussions as most of the ground school portion.

How many hours do you have in type and were you or have you been able to fly much while you've been building?

My RV-6A was completed in February 2005. I have put 105 hours on it since. My only flying during the five years of construction included two BFRs and two hours of transition training in 2002 with Mike Seager in an RV-6. I felt that the cost of maintaining proficiency would not be well spent. That the transition training would serve the purpose of regaining proficiency. My experience with my first flight in my plane confirmed that. The performance was very familiar and the plane behaved much like the RV-6A of Jan Bussell.

Did you have particular concerns about technique going into the >training and if so, what in particular?

I viewed it pretty much like familiarization with a different airplane. My concerns were similar to other familiarizations in the past. I always have a certain level of anxiety when approaching a different airplane. The transition training was very comfortable few surprises. The greatest surprise was the plane's ability to be turned around to return to the airport from climbout in the event of an engine failure.

When you flew in an RV, did you find those concerns warranted?

Pretty much answered in #3.

Were there things you hadn't thought about that, once you were flying, you realized DID need more work?

I think the work is mainly refining technique for better precision. I have yet to regain my instrument proficiency. I have configured the plane for IFR but have to invest the time to prepare for an instrument proficiency check.

Was there anything that surprised you -- good or bad -- about flying an RV?

Pleasantly surprised at its performance, especially takeoff run and climb. It performs as promised in Van's claims.

Any advice on landing an RV? Can you walk me through it?

By following the recommendations of slowing to about 100 mph on downwind lowering 1/2 flaps, slowing to about 80 mph on final with full flaps and 75 over the fence, the landing is easily accomplished. With its short wingspan, it sinks very fast with power off. With a C/S prop (which I have), the sink rate is even higher. So, reaction must be quick when the power is pulled off.

Can you give me some background on your plane?

My RV-6A was of the vintage (1999) that the original vertical stabilizer and rudder were replaced by the RV-8 tail. It was a "slo-build" kit with only the empennage and the wing skins pre-punched. I invested about 4500 hours and 5 years in the building including painting it myself. I've attached a photo.

It has a new O-320 D1A from Van's and a Hartzell C/S prop. My decisions were made before all the "glass" options were available. So, the flight and engine instruments are "steam gauges". The avionics are Garmin GNS-430, SL-30 nav/com, GTX-327 transponder, GMA-340 audio panel. The auto pilot is an S-Tech system 20 single axis.

Any other advice?

I would recommend that anyone planning to make the first flight in his plane get transition training in the same model. There are numerous CFIs throughout the country with RVs who give that training. If the building and rigging instructions are followed the first flight is just like the transition flights.

Jan Bussell has a Web site that gives a lot of information about him: http://www.safeair1.com/RVTT/JB_Aframe.htm . 863.467.9354

I know four other people who have flown with Jan and have good things to say about his teaching style and transition training.

Dan Checkoway

Yep, this is me writing something about who Dan Checkoway is. Huh? You mean there are people who don't know who Dan Checkoway is? Not bloody likely. Dan has the de facto instruction manual for building an RV at rvproject.com. He developed Weathermeister (written about here and located here), teaches RV building for the SportAir (EAA) folks, and -- from what I can tell -- has the sort of job every RV builder wants: the kind where you don't have to go into the office and can spend time in your own hangar, working on your RV, when you're not flying it. Dan is living the dream -- or at least, living my dream.

How was your transition training structured? (and with whom?)

Alex DeDominicis of http://www.rvtraining.com The structure was simple: 1. Familiarization with the airplane on the ground 2. Taxi & takeoff 3. Basic airborne handling 4. Slow flight & stalls 5. Pattern work/takeoffs/landings

I flew 5.0 hours with Alex. Most of that was pattern work. Alex was a great instructor, and there was one technique in particular that he used which I thought was novel. We didn't do this on every takeoff, but he had me do it on a few, and I think it's a great exercise. Once we were lined up for takeoff, Alex had me plant my left foot on the floor...and keep it there! The takeoff then was a balancing act using throttle & right rudder to keep the airplane centered. Great exercise in my opinion, especially in a taildragger!

How many hours do you have in type and were you or have you been able to fly much while you've been building?

Prior to building I had been flying 250 hours per year. While building I didn't fly very much -- for example, 24 hours in 2003...mostly rides from others. My IFR & night currency lapsed during that period.

At the point when I took my transition training, I had accumulated about 5 hours of stick time in RVs thanks to kind pilots who gave me rides while I was building.

Did you have particular concerns about technique going into the training and if so, what in particular?

No concerns. Just wanted to get proficient enough so that I wouldn't have to think about handling the airplane during the first flight. In my opinion the first flight's mission is to focus on systems, and I wanted to be able to devote the bulk of my attention to that task.


Were there things you hadn't thought about that, once you were flying, you realized DID need more work?

Wheel landings. It took practice (on my own, after transition training) to really nail 'em.

Was there anything that surprised you -- good or bad -- about flying an RV?

The fact that it had no real adverse handling characteristics. I have to say, the first time I flew my RV-7 heavy in an aft CG configuration, the decrease in pitch force and stability was noteworthy. Not a negative trait per se, just considerably more pronounced in the RV than it had been in other aircraft I had flown.

I was surprised at how benign my RV-7's accelerated stall behavior was.

I have been pleasantly surprised at how much control authority the RV has all the way down to and in the stall & spin.

Any advice on landing an RV? Can you walk me through it?

I have logged 1500+ landings in RVs, so I feel somewhat qualified to comment. Get intimately familiar with judging your height above the ground. In my opinion most landing mistakes in RVs result from poor judgment of height above the ground.

My landings vary based on what I'm doing, but on average I make wheel landings 95% of the time. The absolute key to a perfect wheel landing in an RV is having essentially zero descent rate when the mains touch the runway. That can only come from a good sense of height above the runway, as I mentioned before.

Another tip...people don't listen to me when I say this, but hear me now and believe me later... TRIM DOWN. You want to be pulling on the stick...not alternating between pushing & pulling! You want your pitch force on the stick to be in ONE direction only. Think about it...when flaring, if all you have to do is vary the strength of your pull, you're going to be much more precise. The act of flaring and greasing is a modulation between applying and relaxing back pressure. If you need to alternate between PUSHING and PULLING, there is actually a considerably longer DELAY, and considerably more complex muscle movement than if you were pulling the whole time. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this very well, but my point is to land nose heavy. Imho you don't want to have to PUSH on the stick at any time during the flare. A varied pull is the way to go. The control forces in RVs are nearly negligible, so a mild "out of trim" condition is not fatiguing.

If you're trimming the plane out on short final to neutralize the pitch forces, you are bound to make a bad landing. The same holds true in formation flying. If, to make small changes in height, you have to alternate between PUSHING and PULLING on the stick, you are going to bobble...period! You want nose-down trim in there, so all you have to do is vary the pull.

I repeat...hear me now and believe me later. Try this and I guarantee you'll make smoother landings.

Can you give me some background on your plane?

RV-7, built between September 2001 and March 2004. 2060 construction hours. Deviated from the "standard" setup in a few areas (left hand throttle quadrant, AFP injection on a forward-facing sump, access panels in the front deck, custom filtered air box & ram air inlet, etc.), all of which dragged out the build process. First time builder. Slow build, tip-up, 200hp IO-360, Hartzell. Modest IFR semi-glass panel. Built to GO not to SHOW! 1200 hobbs hours on the airplane in under 3 years. Flown this airplane all around the US, Canada, and Mexico. 2007 will likely be a 500-hour year...got lots of trips planned! 150+ different passengers have gotten rides in this airplane.

Any other advice?

RV builders: get back to building...don't sweat the small stuff...keep it simple. Build it safely, but get it in the air! And bribe somebody to give you rides in an RV at least a few times a year.

RV pilots, give rides to builders. Go out and practice really slow flight & prolonged stalls (hold it in a full elevator stall for 10+ seconds keeping the nose straight) & lots of unusual attitudes. Take aerobatic/spin training if you haven't already. Try my tip about nose-down trim for landing. Practice touch & goes where you don't really touch...hold it 3' off the runway for 500+ feet then go around.

Stephen Fleming
Carlsbad, NM

Let me give you a little background first to put the answers in perspective. While I have USAF pilot time, I bowed out of that pilot training program in 1974 when there was a major push to reduce the officer ranks in the immediate post-Vietnam era. I was offered and accepted an early out (with 30 years hindsight perhaps not the smartest thing I ever did). Before doing that, I had completed the T-37 jet training and had accrued 15 hours in the T-38, though I never soloed the latter aircraft. So, upon leaving the USAF I had multi-engine, inline thrust and aerobatic time in complex, high performance aircraft. Leaving as I did, there were no ratings attained.

I did not pilot an aircraft for another 31.5 years, and had little time in any aircraft until December 2005, when I got somewhat serious about flying again (kids were nearly through college and I could see a clot beginning to form in the bleeding-money artery). I did the flight portion of a BFR at that time, but did not follow through with anything else and thus still was not current. Prior to that time a friend who was a partner at the time in a Piper PA-28, took me on several cross-country rides where I did the majority of flying at altitude, and was able to establish that I could at least still operate an aircraft reasonably well after so many years. This person eventually purchased a flying RV-6. Another friend was an RV-6 owner/builder. My first ride in his RV told me two things. First, this was the kind of aircraft to have.
Second, my impression of the RV performance is that it was the closest I'd ever again be to the jets. Not in speed, obviously, but in responsiveness and handling.

I flew for a number of hours in both these RV-6s, handling them at altitude and relearning some of the things I'd forgotten about flying.
Great fun. In the interim, I had been looking for an aircraft for about
3 years before I bought my flying RV-6A. In August 2006, I finally found one that was acceptable and made the purchase in September. Through sheer luck, Mike Seager had 3 days available in the middle of October and my new airplane was a mere 30 miles away.

With a purchase made, I needed to get current. I completed my BFR in a Diamond DA-20 due to similarity of layout to an RV. Of course the DA-20 floats like a sailplane when power is pulled and the RV doesn't. I did 4 hours of flight time for the BFR and 2 hours of ground, because I knew I needed it. Surprisingly, considering my long hiatus from flying, AIG only required me to have 3 hours of dual and 2 hours of solo before I carried passengers (I guess my USAF time helped with that). As with the BFR, I knew I need more time than what the insurance company required.
For that reason I took as much time as Seager had available, which worked out to about 7.5 hours of flight time and 2 hours of ground. Time and money very well spent. Needless to say, my practice in the two 6s at home definitely helped.

I then flew the plane home to NM on a 2-day 1300-mile trip. It was a real education in many ways. Since beginning the transition training with Seager, I have put only about 35 hours on the aircraft; less than I was anticipating. Part of this has been due to some abnormally ragged weather here and an equal or greater reason has been that I am in the process of selling my house and relocating east (and another very long cross-country flight). With that information, here are the answers, with some repetition from above.

I presume the information you are gathering is to be used in a statistical and educational sort of way. I'm not at all eager to be specifically associated with my comments, though nothing here is in any way private.

Richard Neeley

How was your transition training structured? (and with whom?)

I went out to Oregon to take instruction from Mike Seager. The plan was 2 flying sessions per day, over 3 days.

How many hours do you have in type and were you or have you been able to fly much while you've been building?

I had only the demo flight at Van's and a few rides in various RV's, but no formal instruction.

Did you have particular concerns about technique going into the training and if so, what in particular?

I had not flown a low wing plane, or a constant speed prop.

When you flew in an RV, did you find those concerns warranted?

No, flying was actually much easier than I had anticipated. I did have some difficulty co-coordinating takeoffs including keeping the nose light, and then easing the stick as I gathered speed.

Were there things you hadn't thought about that, once you were flying, you realized DID need more work?

General flying techniques, and more solo time.

Was there anything that surprised you -- good or bad -- about flying an RV?

It was easier than I had been led to believe.

Any advice on landing an RV? Can you walk me through it?

My airplane is a RV9-A, generally felt to be easy to fly. It is. The technique favored by Mike Seager is significantly different from most other pilots. As you likely know, he teaches a higher and faster approach, and emphasizes essentially a soft field technique.

Can you give me some background on your plane?

My plane is a RV9-A with a Lycoming 320, and hartzell CS prop. I am now flying in Colorado with field altitudes of 5400 ft. Performance is excellent.


Dave Parsons

For a time, a short time, I measured my building progress with Dave Parsons, who has one of the great Web sites of the RV generation at dualrudder.com. He was about 5 months ahead of me and if I kept it at that gap, I knew I was humming along. Now the gap is a couple of years, I figure. He's way ahead of me. Then again, who isn't?

I had a little trouble getting a hold of Mike just to set up the training. I tried email and phone. I think the phone ended up working better. He's a busy guy. I'll just ramble and hopefully hit all of your questions.

I tried to schedule my training so it would be close to the end of the project, but not so close that I'd be in the middle of crunch mode on the project. About a month from completion is what I was shooting for. Mike Seager is pretty booked up in the summer with 6 week lead times, plus he hits the big shows Oshkosh, Sun n Fun, and takes vacation in the fall. Winter is a little quieter for him, but the weather in Oregon is not as reliable. I scheduled 3 days with him figuring that at least 1 day would be worthless. Sure enough, on the night before I arrived there was a snow storm. We still managed to fly once the first day. Mike does flight training Wednesday through Friday and likes to schedule 2 sessions per day per student, either 8am and 1pm or 10am and 3pm. I had the later slots and a gentleman from Phoenix with a 9A had the earlier slots. My insurance company requires 5 hours of dual, so I was hoping to get in at least that much. Mike keeps the airplanes on a grass field in Vernonia, but does the training out of Scappoose with its 5100' hard surface runway. He has a -7 and a -6A, so he can accommodate nosewheel or tailwheel training. With my limited flying experience (140 hours in Cessna 172s), I had a lot to learn about these high-performance, low-wing, stick-controlled speed demons. My private pilot license is fairly new ( 2.5 years). I've been trying to fly while building, but ended up flying once a month on average with one long break of several months last winter.

On the first day we started with some ground discussions. He gave me the numbers (airspeed, altitude, RPM, manifold pressure, etc.) he suggests for take off, approach, landing, climb, and cruise. He also made some recommendations on slowing down before entering the pattern to match the speeds that are typically found out there. Entering the pattern at 180mph is going to cause some issues.

Since I had only flown fixed pitch before, he also covered the duality of the constant speed prop and how to increase and decrease power. It acts just like a fixed pitch prop below about 1800-2000 RPM. The throttle controls the RPM. Very easy for landing. Above that engine speed, you increase power by setting the mixture to rich, adjusting engine speed with the prop lever, and manifold pressure with the throttle. Decreasing power is the opposite, throttle then prop then lean the mixture. 2500 RPM and 25 inches of MP is good for climb, 2400/24 is high cruise, and 2300/23 is low cruise. I was expecting the extra lever to be a problem, but I quickly got the hang of it.

We were soon climbing into the venerable -6A with nearly 4000 hours on the tach. Mike handled all the navigating and radio work so I could concentrate on bonding with the plane. In the air he had me climb up to altitude and do some level turns, slow flight, and stalls.  That helped me get the feel for the aircraft. One thing I was surprised by was the effect of a large power reduction while cruising along. The CS prop really acts like a brake to the point where you slide forward in the seat a little bit. Very cool. I'm glad I went with the CS prop.

We then returned to the field for some landings. He did one and then helped me through a few more. The approach and landing picture is much different than a 172. You come in steep, level off close to the runway, bleed off some speed, flare to a hopefully soft touch down, and then keep back elevator pressure to keep weight off the nosewheel, the whole time keeping the nose pointed straight down the runway.

The first day of flying was an absolute blast. I've flown a couple of times in a friend's RV-7, but I still got a huge kick out of flying around in the -6A. However, there was a lingering doubt in the back of my mind that I'd gotten in a little too deep with this plane. The RV is a high performance machine. It was difficult to keep her on the center line during take off. I could understand the landings conceptually, but was having trouble putting it into practice. The RV is much less forgiving than the 172 which floats down on a huge cushion of ground effect.

The next day was mostly about landings with some slow flight and stalls thrown in for fun. By the third day, I was getting the plane onto the ground safely with a couple of really nice landings here and there. We also covered slips (nearly unnecessary with a constant speed prop), engine out landing (she drops quickly), no flaps, and some other variations on getting the plane down safely in less than ideal conditions. In the end Mike signed me off with just over 6 hours in the RV. By the end of training I was feeling much more confident and excited to get my project finished and into the air.

(I might have some of my facts mixed up her, but this is what I remember Mike saying as we chit-chatted during taxiing.) Mike mentioned that he started RV training when a friend of his wanted some help learning to fly his RV. He then started training a few other people although somewhat below the radar as experimental aircraft can't be used for flight training. After seeing the demand for RV training both from builders and the insurance companies, Vans got involved and convinced the FAA to designate one of their planes for training. Mike's been busy ever since training RV builders and buyers on how to safely fly the RV. The 6A that I flew has a constant speed prop, but he said he just sets it at 2300 RPM for fixed pitch folks and doesn't have them change it.

I'm hoping to get into the air next month, but I've just been really busy lately. The only way to get 'er done is one day at a time! It'll fly when the collection of parts is fully assembled and signed off.

Connecticut -- Fred Stucklen . Phone: (860)-727-2393
I've done a fair amount of transition training for those whom are looking for time in type for insurance reasons, as well as letting them get familiar with their own aircraft prior to flying it.. I'm not a CFI, but in most cases, their insurance companies will accept the guidance of a high time in-type pilot if you negotiate with them. I am doing this training because I'm a firm believer that homebuilders need this kind of guidance to keep us safe.

If they are purchasing a used RV, or have an RV who's test time has been flown off, we use their plane. Otherwise, I'll use my own plane. I put them into the left seat and keep them "honest" from the right seat. I always start out on the ground talking about the the flying performance characteristics of the RV: The lightness of the controls, how it feels if I'm also putting input into the controls from the right seat, what our pilot-to-pilot commands will be ("I have the Plane"). We talk about the takeoff roll and what the proper pitch attitude should be.

If they are a low time pilot, I'll usually get the plane into the air the first time. Otherwise, I'll let them perform the first takeoff with me aiding them as necessary to maintain safety.

For a person who has never flown an RV, the first flight can be intimidating, with a tendency for over- controlling the plane. Once we're safely into the air, I'll give full control to the pilot, allowing them to quickly get an idea of the control sensitivity. Those whom have flown RV's before are very quick to limit their control inputs. The "first timers" usually require additional input from me to limit their inputs.

The initial flight is all about learning to fly the RV. (I tell them that flying an RV is like getting out of a VW and into a Porsche!). I find that most pilots will always gain significant altitude in their initial first turns, and most don't know (because they were never taught) that attitude controls airspeed, and power controls rate of descent on approaches. Low time pilots have a lot of problems controlling the airspeed because they haven't mastered controlling the pitch. We'll also cover slow flight, stalls, glides and approach maneuvers at altitude before we do actual approaches and landings. We usually spend a lot of time mastering these concepts before we start making approaches and landings.

Once the flying part is mastered, we start doing the approaches. Sometimes a few misses are in order due to the the specific airport runway limitations (short) and the aircraft familiarization process.

I like picking airports with long runways so that the initial approaches are successful. Obviously, every landing requires a takeoff. Initial rotation pitch control, ground tracking, and climb outs are all covered.

All sorts of landing approaches are tried: power-on/off, full flap to no flap, short field, soft field, etc. When all of these are mastered such that no help is needed from me, then we will cover the aborted takeoff procedures. While I don't consider this to be a safe practice near the ground, I will demonstrate what I consider to be a save altitude to make a 180* turn back to the runway. I do have the pilot do these at a higher altitudes, noting the loss of altitude.

My goal is to have the pilot comfortable to perform the initial fights of his/her own plane. The only time I have failed to achieve this goal is with very low time pilots (100 Hrs or less), whom haven't flown much during the years of their building process. They usually are not able to maintain the required pitch authority in either the take off or landing configurations.

I'm located in Ct and am available for anyone in the New England/New York/New Jersey area

Florida - Jan Bussell (More)     

Florida: My name is Peter Burris-Meyer, and I own Tallon Aeromotive. See TALLONAER.COM. We do a fair quantity of RV training, transition and initial flight testing. If you see the web site you may recognize Bill Wright, the owner of the facilities in the Philippines where all of Van's Quick Builds have been made . William Davis is a 6-time RV builder and award winning craftsman and aerobatic pilot. We would be pleased to assist you in any way to enhance your enjoyment of this wonderful breed of aircraft. Don't miss a day, flying.

Georgia - Louisville (2J3). Pierre Smith. I give RV 6A/7A/8A/9A training in my 6A here in east central Georgia. Ran a dozen guys through here last year.
I'm located at Louisville, Ga (2J3). Day phone 478 625 3586

Texas: Alex De Dominicis provides training in an RV-10 and a RV-6. (More)

Other links:
SafeAir 1's traning directory
Sam Buchanan's article on transition training
Van's Aircraft article on transition training