Can anyone give me some info on these planes, ive flown in one and they seem really cool! But i dont know how they are as a pilots plane. I have no time behind the wheel.

Thank You

Mike

Never seen one with bush wheels

A guy at my airport built a single-seat Harmon Rocket, either an RV3 or RV4 (can't recall which) with a 200hp IO-360. It kicked ass-- extremely short takeoff, steep climb, very fast. Not so short landing but not bad, but definitely a pavement machine. He had been building a Harmon Rocket 2 for several years when he passed away from cancer-- 2 seats, IO-540 Lycoming. Another local guy bought it & is close to finishing it. It oughta be even more impressive than the first one.

It'll depend on what you want to do with it.

It'll have a ton of get up and go, just like Eric/Hotrod150 says. That said, I know of a guy who upgraded from his RV-4 and regretted it -- ended up selling the Rocket and buying another RV-4.

Here was his deal -- he flies a lot with a bunch of RV owners locally (including my RV-4 partner). They do a lot of formation work, and occasionally rat-race and dogfight. In formation aerobatics, and hard turns in the rat-racing and dogfighting, the shorter wing and higher weight of the Rocket led him to bleed so much energy that he was worse off than his buddies in straight RVs, even though he had the power advantage. You could argue that he could have solved that by flying the airplane differently, but he just wasn't happy. Got rid of it and got another -4.

Now, that's a pretty particular niche. I'd LOVE to go for a Harmon or F-1 Rocket, but the money rules it out, and my rat-racing (former fighter pilot) airplane partner would object anyway. If you can find one, the F-1 Rocket with the Evo wing probably would be the best of all worlds.

By the way, the RV TW airplanes, at least those with the reinforced firewall/gear attach points, do real well on good grass, and ok (not great, but ok) on less than pristine stuff. In the pacific northwest, my RV has been into Stuart West, Stuart East, Tieton, Easton, Bandera, Stehekin, and our cabin airstrip. With the exception of Stuart West (one way, short), these are all pretty benign airstrips.

That said, we've got a rough stretch on our cabin airstrip -- the RV gear really flex a lot on that patch (partner came in to visit, decided the rough patch was ok, so I got to see it from the outside). I don't use that stretch in the RV, only in my 170 (running 7's), and my neighbors with nose-draggers don't use it either.

So, roughness wise, you could probably take this thing anywhere you could take a 172. You'll get out in a lot less distance, and about the same getting in.

Hope this helps,

--Tony

RV-4, C-170A

There's a couple out of Paso Robles, California that I've seen at Johnson Creek, Big Creek etc with their Harmon Rocket "Stanley Screamer" several times. They seem to get around pretty well in that thing. Hopefully they'll chime in here.

Personally I think a Nemesis NXT with 31's would look bad ass!. Especially sitt'in on top of mile high.

I sold my Stinson and bought a io-360 180hp FP prop rv-4 its a great plane. its all about your mission the rocket is fast 226-252 mph at the last race i did but a rv-4 can do 200-225 on less fuel and has a lower stall speed. the rv-8 w/io-390 would be my choice over a rocket and has full factory support. all of them fly easy the hardest part is slowing them down in the pattern, but with some practice and planing ahead you will catch on fast. ground handling is no problem the little wheels are more drag in the grass so you have to have more power taxing around than i like.

I pulled the 180 CS out of my RV6
Has a 0 time 150 hp with fixed pitch prop, will get it going and in the air in Jan or Feb. It will be available, no Rocket, but will still put a grin on your face!!
GT

I wrote this article a few years back...it may answer some of your questions...

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/981 ... 15c239/162

I'm currently driving a PA12 with all the Super Cub mods, previous ride was a Harmon Rocket 2. I don't believe that the PA12 is any more docile than the Rocket. Rocket has very good manners on the ground it will climb at 3,500 fpm and cruise as 190 kts at 12 gph. Both airplanes are high performance in my mind, both may encourage child like behavior but one bites at much lower speed and generally right side up. I miss my rocket and my wife doesn't like going 90 mph. I've enjoyed both equally but one is all about flying and the other throws in some serious transportation benefits.

speaking of RV-4's...had a couple come alongside and play yesterday ...

If the proposal for pilots to be able to fly without a medical in up to 180 hp aircraft gets accepted the RV series of planes will be at the top of my list of new acquisitions. I have always felt they have the best bang for the buck out there. An RV4/8 would be at the very top of that list! I just prefer tandem seating....so what if my wife has to look at the back of my head.

WWhunter wrote:If the proposal for pilots to be able to fly without a medical in up to 180 hp aircraft gets accepted the RV series of planes will be at the top of my list of new acquisitions. I have always felt they have the best bang for the buck out there. An RV4/8 would be at the very top of that list! I just prefer tandem seating....so what if my wife has to look at the back of my head.

Yeah, but it's harder to see that dope slap coming....

MTV

I once owned an RV-3, but have only one brief ride in a -4. The RV series is truly about as good as it gets from a flight handling point of view. The -3 is the best of the bunch (having the pilot almost sitting on the CG), but the other RV's are all spectacular handling machines. There are airplanes you go out and fly... and there are airplanes you make an excuse to go out and fly. That opinion is shared by pilots with far far far higher qualifications than myself.

That gentleman with the "Stanley Screamer" (or "Scarlet Screamer???") has an awful lot of fun with it, met him once at Columbia, CA.

A Harmon Rocket is arguably the 427 Shelby Cobra of airplanes... fast as all hell, but the cornering suffers a little from the weight of the motor, a lower power Porsche will have a slight edge in a canyon road race. Hence the previous comments about dogfighting and bleeding off energy at high G.

My experience in the RV-3 (with small tires and wheel pants, on asphalt) is that it would be hit and miss to meet the airplane's brochure claim of "500 foot STOL". I always used more than that to land, since that airplane strongly prefers to "wheel land" rather than 3 point. I did 3-pointers in it, but the wheel landings always seemed to turn out better from a bounce standpoint. Not enough AOA in 3 point attitude, or something along those lines.

I'm guessing the RV-4 and Harmon Rocket would certainly have that issue and then some. The RV-4 might be a better choice than the Rocket for STOL flying, because of the extra wing area permitting slower approach speeds. But because of the fore-aft balance issues of the -4 (between single and two seat operation), I'm guessing the side by side RV-6 or 7 is the best "compromise" for back country flying. You will still dash through the sky at 180-200 MPH, still be able to get into a reasonably short strip, and have at decent little baggage area. But as a low wing airplane, bushes and gravel and hedges will always handicap you slightly compared to a high wing.

IMHO Van Grunsven needs to develop a back country high wing airplane that still scoots and handles like an RV.

I built an RV-4. Can't really add to what EZ has already stated. The 4 was the easiest airplane to land I ever flew. Not just the easiest taildragger. Let me know if you have any specific questions.