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Patrol baggage space

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  • Patrol baggage space

    I've not yet seen a Patrol in person. How does the baggage space/volume compare to an RV-6? My wife has eventually learned how to pack for the RV. Does a Patrol have about that much room?
    Thanks

  • #2
    Some one else can give a more authoritative answer. But I think the Patrol has significantly more space than an RV6. And more useful load to carry it. Mark

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    • #3
      That's what I was hoping to hear!

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      • #4
        Not sure of the dimensions of the RV6 baggage area, but on my Patrol (QB kit) the compartment itself is a slightly tapered parallelogram roughly 22" at the back (24-25" at the front), and it is about 25" from the bulkhead to the top of the back seat. The rear seat is at a slight reclined angle, which creates a roghly 2.6 cubic foot "wedge" of additional space behind that reclined seat back. Height-wise, you can pack stuff in up to the bottom edge of the windows in the baggage compartment (roughly 30" above the floor). I'd call it about 12 to 14 cubic feet of space below the window line (including the "wedge" behind the seat back). Much of that can be loaded through the baggage door (roughly 25" wide by 18" tall), and the rest over the rear seat back. And if you want to pile lighter stuff on top of that, you could probably get another 6-8 cubic feet back there – but you'd better tie it down well so it doesn't push out the windows or go forward into the cabin area!

        You will almost certainly lose a few cubic inches of baggage space where the rudder and flap control cables run above the floor (along the side walls) through the baggage area. Most people build an aluminum "box" to protect the cables in that area. I saw (on another forum) where someone used a "wedge" cut length-wise from large diameter PVC pipe to cover cables that ran through their baggage area. Gotta figure out which is lighter: an aluminum box structure, or PVC pipe.

        If you really need more space than that, there's at least another 2 cubic feet under the rear seat (again, less the control cable covers). The floor under that seat is absolutely flat, a solid 27" wide, and 18" front-to-back. Height-wise, it tapers up from about 4" tall at the back to just over 12 inches high at the front. If you put some sort of a "door" in the skirt area below the back seat, that area could hold a bunch of stuff and keep it away from prying eyes.

        Several folks have also installed a "tube" in the aft fuselage (near the top) for lightweight but long items, like fishing poles or hiking sticks (maybe even skis?). Others have put a smaller compartment (less than a square foot) on the left side (behind the aft bulkhead) for storing a toolkit, tiedowns, or maybe spare oil. At least one I know of has put a locking door there, and store their headsets in the plane, out of sight, when tied down away from home.

        Hope that helps!

        PS – if you totally remove the aft seat (a 2-minute job, worst case), You've got a TON of space back there. Since a big part of my Patrol's mission will be Pilots & Paws missions, I plan to make the rear stick removable (with the "stub" covered by a stainless steel bowl held in place with nut plates). That will give me room for a LOT of crates. With tie down rings and cargo nets, I'll be able to haul 5-6 decent-sized crates with ease. (Albeit in single-pilot mode.)
        Jim Parker
        Farmersville, TX (NE of Dallas)
        RANS S-6ES (E-LSA) with Rotax 912ULS (100 HP)

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        • #5
          Depending in how a RV-6/7 is built you may also have restricted baggage compartment. With two people my -7 is restricted to 80 lbs of baggage (100 max) at landing fuel weight otherwise I exceed the rear CG limit.
          Scott Ahrens
          Bearhawk Patrol Plans Built
          #254

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