Start or Join an RVN Fighter or Bomber Group in Your Area

Why Start an RVN Fighter or a Bomber Group

Relive the glorious days of yester-year and honor the members of your WWII Fighter or Bomber Group at the same time. We love to fly our "little fighter planes" every chance we get. What better way to live the "grass roots of aviation" and to grow the interest of building and flying RV's than to have a blast being a Weekend Warrior, reliving the magnificent flying "missions" as your RV group flies out on designated weekends to invade the establishments of the "Hundred Dollar Hamburgers", all the while learning about and honoring those who preceded you in the days of WWII. Why start a Fighter or Bomber Group? Because it's all about the "Grass Roots of Flying", builds camaraderie and friendships, helps give RV builders more incentive to complete their projects, gives back to our community by honoring those service men and women that preceded us.....and it's fun!!  



​How to Start an RVN Fighter or a Bomber Group​

It’s very easy to start a Fighter or a Bomber Group in your area!  The most important things you need are a genuine love for RV's, enthusiasm, camaraderie, an interest in the Grass Roots of Aviation and the desire to share this interest with other people in your community.  Your first step is to bring together just ten people interested in Van's Aircraft RV's.  Members of your Fighter or Bomber Group must also be members of RV Nation.  

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Next, just click on either the Fighter Group or the  Bomber Group tabs to the left and fill out the form email: ​Start Fighter Group​​​​​​ or Start Bomber Group. RV Nation will then contact you to take a few minutes to learn more about your local RV aviation interests, discuss the formation process and review the contents of our Fighter or Bomber kit.​ It's that simple! Don't just sit around the hangar and hangar talk, start a Fighter or Bomber Group today, and lead your squadron of RV's on weekly missions of fun!

Builder Tip - Building an Extended RV4 Baggage Compartment

After about a year of flying my RV4 and being frustrated that I couldn't carry anything in the baggage compartment for being too small, I decided to finally do something about it. I had heard that many builders had taken the rear baggage compartment bulkhead out and continued the baggage compartment back to the rear of the plane. So, this is what I set out to do.

There were many things to think about when making a change like this, the biggest of course it a weight and balance issue is created. I started thinking about when I travelled, what were the items that I could not fit into my RV? The heavier luggage I never had any difficulty with, because it always was stored in the larger bin area behind the rear seat. But once that area was full, things like pillows, sleeping bags, my 2 person tent, and extra pair of shoes, and things of that nature were the items that would not fit.

These items were not really heavy. If I were to place my pillow and the far aft of the plane, followed by my sleeping bag, then the tent, and all the other stuff being lose, more towards the front, that would put all light stuff in the rear of the plane and all heavier stuff towards the front. Hmmm, sounds like it could work. But the wise thing to do at this point, would be to calculate the weight and balance for the aircraft, and then calculate what the extended baggage compartment would do to the weight and balance. Then, if everything was ok, determine the limitations.

So, that is what was done. Here are the calculations with the added extended baggage compartment.

Notice for the ARM I used 165 for the extended baggage compartment. I used this number because there was no way all the weight of an item placed back there would be at the 170 mark. Therefore, moving the center of the possible furthest aft weight up to the 165 mark seemed more plausible. I used all weights at their maximum to see what it would do to my CG, and as you can tell, the CG still was at 73, well within limits. I very rarely, if ever, carried bags that weighed 50 pounds, and never in my life carried a pillow that weighed 15 pounds.

So, now that the numbers were acceptable, what about the construction of the extended baggage compartment? I removed the aft baggage compartment bulkhead. This provided access to the rear of the plane.

Some things to consider at this point were....1) I did not want to build anything that would hinder the operation of the control rods for the elevators, 2) I still wanted to have access to all moving parts in the rear of the plane for inspection purposes, 3) I did not want to hinder the static ports that were located above the longerons in the next bay back.

Taking all of these things into consideration, I proceeded to make a shelf out of aluminum sheet that was braced with stiffeners, the same way we stiffened the control surfaces like the rudder and the elevators.  This worked out nicely. Then I riveted a brace to the further aft bulkhead so that it would hold the new shelf in place. Fitting my body back into the baggage compartment was a real challenge, and on the more-times-than-not occasion that I squeezed myself back into that God forsaken hole, just to realize that I had forgotten a tool, I became very good at waiting for the next passer-by to hand me my tools.

I drilled holes into the longerons and bolted the sides of the extended baggage compartment to them, so that I could remove them later for inspections. Once everything was bolted in place, the last piece of the puzzle had to be installed. There was still a gaping hole at the rear bulkhead where baggage, shoes, or anything else I could have back there, could find its way to hinder the movement of the elevator control rod. I considered how I was going to close this area up for sometime, as climbing back into that abyss was not desirable, as well as resting my 200 pounds on that shelf would not be favorable as well. I decided upon a better route. I purchased a 3 inch piece of foam, and made a pillow out of it that who fit very snugly into place at the rear bulkhead. The pillow could not be pushed through the hole, as it was a firm foam. I put the same material on it as my seats, and decided to embroider my seat logo on it as well just to give it that personal touch. It worked like a charm and was super easy to install, requiring just a broom handle to push it into place.

Carpeting on the new shelf helped to dampen the noise coming from the back of the plane, and helped to make it more esthetic.

Here is a picture of the finished product for my extended baggage compartment.

My new extended baggage compartment turned out really nicely. With all the added space, I could easily carry a set of golf clubs (accept I don't golf), but more apres peau, I could carry my gas powered Go-ped scooter strapped in place, so that I had cool transportation when I arrived at my destination.

I hope that this helps you with building an extended baggage compartment in your plane, but I will also strongly advise that you calculate the weight and balance numbers on your plane first, as all experimental planes are different.

Happy building!

-- Buzz --

Builder Tip - Tailwheel Chains Adjustment

If you are using chains for your rudder to tailwheel linkages, this is a good way to adjust them so that you get a good and proper tension on both sides. This builder tip was given by Ron Sutton, RV4 builder and flyer.

When hooking up the two tailwheel chains, no matter how they fit, one side is loose and the other side is too tight. Add a link to the tight side to make both sides loose. Take an awl and push it into the round   part of each link and slightly spread the link apart. Do this to all the links until the slack is eliminated on both chains, and making it so that both chains don't exert any pressure on the return springs. Check the alignment of the rudder against the center line of the aircraft and the tailwheel itself. To fine tune the alignment, squeeze the links on the tight side, or spread the links on the loose side. This way you will have 100% travel of the rudder and the tailwheel in unison on the ground.

"Yaw String"

RV-Nation's Year In Review

I would have to say that 2012 was really an incredible year. When I first decided to write this post, I was not so sure about that. But when I started thinking about all the things that have been accomplished, and the people that I have met, I realized that this year was something of a standout.

I have had a blast creating the idea of establishing a "Grass Roots" family of RVers that fly together, start new friendships based on a common ground, and do things that are exciting and fun, and at the same time, give back to our community. RV Nation has been a blast to develop.

Since the idea was implemented, the following things have been accomplished:

   1) I have met some really fun and incredible people along the way, like Bill Englert and Sheryl Booth. I visited them at their airpark in Advance, NC and got a chance to see their beautiful RV4 and their very cool hangar which housed the window section of an airliner as the windows in Bill's office. Wow! I want one of those!

  2) I met Jim Booth from Hickory, NC, who donated a fuselage jig for my son's RV4, and a wing stand as well. He and I enjoyed a leisurely lunch at the Hickory Airport together and had a chance to talk some RV-talk, and then he showed me his newly built RV4. And so many others! It has been a pleasure to meet you all!

  3) 298 core people have joined RV Nation on Facebook, and contribute ideas and thoughts on a daily basis. It is great to see all the enthusiasm and to see their RV projects progress daily as they post pictures on the site.

  4) Our new website, RV-Nation, was built, and is growing quickly. I have found that it is difficult to build a website that people want to go see on a daily basis and contribute their ideas to it as well. Making the RV Nation the kind of site that all RVers will want to visit often continues to be my goal, and I think will take the thoughts and input of many rather than just me. And I am ok with that, because after all, the whole idea is to bring RVers together.

  5) One of the coolest things that is on the RV Nation site is the RVN Fighter and Bomber Groups. The idea was established after thinking about EAA Groups. I have been to many EAA group meetings and have been a member of a few EAA Chapters as well. A whole lot of talking and not much doing! Now, I know that this may not be the case for all EAA Chapters, but for the many that I have been to, it certainly was. Hardly any building happening, hardly any flying on a regular basis happening, and when the meeting was over, everyone went their separate ways, not to see each other again until the next month, when we did it all over again. Just wasn't my idea of fun. Then I talked with Mike Brewster out of Sacramento, CA. He told me of a group of people he was friends with that all had RVs and would all go out and fly to a designated restaurant every weekend. I thought, "How cool is that?" That sounds like a lot of fun. So, I began to think of some ways that I could implement something like that, and make it even more fun.

I began to look at Team Aerodynamix, formerly Team RV. Folks, they are having the times of their lives. They all dress the part, fly their planes, meet their fans, give back to their community, and are becoming celebrities in so doing. Then the idea came to me. Not everyone feels comfortable flying formation flying. But everyone loves to fly their RVs in a group. I came up with the idea of establishing Fighter Groups and Bomber Groups so that owners of RVs can establish them in their area, attract other  RVers, and begin to establish a camaraderie of RV friends. The Fighter Groups and the Bomber Groups are named after the actual Groups from WWII. I have attached the history of the group to the Group number on the RV Nation site.  So, at the same time we are flying our RVs around the country, we are honoring the people that were in the actual WWII Fighter or Bomber Group before us at the same time. We can take it as far as we'd like. Just like Team Aerodynamix has and a few other formation groups have done as well, the RV Nation Fighter Groups and Bomber Groups can be a recognizable entity of RVers that fly together, have established good friendships and are there for one another, and gives back to their community as well. All it takes is participation and enthusiasm.

  6) This year we held our first RV Nation fly-in at the Deerfield Resort in Tennessee. We had over 60 people in attendance. 18 RVs flew in for the event and enjoyed some very good BBQ and listened to some music provided by Shake Ragg. It was a gorgeous day to fly, and the weather was perfect. The RVs were beautiful, all shined up. Many thanks to all that came, it was a lot of fun seeing and meeting you all.

  7) My son decided that he wanted to build an RV4 this year. That was an extremely exciting day for me too as I have been building for a very long time. I built planes with my dad years ago, and it was some of the most memorable times being their with him. I know how the attention span is for a teenager, so I did not expect my son to stay as enthused as I am about building. So, I started talking about his interest in building a plane and showed some pictures of his plane going together to some members of my class at school, and found that their were many kids that were interested in that kind of thing as well. Most of the kids in my class are 12 through 14 years old, a little young for building planes. But not too young for developing interest in aviation. My wife and I decided to implement STEM camps this summer to introduce kids to building and testing projects. Through camps like this, kids will learn basic intrinsic mathematical skills to construct bottle rockets, mousetrap vehicles, elastic gliders and other fun things to compete with at the end of the day. Should be a blast for the kids as well as a stepping stone for those that want to take it to the next level and get into building actual airplanes.

  8) My Harmon Rocket progress continues. It has been a long and arduous build. I have someone building it for me at this time, but that is going to change soon. I miss the times building and creating my plane, and want to have it back so that I can continue the build to its completion. The fuel tanks are completed and the wings are being buttoned up. I am ready to start the fuselage here in North Carolina.

  9) This year saw the development and completion of something I have wanted to do for a very long time. I have never liked the looks of the old standard pitot tubes used on almost every plane out there. I think they are uglier than ugly. And since we build our planes with the utmost of care and custom design everything we can, I decided to finally design a new pitot tube that will be used on my Harmon Rocket and my son's RV4. I bought a B-1 Bomber pitot tube off the internet, took some measurements, and proceeded to build my pitot tube. After 3 iterations of designs, the final product was realized. And I have to say, it really looks good!

  10) I leave the best accomplishment for last. In a world where so many evil and horrific things happen, it is so very nice to be a part of a community of RVers that are all such incredible people. I have met many of you in person, and many more through chatting on Facebook. It is such a pleasure to call you all friends. I look forward to hearing all your stories and accomplishments, seeing the first flights, flying with you all, and most importantly, growing in RV friendship style as the new year approaches.

Yes, this year has been a good one, and I am eagerly looking forward to next year. Thank you all for being the best RV community in the world. With 2012 coming to a close, and 2013 almost here, my family and I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Let's make 2013 the best ever! All it takes is participation and enthusiasm. I'll see you all there!

--Buzz--