SEE THE PROJECT PAGE FOR THE LATEST UPDATES!
http://websites.expercraft.com/geprevo/?q=project

I'm finally pursuing a long term dream of mine. I'm building an airplane! I'm building a Van's RV-8a, which is a two seat (tandem) all metal airplane. It's fast, will work out of short fields, and is capable of more aerobatics than I am. For more info go to: http://www.vansaircraft.com/

The "a" at the end of the model number means I'm building the tricycle geared variant. That has been an interesting decision for me: I learned to fly in taildraggers, and still have more tail-wheel time than I do nose-gear time. Here's why I made this decision.

1. Although I really enjoy taildraggers, I haven't found them to be drastically more fun than nosedraggers. Tailwheels belong on classic tube-and-fabric aircraft, but putting one on a modern airplane is trying to make it something it's not.

2. I talked to many builders at a local fly-in. Several said that after living with the plane for awhile, that they wished they had built the tricycle geared variant.

3. I intend to use this plane extensively for travel. Having a nose wheel reduces the stress and workload on an already fatigued pilot at an unfamiliar airport.

4. There is very little speed penalty imposed by Van's well-faired nosewheel (2 statute mph). Because of their small, well-faired wheels, stock RVs don't really like rough fields. So there's not a rough field advantage to the taildragger either.

5. RV's maximum angle of attack is steeper than the ground stance of the taildragger. This means that (theoretically) the nose-geared variant can land shorter and take off quicker as it can handle a steeper angle-of-attack on the ground without the tailwheel in the way. I'm hoping never to have to cut it close enough to test this theory.

I reserved my N number today! My first choice was N678PR. I have ~90% chance of getting it and will know for sure in about 3 weeks. P and R are the first letters of my last name and my wife's maiden name respectively. Our last name begins with PR, so it works well that way too. The number had to end in 8--that's what I'm building! I thought the chance at sequential numbers was too cool to pass up. Silly, I know, but I've been dreaming of this for a long while!

You can look up available N-numbers here:
http://162.58.35.241/acdatabase/acmain.htm

You can reserve an N-number for $10/year here:
http://162.58.35.241/e.gov/NN/resreqform.asp

I couldn't be doing this without the support, sacrifice, and help of my wife, Merideth.

When I announced that I had bitten the bullet and bought my empennage kit, my wife's parents presented me with a check to put towards the project. That’s what I ended up buying most of my airplane tools with. Thanks Tom and Carol!

If you would like to reach me with questions, etc. My email address is speed3guy at comcast dot net. The desert climbing photos are by ERKLE.