Transition Training

A couple of weeks ago my family flew out to Vernonia, OR so that I could fly 3 days with Mike Seager. I know this sounds a little bit crazy, but up until this point I have never flown nor sat in an RV-10. I have gotten a bunch of crap on that, but for me the 10 was a pretty easy decision. I was looking to build so that I knew how every single airplane system and control (at least in the plane that I was flying) worked. On top of that I wanted something safe, fast, 4 seater with a good user following. Also, at this point I am 2 years and 2000 hours into the build. If I don't like how this thing flys, well, its too late for that ;)

N220RV. The funny thing about this plane is that I was supposed to fly with Mitch in this 3 years ago when he was on the East Coast and I was debating building a 10. At the time, Mitch was going through a panel upgrade, and then he ended up taking the Vans HQ job and moved West. I guess now is as good as time as any to fly 220RV.


Mike has access to a bunch of RVs!


I knew this was a grass strip, but it really is a grass strip! All of my soft field "training" has always been simulated soft field.


I didn't take too many photos of the actual training. We did take this one of Mt Saint Helens though!

 

So what did I learn? With my mission being that I am doing the final layout and setup of my interior and engine, are there things I do or don't want?

1. Seat Belt holder - I know this is a silly easy add, but an overhead hook to hold the front seat seat belts was a nice to have in 220RV.
2. Yaw Damper - I have gone back and forth on this. I decided to put the brackets in as I was building, but I was not sure if I was going to put a yaw damper in. I honestly think that out of all the planes I have flown (not a lot), the 10 had a tail that likes to yaw a lot. Maybe it was the wind. Maybe it was my justification for buying more Garmin stuff. The short of it is that I am putting a yaw damper in my 10 for the sake of my rear passengers (my daughter and my dog).
3. Flaps - The Dynon and Flap switch that was in 220RV was weird. The up position in the flaps was reflex. I couldn't or didn't want to get used to this. Up to me should be 0 degrees with reflex being an additional motion you do in cruise. When I got home I found in the VPX-Pro manual that the flap switch (momentary up and momentary down) default setting is to when you hit "UP" move to the 0 setting and while at 0 if you hit up again, -3. That to me makes sense.
4. Doors handle - The stock door handles are ok. What is not okay are those stock wonky safety latches. I ended up with a full plane around 180 degree kit, center cams, and low profile latches. I like my decision on that.
5. Overhead air - The front NACA vents do a good job of keeping your man parts well ventilated. The stock airframe is missing some air for your face.