Vans RV6  RV6A

Soon after the RV-4 proved that a two seat RV was a practical and exciting airplane, prospective customers began asking for a side-by-side RV.

When the demand became too big to ignore, Van went back to the drafting board. Initially, he was reluctant, because he felt that a wider, and inevitably heavier, airplane would suffer in comparison to the sleek centerline seating airplanes. It wasn’t long before his quest for optimization surfaced again. Using what he’d learned from the RV-3 and RV-4, and striving in every way he knew to avoid losing performance, he designed the RV-6.

He made it 43 inches wide and gave it a generous baggage compartment behind the seats. The wing on the RV-4 worked so well that there was no point in changing it, so he didn’t. The canopy was a forward opening bubble that closed almost seamlessly and, like all RVs, the visibility was superb. The landing gear was the same tailwheel arrangement that had worked so well on the RV-3 and RV-4. Since a side-by-side airplane was more likely to be flown cross-country, the fuel capacity was increased.

The RV-6 made its first flight in 1985. When all the flight testing was done, Van was delighted to find that despite the wide fuselage, it was only three miles per hour slower than the RV-4! The handling qualities and STOL characteristics were so close that a pilot who couldn’t see the altered visual picture caused by sitting off the centerline probably couldn’t tell the RV-4 and RV-6 apart.

One limit to RV sales had always been the fact that they were all tailwheel airplanes. They had no nasty habits and in many ways were easier to fly and land than many production tailwheel aircraft, but there was no denying that many prospective customers had never had the chance to even try a tailwheel and were reluctant to plunge into building one.

Installing a nose wheel solved the problem. The RV-6A featured a very simple tricycle gear, with steel rod main gear legs and a free castoring nosewheel. The nosegear leg was supported by the steel engine mount and required no complicated steering mechanisms or shock absorbers. The modification resulted in very little weight gain and almost negligible performance loss…in fact; it is not unusual for a given trigear RV-6A to be slightly lighter and faster than a specific RV-6. Landing and taxi became easier than ever.

After the RV-6A was flying, Van’s designed another major change. A sliding canopy became an option on both the RV-6 and RV-6A. This proved very popular in hot climates, where long taxis under a burning sun could become very uncomfortable. Sliding the canopy back and hanging an elbow over the rail made the pilot cool two ways! Because the tail and wings are identical on the RV-6 and RV-6A, a customer can build a great deal of the airplane before committing to a landing gear or canopy design.

RV-6 Specifications
Exterior Dimensions
Span 23 ft
Length 20 ft 2 in
Height 5 ft 3 in
Wing Area 110 sq ft
Weights
Empty Weight 965 lbs
Gross Weight 1600 lbs
Loadings
Wing Loading 14.5 lb/sq ft
Power Loading 10 lb/hp
Powerplant/Systems
Engine 150-180 hp
Propeller  fixed or C/S
Fuel Capacity 38 US gal
Other
Baggage 60 lbs
RV-6A Specifications
Exterior Dimensions
Span 23 ft
Length 19 ft 9 in
Height 6 ft 8 in
Wing Area 110 sq ft
Weights
Empty Weight 985 lbs
Gross Weight 1650 lbs
Loadings
Wing Loading 15 lb/sq ft
Power Loading 10.3 lb/hp
Powerplant/Systems
Engine 150-180 hp
Propeller  fixed or C/S
Fuel Capacity 38 US gal
Other
Baggage 60 lbs
RV-6 Performance
  150 hp 160 hp 180 hp
Speed - Solo Weight
Top Speed 198 mph 202 mph 210 mph
Cruise [75% @ 8000 ft] 187 mph 191 mph 199 mph
Cruise [55% @ 8000 ft] 169 mph 172 mph 179 mph
Stall Speed 49 mph 49 mph 49 mph
Speed - Gross Weight
Top Speed 197 mph 201 mph 209 mph
Cruise [75% @ 8000 ft] 186 mph 190 mph 198 mph
Cruise [55% @ 8000 ft] 168 mph 171 mph 178 mph
Stall Speed 55 mph 55 mph 55 mph
Ground Performance - Solo Weight
Takeoff Distance 325 ft 300 ft 270 ft
Landing Distance 300 ft 300 ft 300 ft
Ground Performance - Gross Weight
Takeoff Distance 550 ft 535 ft 475 ft
Landing Distance 500 ft 500 ft 500 ft
Climb/Ceiling - Solo Weight
Rate of Climb 1,710 fpm 1,900 fpm 2,275 fpm
Ceiling 19,300 ft 21,500 ft 25,700 ft
Climb/Ceiling - Gross Weight
Rate of Climb 1,355 fpm 1,500 fpm 1,790 fpm
Ceiling 15,800 ft 17,400 ft 20,800 ft
Range
Range [75% @ 8000 ft] 775 sm 775 sm 720 sm
Range [55% @ 8000 ft] 950 sm 950 sm 880 sm
RV-6A Performance
  150 hp 160 hp 180 hp
Speed - Solo Weight
Top Speed 196 mph 200 mph 208 mph
Cruise [75% @ 8000 ft] 185 mph 189 mph 197 mph
Cruise [55% @ 8000 ft] 167 mph 170 mph 177 mph
Stall Speed 49 mph 49 mph 49 mph
Speed - Gross Weight
Top Speed 195 mph 199 mph 207 mph
Cruise [75% @ 8000 ft] 184 mph 188 mph 196 mph
Cruise [55% @ 8000 ft] 166 mph 169 mph 176 mph
Stall Speed 55 mph 55 mph 55 mph
Ground Performance - Solo Weight
Takeoff Distance 325 ft 300 ft 270 ft
Landing Distance 300 ft 300 ft 300 ft
Ground Performance - Gross Weight
Takeoff Distance 560 ft 535 ft 485 ft
Landing Distance 500 ft 500 ft 500 ft
Climb/Ceiling - Solo Weight
Rate of Climb 1,665 fpm 1,850 fpm 2,225 fpm
Ceiling 18,500 ft 20,500 ft 24,700 ft
Climb/Ceiling - Gross Weight
Rate of Climb 1,305 fpm 1,450 fpm 1,740 fpm
Ceiling 14,750 ft 16,300 ft 19,700 ft
Range
Range [75% @ 8000 ft] 760 sm 760 sm 705 sm
Range [55% @ 8000 ft] 875 sm 875 sm 810 sm