Photograph:
Vans RV-9A VH-YWG (c/n 91058) at Narromine NSW in October 2016 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Two-seat light sport monoplane
Power Plant:
One 88 kw (118 hp) Textron Lycoming O-235-L2C four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.53 m (28 ft)
- Length: 6.22 m (20 ft 5 in)
- Height: 1.83 m (6 ft)
- Wing area: 11.52 m² (124 sq ft)
- Max speed: 315 km/h (196 mph)
- Cruising speed at 75% power: 303 km/h (188 mph)
- Stalling speed flaps down: 81 km/h (50 mph)
- Max rate of climb at sea level: 427 m/min (1,400 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 5,790 m (19,000 ft)
- Range at 75% power: 1,142 km (710 miles)
- Empty weight: 476 kg (1,050 lb)
- Loaded weight: 793 kg (1,750 lb)
History:
One of the range of very successful light homebuilt monoplanes produced by Vans at Oregon in the United States, the prototype of the series, the RV-9A (N96VA) with a tricycle undercarriage was first flown in 1997. This model basically used the fuselage of the RV-6T but had new wings. However, the prototype was lost in an accident on 2 April 2000 and a second prototype was built, true to the RV-9A standard (N129RV), and this was flown on 15 June 2000. Kits began to be supplied to dealers in 2000 and the first RV-9 [tailwheel configuration] N179RV was first flown on 4 March 2002.
Normally the 88 kw (118 hp) Textron Lycoming O-235-L2C engine was installed, but the second prototype had a 119 kw (160 hp) Textron Lycoming O-320-D3G; and engines in the 81 kw (108 hp) to 119 kw (160 hp) range could be fitted. Aircraft construction was aluminium monocoque with conventional flush-riveting. The undercarriage was fixed and was a tapered steel rod with a wheel on each rod.
The RV-9 series is said to be easy to build, has good handling and performance, and is able to operate out of short strips. More than 10,000 Vans kits have been sold over the years. A number of kits have been imported to this region, one of the first being an RV-9A VH-SOZ (c/n 90791) completed at Albany, WA and registered in May 2004, followed by VH-IXV (c/n 90722), VH-RUP (c/n 90506), VH-DRV (c/n 90494), VH-VSG (c/n 90779) etc.
One example completed in New South Wales was unusual in being fitted with a WAM-120 three-cylinder turbo-diesel which provided 90 kw (120 hp). In January 2017 it made a flight from the Illawarra Regional Airport at Albion Park, NSW to Tyabb, VIC. The engine used conventional fuel blended with ten per cent of fuel manufactured from plastic waste. This was part of what was called the OWOW project – On the Wings of Waste Project. The flight was a ”proving flight” tried out by Jeremy Rowsell who had been inspiring people to recycle plastic, and at the same time sought to transform waste from a pollutant to a viable alternative for Jet A-1 fuel that could be used in any diesel engine.