|
Gene has done a great job
building this fine example of Van's popular RV-6 from scratch. He has
flown it to California and back on several occasions, and has high
praise for its speed, comfort, and reliability. This taildragger
also behaves well on the ground. He can also be found flying Young Eagles in this eye-catching airplane off of either Hendersonville Airport's asphalt runway or adjacent Johnson Field's grass strip which is a favorite of many Western North Carolina Air Museum members like Gene. Contact Gene at ewill177@hotmail.com or 140 Buckberry Drive #1944, Sapphire, NC 28774 for more information. |
| Gene
spent about a year shopping for his project, considering both composite
and aluminum aircraft. Looking at a few 25 year-old boats
convinced him to go with aluminum. Having spent a career as a
metallurgist with Goodyear made him particularly comfortable with that
material. The project took some 2,400 hours over a period of two years. Welcome help came from fellow EAA chapter member Jack Phillabaum who assisted by bucking rivets. One day while perusing Trade-a-Plane for used engines, Gene's wife inquired what he was looking for. Well, she would have nothing Gene's flying behind a used engine, so Gene was (poor fellow) forced to order a brand new 160 hp Lycoming O-360 from Van's Aircraft. With Gene's love of speed, he's fitted a coarser pitch prop for outstanding cruise performance and puts it to good use having flown several times across the country. He's proudly brought his creation to both Oshkosh and to Sun 'n Fun. |
|
Gene's instrument panel is about as sophisticated as you can get short of a glass cockpit. It is well laid out, easy to maintain, and very pilot-friendly. An autopilot was a welcome addition for the long cross-country trips. |