I finally got to ride in an RV8 last week, thanks to Tom Porta
Mixed emotions! The backseat is tight. It was cold out. Had heard that the backseat is drafty. I was quite comfortable - no draft that I noticed.
Flying was the real high... The plane climbs like crazy - even starting from a 5000' field. In the back, I had no instruments, so it was all seat-of-the-pants. I was pleased to put it into a 15 degree pitch up and it just settled in for a climb. Not many prop airplane can do that.
I really liked the stick response. It has authority, but isn't twitchy. I rolled into a 45 then into a 60 degree bank turn. The plane just went where I wanted.
Tom didn't put in the rear rudder pedals - said I wouldnt need them. He was quite right. The plane had zero adverse yaw.
Tom is building his third RV8. After the flight, he took me to his hanger to look at the latest project. I got a number of questions answered.
Overall, a great day... I am encouraged and ready to go back to work.
