RV-6/6A
The side-by-side RV-6 and its cousin, the
tricycle gear RV-6A were introduced in 1986 and soon became the
best-selling kit aircraft to date. We spent time with many
RV-6/6A builders and listened carefully to what they liked and
didn’t like about their airplanes. We acquired better tools
and manufacturing capability, including digitally controlled
punch presses. After fifteen years, we found we had the ability
and knowledge to build a little better airplane and a far
superior kit.
So we did. In 2001, the RV-6/6A was
replaced by the RV-7/7A.
Van’s continues to supply kits and parts
to thousands of builders who are finishing RV-6/6As. New ones
still fly with regularity. The information below is interesting
history, but if you’re looking for Van’s current
side-by-side sport aerobatic airplane, click
here to read about the RV-7/7A.
History of the RV-6/6A
Soon after the RV-4 proved that a two seat RV was a
practical and exciting airplane, prospective customers
began asking for a side-by-side RV.
When the demand became too big to ignore, Van went
back to the drafting board. Initially, he was reluctant,
because he felt that a wider, and inevitably heavier,
airplane would suffer in comparison to the sleek
centerline seating airplanes. It wasn’t long before
his quest for optimization surfaced again. Using what
he’d learned from the RV-3 and RV-4, and striving in
every way he knew to avoid losing performance, he
designed the RV-6.
He
made it 43 inches wide and gave it a generous baggage
compartment behind the seats. The wing on the RV-4
worked so well that there was no point in changing it,
so he didn’t. The canopy was a forward opening bubble
that closed almost seamlessly and, like all RVs, the
visibility was superb. The landing gear was the same
tailwheel arrangement that had worked so well on the
RV-3 and RV-4. Since a side-by-side airplane was more
likely to be flown cross-country, the fuel capacity was
increased.
The RV-6 made its first flight in 1985. When all the
flight testing was done, Van was delighted to find that
despite the wide fuselage, it was only three miles per
hour slower than the RV-4! The handling qualities and
STOL characteristics were so close that a pilot who
couldn’t see the altered visual picture caused by
sitting off the centerline probably couldn’t tell the
RV-4 and RV-6 apart.
One
limit to RV sales had always been the fact that they
were all tailwheel airplanes. They had no nasty habits
and in many ways were easier to fly and land than many
production tailwheel aircraft, but there was no denying
that many prospective customers had never had the chance
to even try a tailwheel and were reluctant to plunge
into building one.
Installing a nose wheel solved the problem. The RV-6A
featured a very simple tricycle gear, with steel rod
main gear legs and a free castoring nosewheel. The
nosegear leg was supported by the steel engine mount and
required no complicated steering mechanisms or shock
absorbers. The modification resulted in very little
weight gain and almost negligible performance loss…in
fact; it is not unusual for a given trigear RV-6A to be
slightly lighter and faster than a specific RV-6.
Landing and taxi became easier than ever.
After
the RV-6A was flying, Van’s designed another major
change. A sliding canopy became an option on both the
RV-6 and RV-6A. This proved very popular in hot
climates, where long taxis under a burning sun could
become very uncomfortable. Sliding the canopy back and
hanging an elbow over the rail made the pilot cool two
ways! Because the tail and wings are identical on the
RV-6 and RV-6A, a customer can build a great deal of the
airplane before committing to a landing gear or canopy
design.
