Vans RV-3 (oz5911)

  1. Home
  2. Vans RV-3
 

Vans RV-3 (oz5911) by Fred Reese 1981 - plan thumbnail

About this Plan

Van's RV-3. Scale model for RC with .30 power.

Quote: "RCM is happy to present Fred Reese's stand-off scale model of the award winning home-built for .15 to .30 sized engines. Scale appearance, excellent flight performance and ease of construction is sure to please.

Van's RV-3 is a single seat, all metal home-built designed by Dick Van Grunsven in 1968. The project took 2-1/2 years and $2,000 to complete and now plans and kits are available to amateur constructors. At the 1972 EAA Fly-In, Oshkosh, the RV-3 won the award for Best Aerodynamic Detailing and at the 1973 Oskosh Fly-In, the RV-3 won the Pazmany Efficiency Contest with an all time high score.

Actually the RV-3 is a very conventional airplane, but with careful attention to detailing. Power for the original is a 125 hp Lycoming O-290G 4-cylinder engine. Wingspan is 19 ft 11 in and the wing area is 90 sq ft. Empty weight is 695 lbs and gross is 1050 lbs. Maximum speed is 200 mph, cruise is 185 mph and landing speed is only 48 mph. Rate of climb is 1900 ft/min with 125 hp.

The model is scaled at 2 in = 1 ft. The full sized RV-3 is sleek. streamlined and graceful but when scaled down to model size it appeared fat so I narrowed and reduced the height of the fuselage. All other outlines are true to scale. For proof of scale: Jane's Pocketbook of Home-built Aircraft by Michael Taylor. published by Collier Books; Home-built Airplanes by Wolman/Garrison, published by Chronicle Books; Sport Flying, August 1979, by Challenge Publications.

The model is powered by an old Super Tigre .15 and gives excellent performance with a 7/6 or 8/4 prop. The size of the model should handle any engine up to .30. Speed of the model is moderate to fast and it is fully acrobatic. Take-offs with a rigid link to the tailwheel are straight and easily controlled, although the large rudder tends to weathervane the model when taxiing in the wind. Slow speed and landings are also easy. making the RV-3 a very reliable little flier.

Construction. Mount the engine onto an aluminum motor mount and bolt the mount to firewall using 6-32 screws and blind nuts. Drill a 3/32 in hole through the firewall for the throttle pushrod and two 3/16 holes for the fuel lines. The word glue will appear throughout this article as a matter of convenience..."

Update 30/07/2017: Replaced this plan with a clearer copy scanned from fullsize, thanks to Munchausen.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to hlsat.
Previous scan version.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction

Vans RV-3 (oz5911) by Fred Reese 1981 - model pic

Datafile:

ScaleType:
  • Van%27s_Aircraft_RV-3 | help
    see Wikipedia | search Outerzone
    ------------
    Test link:
    search RCLibrary 3views (opens in new window)

    ScaleType: This (oz5911) is a scale plan. Where possible we link scale plans to Wikipedia, using a text string called ScaleType.

    If we got this right, you now have a couple of direct links (above) to 1. see the Wikipedia page, and 2. search Oz for more plans of this type. If we didn't, then see below.

    Notes:
    ScaleType is formed from the last part of the Wikipedia page address, which here is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van%27s_Aircraft_RV-3
    Wikipedia page addresses may well change over time.
    For more obscure types, there currently will be no Wiki page found. We tag these cases as ScaleType = NotFound. These will change over time.
    Corrections? Use the correction form to tell us the new/better ScaleType link we should be using. Thanks.

Do you have a photo you'd like to submit for this page? Then email admin@outerzone.co.uk

User comments

No comments yet for this plan. Got something to say about this one?
Add a comment

 

 
 

Download File(s):
  • Vans RV-3 (oz5911)
  • Plan File Filesize: 727KB Filename: Vans_RV-3_RCM-821_oz5911.pdf
  • Supplement Filesize: 1857KB Filename: Vans_RV-3_RCM-821_oz5911_article.pdf
  • Supplement Filesize: 206KB Filename: Vans_RV-3_RCM-821_oz5911_previous.pdf
  • help with downloads
 

Notes

* Credit field

The Credit field in the Outerzone database is designed to recognise and credit the hard work done in scanning and digitally cleaning these vintage and old timer model aircraft plans to get them into a usable format. Currently, it is also used to credit people simply for uploading the plan to a forum on the internet. Which is not quite the same thing. This will change soon. Probably.

Scaling

This model plan (like all plans on Outerzone) is supposedly scaled correctly and supposedly will print out nicely at the right size. But that doesn't always happen. If you are about to start building a model plane using this free plan, you are strongly advised to check the scaling very, very carefully before cutting any balsa wood.

 

Terms of Use

© Outerzone, 2011-2024.

All content is free to download for personal use.

For non-personal use and/or publication: plans, photos, excerpts, links etc may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Outerzone with appropriate and specific direction to the original content i.e. a direct hyperlink back to the Outerzone source page.

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site's owner is strictly prohibited. If we discover that content is being stolen, we will consider filing a formal DMCA notice.