AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2020 - 64

With the RV-10 and SR22 flying side by
side about one mile behind the photo ship,
the contest pilots push their throttles full
forward for an all-out speed dash.
With the normally aspirated (nonturbocharged) engines producing just 22
inches of manifold pressure at full throttle,
the rate of acceleration is gradual. But, to
my surprise, the two airplanes stay together.
There is virtually no relative movement
between the RV-10 and SR22 as we blow
by the Bonanza (which had kindly slowed
to 100 knots to give us plenty of overtake).
We repeat the race to make sure the first
result wasn't a fluke, but the outcome is the
same: At wide-open power and level flight at
9,500 feet and nearly standard air temperature, the RV-10 and SR22 reached the same
top speed (178 KTAS) at the same time.
TOP LEVEL SPEED: DRAW
SLOW MOTION

Next, the slow-speed events.
We decelerate in level flight with flaps
up to see which airplane stalls first.
The moderately loaded SR22 stalls clean
at 68 KIAS while the RV-10 flying alongside keeps plodding ahead uninterrupted.
The flight controls are mushy in the RV-10
at that slow speed and high angle of attack,
but there's no aerodynamic buffeting or any
other indication a stall is imminent.
Then we fully lower the flaps in both
airplanes and repeat the deceleration. The
SR22 stalls first at 60 KIAS while the RV-10
plugs along with slotted flaps at the full
40-degree setting.
SLOW FLIGHT: ADVANTAGE RV-10
SHORT LANDING

The surface wind was 270 degrees
at 10 knots gusting to 18 when both
64 | AOPA PILOT June 2020

airplanes entered the landing pattern for
Frederick's Runway 23.
The RV-10 typically approaches at 75
knots-but I use a target of 80 knots because
of the gusty conditions. Using full flaps, idle
power, and the stick full aft at touchdown, the
RV-10 touches down at 59 KIAS in a flat attitude and rolls to a stop in about 500 feet using
light to moderate braking. (With a forward
center of gravity from two occupants, 40 gallons of fuel, and no aft baggage, the RV-10
tends to run out of elevator in the flare.)
The SR22 usually approaches at 80
knots but increases its target speed for the
same reasons. The SR22 touches down at
62 knots and rolls to a stop in about 900
feet, using light to moderate braking.
SHORT LANDING: ADVANTAGE RV-10
CONCLUSIONS

Despite their designers' divergent philosophies, different materials, and distinct
target markets, the actual performance of
the RV-10 and SR22 is nearly identical.
Their rates of climb, top speeds, and
other important metrics aren't just within
shouting distance of each other-they're
within whispering distance. The old
maxims that there's "no replacement for
displacement," and "no such thing as too
much horsepower" are irrefutable. But
the RV-10's broad speed range and nimble
handling show there's no substitute for
lightness, either.
One factor that our fly-off doesn't
address is the Cirrus Airframe Parachute
System (CAPS). While flying beside the
SR22 over craggy West Virginia mountains during this contest, I envied the
safety advantage Cirrus occupants enjoy
because of their airplane's innovative and
well-proven airframe parachute.

BRS Aerospace, which invented CAPS,
has developed an airframe parachute for
the RV-10 and many other general aviation
aircraft. BRS has done lifesaving work for
GA, and its record of more than 400 saves
is noble. If I won the RV-10 in this year's
drawing (which can't happen because
I'm ineligible as an AOPA employee), I'd
strongly consider being among the first in
the United States to add a BRS parachute.
(Others have reportedly done so overseas.)
The 2010 SR22 flown for this report also
has the safety advantage of a TKS-based
weeping-wing anti-ice system approved
for flight into known icing conditions,
and the comfort factor of air conditioning.
The relatively spartan RV-10 has neither,
and it surely benefited in this competition
because it wasn't carrying the additional
weight that accompanies those systems.
Kit aircraft like the RV-10 offer tremendous freedom to use non-TSOed avionics
and other relatively low-cost innovations.
Individual airplanes vary widely in construction quality, and they often lack the
documentation, uniformity, and refinement of FAA-certified airplanes. Whether
you see those factors as advantages or
disqualifiers goes a long way to deciding
which of these extremely capable, marketleading aircraft appeals more to you.
The next time someone calls the
Sweeps RV-10 a Cirrus, I'll regard it as a
compliment.
AOPA
EMAIL dave.hirschman@aopa.org

Special thanks to Tal Hart of Frederick,
Maryland, for flying his SR22 for this article. Other aerial participants included pilots
Dave Roy, Thomas B. Haines, Mike Filucci,
and David Tulis.

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2020

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