General Description
The RV-10 is a low wing airplane with a fixed
tricycle landing gear
(no tailwheel or retractable options are planned). It uses slotted
flaps and mass-balanced control surfaces. The primary structure is
aluminium with a composite cabin top and doors.
Engines the RV-10 is designed to accept
The six cylinder (I)O-540 Lycoming. The prototype
has the maximum acceptable 260 hp version. Other engines from
200-260 hp might be adapted, but current kits are designed around
the six cylinder Lycoming.
Performance
Sufficient power and an excellent wing give the
RV-10 very good performance. Tests of N410RV, our RV-10 prototype,
revealed some impressive numbers.
Flown at 2200 lbs, representing a typical
two-people-and-three-quarters-fuel weight, it achieved a take-off
distance of 360’ and a landing distance of 525’. The climb rate
averaged about 1700 fpm. At 75% power and 8000’, true airspeed
topped the magic 200 mph mark...actually, it was 201 smph.
The Cabin
Gull-wing doors let occupants board from both
sides. A large baggage door provides access to the aft cabin.
Special Oregon Aero impact-absorbing front seats are standard.
Controls are ball bearing/pushrod assemblies wiggled by conventional
between-the-knees sticks on both sides. Removable rear seatbacks
allow two people to travel with lots of baggage. With rear
seats installed, the cabin will accommodate four adults, up to 6’4"
in the front and about 6’ 2" in the rear.
Kits
RV-10 Standard Kits will be similar to current two-seat RV kits:
a four-kit sequence of Empennage, Wing, Fuselage and Finishing Kit.
In the case of the RV-10, the Empennage Kit also
includes the fuselage tailcone. Wing kits include all the components
for the wing panels, ailerons and flaps. Composite wingtips are
moulded to accept streamlined lenses around position/strobe lights.
The Fuselage Kit contains all the components between the tailcone
and the firewall It includes the composite cabin top, moulded in one
piece from high strength composites and including the necessary
recesses for the doors and windows. The door and window components
will be part of the Finishing Kit, along with cowlings, landing gear
and fairings. Like all current RVs, the aluminium parts are fully
"matched-hole." Steel assemblies, like engine mounts and landing
gear supports, are all welded, powder-coated and ready to install.
QuickBuild Kits will be available in mid-to-late
2004. We project that these will reduce building times by about 35%.
Partial QB kits (QB wing, QB fuselage), and some other options are
in the planning stages.
How much will it cost to build and fly?
We expect that a new RV-10 with a mid-time engine
should cost less than most used production airplanes of comparable
performance — many of which are now 35-40 years old. There is, of
course, no fair comparison to new factory airplanes of similar
performance – an RV-10 built of entirely new components will cost
far less than anything on the market today, but you can’t simply buy
one and fly it away. The RV-10 should compare very favourably with
any four-place kit airplane on the market, in both performance and
cost-to-build. Like other RV models, the finished cost is largely
determined by decisions made by the builder.
The RV-10 is a different kind of airplane than
any previous RV, cost estimates will vary even more than usual. We
estimate that an RV-10 built from a standard kit, using a new engine
and prop and a VFR panel (in other words, much like our prototype)
will cost $90-100,000. The same airplane with a good used engine,
used avionics and similar cost-saving measures might cost around
$70,000.