Vans RV9/9A

The RV-9/9A is designed to be an easy-to-fly, economical, versatile sportplane.That’s not too surprising, since all previous Van’s airplanes, including the the RV-4, RV-6, RV-7, and RV-8 are versatile, economical sportplanes, too. But with the RV-9A Van’s has chosen to view the words the versatile and the economical from a new perspective.

To some, the RV-9/9A seems to be a “downward shift” from previous RVs. We don’t see it that way. Van’s has always striven for “Total Performance”; the ability to do as many things as possible well. But all airplanes are compromises, and no matter how versatile, each is biased toward a particular “mission.” We have noticed that blazing speed and “wring-it-out” aerobatics are not primary interests for many pilots. Their day-to-day flying consists of local trips and short cross-countries, with only occasional long flights. The RV-9/9A was designed to do its best in this environment. The performance it provides is useable every day. It’s so easy to fly that low time pilots can make a quick and painless transition. Its short field performance permits it to easily use all the “fun” airports around. When it’s time for that long cross-country, the RV-9/9A will get you there and back almost as quickly as many of the “go-fast” designs. What sets the RV-9/9A apart from other RV designs? The most obvious change is the new wing. It is longer and narrower than the wings of the RV-4/6/8 series, and uses a new Roncz airfoil. While the enlarged wing area at 124 square feet is only 12% greater, the span has been increased by 5 ft. The flaps are a long span, slotted, high lift design that allows the airplane to land slower than many primary trainers.

The fuselage is nearly identical to the cabin of the RV-7/7A airplane with the only difference being the wing attach points. A simplified constant-chord horizontal tail is employed, while the vertical tail surfaces are larger than those of other RVs.

The RV-9/9A’s efficient airframe does not need a lot of power to perform well. The increased wing span provides a better span loading, which means that it will climb well on low power and glide a long way. (Think of the long slender wings on the most efficient airplanes of all…high performance gliders.) Low overall drag means a smaller engine can pull it along at relatively high top speeds, or, more practically, at useful cruise speeds using little fuel. We demonstrated this when we chose a 118 HP Lycoming (the same engine used in the Cessna 152) to power our prototype. The result is an efficient airplane with excellent short field capability, respectable cruise speed, and good fuel economy. But we also engineered the airframe to accept the 160 HP Lycoming O-320. With this kind of power, the RV-9/9A becomes a real performance tiger! Higher speeds and climb rates are available without sacrificing low speed performance or handling. Think of it as another demonstration of the RV-9/9A's versatility...you can tailor it to fit your wants and needs.


Big slotted flaps and generous wing area let the RV-9/9A land slow and very short.

RV-9 Specifications
Exterior Dimensions
Span 28 ft
Length 20 ft 5 in
Height 6 ft 
Wing Area 124 sq ft
Weights
Empty Weight  1015 - 1057 lbs
Gross Weight  1600 - 1750 lbs
Loadings
Wing Loading  12.9  - 14.1lb/sq ft
Power Loading 13.6 - 10.9 lb/hp 
Powerplant/Systems
Engine 118 -160 hp
Propeller  Fixed or C/S
Fuel Capacity 36 US gal
Other
Baggage  (118, 160hp) 75 lbs
RV-9A Specifications  trigear
Exterior Dimensions
Span 28 ft
Length 20 ft 5 in
Height 7 ft 10 in
Wing Area 124 sq ft
Weights
Empty Weight  1028 - 1075 lbs
Gross Weight  1600 - 1750 lbs
Loadings
Wing Loading (118, 160hp) 12.9 - 14.1 lb/sq ft
Power Loading 13.6 -10.9 lb/hp 
Powerplant/Systems
Engine 118 -160 hp
Propeller  Fixed or C/S
Fuel Capacity 36 US gal
Other
Baggage  (118, 160hp) 75 lbs

Performance figures for 135hp engine are estimates.

RV-9 Performance
Solo Weight 1350 lbs
Gross Weight 1600 - 1750 lbs
118 hp 135 hp* 160 hp
Empty weight and performance measured with fixed pitch propeller
Speed - Solo Weight
Top Speed 173 mph 180 mph 197 mph
Cruise [75% @ 8000 ft] 167 mph 175 mph 189 mph
Cruise [55% @ 8000 ft] 151 mph 158 mph 169 mph
Stall Speed 44 mph 44 mph 44 mph
Speed - Gross Weight
Top Speed 172 mph 178 mph 196 mph
Cruise [75% @ 8000 ft] 166 mph 174 mph 188 mph
Cruise [55% @ 8000 ft] 150 mph 157 mph 168 mph
Stall Speed 48 mph 49 mph 50 mph
Ground Performance - Solo Weight
Takeoff Distance 350 ft 325 ft 300 ft
Landing Distance 250 ft 275 ft 300 ft
Ground Performance - Gross Weight
Takeoff Distance 525 ft 500 ft 475 ft
Landing Distance 355 ft 410 ft 450 ft
Climb/Ceiling - Solo Weight
Rate of Climb 1,200 fpm 1,450 fpm 2,000 fpm
Ceiling 17,500 ft 20,500 ft 24,500 ft
Climb/Ceiling - Gross Weight
Rate of Climb 1,000 fpm 1,150 fpm 1,400 fpm
Ceiling 14,500 ft 16,000 ft 19,000 ft
Range
Range [75% @ 8000 ft] 875 sm 745 sm 710 sm
Range [55% @ 8000 ft] 1,035 sm 910 sm 860 sm
RV-9A Performance
Solo Weight 1350 lbs
Gross Weight 1600 - 1750 lbs
118 hp 135 hp* 160 hp
Empty weight and performance measured with fixed pitch propeller
Speed - Solo Weight
Top Speed 171 mph 178 mph 195 mph
Cruise [75% @ 8000 ft] 165 mph 173 mph 187 mph
Cruise [55% @ 8000 ft] 149 mph 156 mph 167 mph
Stall Speed 44 mph 44 mph 44 mph
Speed - Gross Weight
Top Speed 170 mph 176 mph 194 mph
Cruise [75% @ 8000 ft] 164 mph 172 mph 186 mph
Cruise [55% @ 8000 ft] 148 mph 155 mph 166 mph
Stall Speed 48 mph 49 mph 50 mph
Ground Performance - Solo Weight
Takeoff Distance 350 ft 325 ft 300 ft
Landing Distance 250 ft 275 ft 300 ft
Ground Performance - Gross Weight
Takeoff Distance 525 ft 500 ft 475 ft
Landing Distance 375 ft 410 ft 450 ft
Climb/Ceiling - Solo Weight
Rate of Climb 1,150 fpm 1,400 fpm 1,900 fpm
Ceiling 17,000 ft 20,000 ft 24,500 ft
Climb/Ceiling - Gross Weight
Rate of Climb 950 fpm 1,100 fpm 1,400 fpm
Ceiling 14,000 ft 15,500 ft 18,500 ft
Range
Range [75% @ 8000 ft] 865 sm 735 sm 700 sm
Range [55% @ 8000 ft]
 
1025 sm
 
900 sm
 
850 sm