Hans Conser wrote:

  Well, here it comes. Yes, we are working on, and making steady progress with, a four-place airplane we have designated (in a fit of unmatched originality) the RV-10. After dithering a bit on whether to open
ourselves up to the inevitable deluge of questions and speculations, we?ve decided that the airplane is really aimed at a new market and we won?t be shooting ourselves in the foot by talking about it.

The RV-10 is a low wing, four place, all metal aircraft. It will accept engines in the 200-260 hp range. It is intended as a moderately fast touring airplane that will carry four somewhat-bigger-than-FAA-average
people, a reasonable amount of baggage and about 60 gallons of fuel. It will NOT be an aerobatic airplane, although we are working hard to make sure it will share the enjoyable handling characteristics of other
RVs. We are after cross-country performance similar to a 180 hp RV-7/8 with the typical RV characteristics of excellent low-speed handling and control. For the intended mission, there seems to be no need for a
taildragger, so only a fixed tricycle gear is planned.

What will it look like? The tail will consists of a constant-chord horizontal stabilizer and elevators with riveted trailing edges, similar to the current RV-9A. The vertical stab and rudder are typically RV. Mike
Schwartz and Ken Krueger have designed some innovative ribs that should make the control surfaces easier and quicker than ever to build.

Current work centers on a 31.5? constant chord wing with slotted flaps. The airfoil is projected to be a Smith ??? ­a shape developed by NASA engineer ?? Smith. Extensive computer modeling of this airfoil has
showed small but worthwhile advantages over both the 230 series used in the short wing RVs and the Roncz airfoil used on the RV-9A. As wonderful a tool as it is, computer modeling certainly doesn?t tell the
whole story?it usually considers the airfoil as a two-dimensional shape. Put another way, computer modeling assumes the wing has infinite span?so the effects of spanwise flow, tip losses, etc that have very
pronounced effects on real wings may not show up. We are certainly not "betting the project" on this new airfoil?we intend to see if it works, not prove that it will. If disadvantages are uncovered in flight test,
we may try another wing.

The fuselage bears a strong resemblance to the rest of the RV family, but provides forward facing seats for four larger-than-FAA-standard adults. After considering sliding canopies, hinged hatches, transporter
technology licensed from Starfleet, and other options, we settled (that?s a relative term- we may still change our minds) on doors, one on each side. You can?t design a four place airplane simply by expanding a
two-place one. We continue to be challenged by questions of access to the cabin and baggage areas, seat and safety belts for the occupants and other problems that four place airplanes present.

The firewall forward portion is designed around Lycoming engines, starting with the 200 hp four cylinder IO-360 and ranging up to the 260 hp 0-540 six cylinder. With the proper modifications and provisions,
there is no reason that Continental or Franklin engines wouldn?t work, but at least at first, we plan on concentrating our engineering efforts on the Lycoming only.

The kit? The metal portions of the kit will be totally matched-hole, similar to the RV-7/9A kits we are selling today. We hope to refine the standard kits even further and make them even easier to build, and of
course, there will eventually be RV-10 QB kits. In the best of all worlds, a standard RV-10 kit would take just slightly longer to build than an RV-9A, and cost maybe 25% more. Is that achievable? We won?t
know for a while yet.

And how about the cost of a finished RV-10? Well, a glance at the latest Trade-A-Plane shows a several used O-540s in the $10-15K range? so if you think about a new airframe with a simple panel and a used
engine turning a good c/s prop, you are probably talking about an airplane in the mid-$60,000 range. This is a wild preliminary guess and anyone who takes it as gospel has only themselves to blame if it proves
inaccurate?but just for grins, triple it, and compare the result to any new four-place airplane of even remotely similar performance. The new (again) Tiger at $260K? A six-cylinder Cirrus SR22 at $276K? A
Columbia at $275K? Hmmm. I expect that the truly budget four-seater will be uncommon and that more of them will be fitted out as well-appointed touring machines, with appropriately higher price tags. But,
in keeping with Van?s original (and current) philosophy, most of the expensive decisions are left to the individual builder, and not built in at the factory.

We'll be keeping you posted on the progress of our prototype.

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