Rv-4

[LesUyeda]

This started as a Great Planes kit:mad: :mad: :mad: . About the worst kit that I had built in ages. BUT I love:D the flying. It is about the most forgiving and easy to fly that I have built in a long time.

It weighs in at just 6 pounds and is running a Phasor 45/3 direct drive, 12 cells, and a 13 x 6 APC E prop.

Les

[Mike Parsons]

Great looking plane!

[buzzbomber]

Hi Les,

Nice plane! Could you tell me what you didn't like about the kit? I ask because I'm considering building the RV and powering it with an AXI 2826/10 on 12 cells for my first "big" electric. Any thoughts you have on the kit or other finished specs like all-up weight, etc would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

-Matt

[LesUyeda]

If you are considering getting a GP RV-4, you should read this thread. It is lengthy, but very educational, and you will get both sides of the story, not just mine. I am about post #25 on that thread.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_1276351/anchors_1276351/mpage_1/key_RV%252D4/anchor/tm.htm#1276351

Les

[buzzbomber]

Thanks for the link, Les. Seems like a lot of kits I've read about--not good enough to win everyone over, and not bad enough to scare everyone away, but somewhere in the middle......I think I'll have a look-see at that manual before I decide. I haven't built any kit from GP before, only Sig and a variety of cottage industries, so I'm sure it'll be different than I'm used to.

[LesUyeda]

I hope it helped some. I had other issues with the kit, but did not bother to list. The cutouts in the fuselage sides were oversized for 1/8 thick material, and the material was not even 1/8 thick, so made for very sloppy fit. The light ply was not consistent in thickness from sheet to sheet, nor even from one end of the sheet to the other. I used 1/16 sheeting for the top and bottom of the fuselage, did away with the wing sheeting, except for the leading edge to the spar, then spar caps. I lightened up the tail material, and opened up the cockpit so I did not have to remove the wing to replace batteries. As I said before, I love the way it flies, like on rails.

Correct that note on the wings. I am currently working on a Tom Hunt design Percival Mew Gull, and that is the one that I eliminated the sheeting. On the RV-4 I used 1/16 instead of 3/32.

Les