Texas RV-8 “Cloud Dancer”
as featured in Sport Aviation, February 2022
I tell people I was raised by EAA. I joined EAA and EAA chapter 15 when I was 10 years old and I’m now a Lifetime member. As a kid I would feverishly read each Sport Aviation from cover to cover. Assimilating the information needed to mentor me in my aviation career, I went on to get a 4-year aviation degree as well as my A&P and ATP certificates. I was selected to go to Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training, eventually flying one of my dream airplanes, the F-16 “Fighting Falcon” and later becoming a professional airline pilot, flying another of my dream airplanes, the Boeing 777. Both magnificent aircraft. I now own another of my dream airplanes, the Vans Aircraft RV-8. The RV-8 is a superb airplane that is a jack of all trades and was the airplane needed to quench the “fighter fix” I’ve had since my last flight in the F-16 on 27 October 1993. But who’s keeping track?
This is actually my second RV-8. My first was sold and shipped to Germany. It was actually featured on the cover of the German flying magazine aerokurier. I always wanted another RV-8 that was top of the line with all the bells and whistles and the latest avionics. One whose mission would be a combination of show-plane, IFR, formation and aerobatic platforms. Like all prospective builders, I had my RV-8 file with all the ideas and modifications it would have. I was looking for a quick-build kit, mostly finished with no panel, engine, or paint. This way I could finish it to have my dream panel, firewall forward, and self-designed paint scheme.
During my search I met Rick Brown and Peter Dooley. They did a great job on the initial work on my RV-8. The airplane was low time and flying. It had my dream Garmin avionics panel and firewall forward (brand new Lycoming Titan IO-360-M1B) but needed some modification and fit and finish to take her to the show-plane level. I now had a quick-quick build project and spent the next 7 months in my hangar doing the following modifications as well as fit and finishing to get it to the next level for paint.
First, I ripped the stock landing gear off and installed Sky Designs Engineering’s airfoil landing gear. I added a Raven Aircraft inverted oil system with the Anti Splat Aero crankcase breather kit, a Smoke System Helper smoke system, custom camlock oil door latch, wheel-pant camlock ports, Aerosport RV-8 cowl-pin covers & custom fuel caps, JD Air fuel vents, tank drain & covers, aft baggage compartment door mod; remounted the ELT under aft baggage compartment; painted the cockpit with a custom Flightline Interiors with zippered side pockets for survival and flight gear; and installed USB camper and BatteryMINDer charger plug, baggage door prop, custom canopy handle with canopy locks, back seat foot pedal props, and prop spinner filler plate. To name just a few of the 60 plus modifications.
I re-did the cowling and all fiberglass multiple times to get the fit and finish just right. I never thought having a metal airplane would actually involve so much fiberglass work. With the help of a couple fiberglass expert friends and EAA’s Hints for Homebuilders, I actually became pretty good at doing fiberglass.
Phillip Fox of Woodway Sign Center helped me design my dream paint scheme. The scheme actually has a lot of personal symbolism. It’s based on a World War II P-51 Mustang and named after the 1980 aerobatic movie Cloud Dancer and in honor of Jimmy Leeward’s P-51 of the same name. The TX1 on the side represents my home base, 0TX1, Pecan Plantation Airpark in Granbury, Texas, and the N-number is my old fighter squadron. John Mosley of Hanger 360 Aircraft Services, Jackson, Mississippi did a superb job of bringing my paint scheme to life. It was a definitely worth all the work, and it was a labor of love. For those frustrated with their project, I’ve been there. I just told myself to complete two to three little projects a day, until eventually I ran out of projects. I hope Cloud Dancer will inspire you and provide you with the motivation to press-on and finish your dream plane. EAA technical counselor and friend Don Saint (who’s now deceased) had a quote; “If you only accept perfection, the airplane will never fly; if you want it to fly, strive for perfection and accept excellence.”
Doug Crumrine, EAA Lifetime 77708, Chapter 983, Granbury, Texas
Email: doug.crumrine@gmail.com