Justin’s Pilot Reports (PIREP)

This afternoon, I had the good fortune to occupy the right seat in a friend’s RV-9A, for a flight from San Antonio, TX to Llano, TX - home of the famous Cooper’s BBQ. This was my first flight in a RV and first impressions were very, very positive.

Now, let’s pause for a moment. For those of you who may be thinking that RV stands for recreational vehicle let me enlighten you. The RV is a series of airplanes created by Richard VanGrunsven who started Van’s Aircraft, Inc. in 1973 when he was a “skinny, young engineer from rural Oregon who set out to build a better airplane.”

And better airplane he did, indeed, build. On our takeoff roll, I could tell Dave’s RV was desperate to get into the air. From the moment the wheels started rolling, it was trying to leap into the sky. The performance climbing out of Bulverde Airfield was eye-opening. In just a few moments after leaving the pavement we were climbing at over 1,600 feet-per-minute.

I took the stick after Dave leveled us off at 5,500 feet and did some turns to get a feel for the airplane. Like the Cirrus SR-22 I flew a couple of years ago, banks seem to be initiated by pure thought - you THINK “I want to turn left” and with the slightest of stick movement feel yourself doing just that.

I reveled in the gorgeous view from the bubble canopy as we scorched a path across the sky and in no time were announcing our 45-degree entry into Llano Municipal Airport’s left downwind. Dave landed the airplane on the main gear and kept the nose wheel off the ground for what seemed like a lifetime. By the time it came down it was an almost unnoticeable bump - just the kind of landing every tri-cycle landing gear loves.

We met some other RV pilots and all packed ourselves into a courtesy van for the short drive to Cooper’s. There we waited in line and soaked in (literally) the smell of some of the best BBQ in Texas.

Many thanks to Dave for the RV experience. It’s one I won’t soon forget!