After getting the camp site set up late Tuesday morning, I grabbed my day back pack and started walking west, looking for lunch. It was a long, long walk to the main site. I eventually was rescued by a passing tram, who got me part way there.

I found sustenance in one of the many restaurants on the main show site. I was overjoyed to see a much larger variety of food vendors than is seen at Oshkosh, where all the food is sold by a single vendor. At Oshkosh the EAA brass knows better than you what food you should eat, and you’ll eat what they tell you - a very top down, socialist approach to things. SNF has the more typical American capitalist approach of multiple vendors competing for your dollar.


 

After lunch, I met Sussex, NB RV builder Don B. at the Friends of the RV-1 booth. The famous RV-1 was out front. It was great to finally see it.


 


 

Paul Dye gave me the tour, and helped me climb in the cockpit to make sure I fit. The cockpit is very, very simple. Lots of steel tubes, as the fuselage is classical tube and fabric. The rudder pedals are a bit close to the seat, but I fit OK. It isn’t going to be a comfortable long distance traveller though. I’m sure I’ll be looking forward to stretching my legs at every stop as we do the ferry from NB to ON.


 

On Wednesday, Van spent hours at the RV-1, studying ways to modify the cockpit area so he could comfortably fit in it again. He had spent hundreds of hours in that cockpit back in the 60s, but the seat and rudder pedal geometry had been changed since he last flew the aircraft, and the current configuration wasn’t compatible with his leg length. Here we see Van adjusting the rudder and brake pedals.


 

Mid day on Thursday Paul Dye took the RV-1 for a few laps of the fly-by pattern. He had it wound up pretty good, and it moved right along - 165 mph IAS.