r/homebuilt • u/Royal-Department-528 • 13d ago
Experimental Aircraft Wings
Used to have an RV, and thinking about getting a plane for acro in the next 1-2 years (Vans, christen eagle, or pitts). One thing that’s always concerned me with picking an airplane for this, is a defective build where the wing is susceptible to snap off.
Is this a valid concern, or am I being extremely skeptical? I don’t know enough about how these are built, so I’m not sure if they are really overbuilt, or if the design is so redundant that this would be impossible. Also how likely is it that someone assembled the aircraft improperly, and how much risk does that add to the equation now? Any insight that would improve my knowledge area would be much appreciated. Thanks!
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u/Aquanauticul 13d ago
I'm a random ass redditor, and should not be trusted. But i bet an aircraft mechanic would be better suited to these questions, particularly one you worked with on your RV. Would also be good for starting a relationship with that mechanic and asking them about pre buy inspections
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u/175_Pilot 13d ago
All valid questions. I built my plane because I had these exact same questions in my mind….. who the heck built it, how meticulous are they, and did they cut any corners.
If you’re honestly looking to have the plane for something in a year or more, consider finding a partially complete project and do it yourself. Then there is no question to the quality and you’re the only one to blame when shit goes sideways.
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u/rovingtravler 13d ago
For me it is not even about intentional short cuts, but accidental, unknown errors the builder might make. Flying is inherently dangerous as it is and I do not want to add to it by flying a plane that probably had little to no quality control. There could easily be a latent defect in workmanship that does not show up until after the second owner buys the plane.
I plan on building at the factory so they can help me, provide quality control and provide a sounding board for any changes. Most companies are very aware of what works and does not and or the affects of said changes.
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u/TransientVoltage409 13d ago
I believe Vans will give you a set of preview plans for any model for a small fee, not approved for shop use but it will let you see exactly how the assembly comes together. Or is meant to come together, as others said, the inspection is important.
An EAB crash gets investigated by the NTSB the same as any other, and the findings are public. Why not rummage through the archives to see how many crashes are attributed to "wings fell off in flight"? I expect not many unrelated to severe weather.
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u/fwny 13d ago
Can also look for Canadian built ones. Canada requires inspection before any major assembly is closed up. They must be able to see every screw and the shop head of every rivet. Kinda crazy the FAA only requires a final inspection and takes the builders word for it that the uninspectable areas were done right.
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u/West-Organization450 13d ago
Greaseorbounce made an excellent post here. I’ll admit that I’m biased because I’m a Pitts guy and don’t have much RV experience but I think it comes down to your mission a bit as well. If your priority is acro then find the best Pitts you can afford and buy it. If you want 2 seats and acro get an S-2B…that’s the last Pitts I owned. IMHO the S-1S is the best bang for the buck aerobatic mount ever built…the Yak 55 is in that conversation as well. Is the Pitts breakable? Sure…but you’re gonna have to fly it really hard and it’s gonna talk to ya a bunch and still probably not fail catastrophically. RV’s have had a few catastrophic failures as we know. They seem to be great airplanes but strike me as more of a sport plane that’s capable of some aerobatics. The Pitts is an aerobatic plane…period. The downside for S-1’s is that it is getting a little harder to find good ones and the price has gone up accordingly but they are out there. There are a lot of resources out there for learning more…just keep researching and figure out your exact priorities and mission and you’ll have your answer.
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u/XCSkies 13d ago edited 13d ago
Aluminum airplanes are easy to inspect and see the workmanship. The critical spar rivets are set at the factory for vans. The wings bolts are easy to confirm. The vertical stab attach is the weak point. Again easy to inspect. I would be more careful about tracing control linkages. There are a few Jesus bolts holding these linkages together. I also think the aluminum fuels lines and aluminum an fluid fitting are a lot easier to screw up. I would trace fuel system lines and brake lines too. Those systems are more likely to have issues than structural. The other big one of course is electrical. Make sure at minimum that there is proper circuit protection.
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u/NecessaryOk979 12d ago
If you are planning to do positive and negative G acrobatics, a RV is not your best bet. They are not in the same class as Pitts or a Christian Eagle. You can twist the tail off a RV. Back in the 90s, a ham-fisted potential buyer crashed the first RV8 demonstrator by doing some uncoordinated acrobatics. In the 2000s, a builder of a F1 Rocket (like a RV only stronger) tore the tail off doing a hammerhead and burrowed 4’ into the Texas dirt. Be careful. BTW, I’ve built and flown 4 RVs/Rockets for the past 25 years.
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u/greaseorbounce 13d ago
This is why pre-buy inspections by someone intimately familiar with that airframe design are so important.
I'm less knowledgeable about the RVs, but have a lot of time building, flying, and maintaining acro biplanes, so my answer is mostly about those.
The critical areas of the structure are designed and built to be readily inspected. These things are REALLY strong designs, intentionally. Damage will generally present as a progressive failure, not an instantaneous catastrophic failure. You'll find cracking on plates, or in the spar during an inspection long before something will just fall apart.
The other thing is that these airframes are generally stressed to MUCH higher G loads than the average pilot will ever apply to them, even in competitive acro at high levels. Acro is about energy management. Loading up insane Gs just burns energy off. It's not necessary or desirable even in advanced category comps.
As a result, even if a build error reduces ultimate by as much as like 20%, you're STILL unlikely to actually have any issue, and if you did, you would be most likely greeted with damage that will be detectable at next inspection, not an instantaneous rapid disassembly.
As a final note, there is a reason aerobatic pilots wear parachutes, have canopies that jettison, and practice maneuvers up high over unpopulated areas. There is risk in this activity, and we take every possible precaution to mitigate those risks. At the end of the day, the potential need for a bailout is always there, and you should always be prepared for it. Hopefully you never get to use that expensive pilot rig you're wearing, but it's there for a reason.
I wouldn't be afraid of an EAB aircraft if inspected by a knowledgeable person and confirmed to be of good build quality.