Van's RV-14 vs Van's RV-8

Side-by-side specs, range, and real operating costs

Aircraft

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Mission Performance

Stall, approach, cruise, range, ceiling and climb — the higher on the chart, the better, on every axis.

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Mission performance specifications
Specification Van's RV-14Van's RV-8
Stall speed 62 kt56 kt
Approach speed 80 kt70 kt
Cruise speed 170 kt184 kt
Range 815 nm678 nm
Service ceiling 18000 ft22500 ft
Rate of climb 1800 fpm1900 fpm
Fuel burn 9.5 gph8.8 gph

Each axis is scaled independently across the compared aircraft and printed in its own units; every vertex sits at the published figure. Higher is better on all axes: Stall, Approach and Fuel Burn are inverted (lower = higher). A missing figure breaks the line at that axis.

Flight Profile

Service ceiling, range, and climb rate.

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Arc represents the climb-cruise-descent profile based on published service ceiling and range. Climb rate annotated on ascent. FL180 (18,000 ft) shown for reference.

Fuel Burn & Range

Range, endurance, and what the fuel costs by the hour.

Van's RV-14 Avgas
9.5 gph
Baseline
815 nm range 50 gal usable 17.9 nm/gal $62 fuel/hr 5h 15m endurance
Van's RV-14: 9.5 gallons per hour at cruise, 815 nautical mile published range, 5 hour 15 minute endurance, 17.9 nautical miles per gallon.
Van's RV-8 Avgas
8.8 gph
Baseline
678 nm range 42 gal usable 20.9 nm/gal $57 fuel/hr 4h 46m endurance
Van's RV-8: 8.8 gallons per hour at cruise, 678 nautical mile published range, 4 hour 46 minute endurance, 20.9 nautical miles per gallon.
Avgas range each cell = 1 hr of cruise · width scales with speed

Bars show published still-air range. Endurance is usable fuel divided by the published cruise burn. Estimates only. Always verify against the POH.

Runway Performance

Density altitude adjusted estimates

Outside Air Temp
0°F57°F115°F
Field Elevation
SL4,0008,000 ft
Density Altitude

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing ground roll

Base distance DA penalty
Scale: 6,000 ft

FAA 10%/1,000 ft DA rule of thumb (FAA-H-8083-25B). Turboprops and jets are less sensitive in practice. Always verify against the POH.

Estimated Operating Costs

Scale:
Van's RV-14 Avgas
$100 /hr
Baseline
Van's RV-14: $100 per flight hour — fuel $62, maintenance and reserve $38.
Van's RV-8 Avgas
$95 /hr
Baseline
Van's RV-8: $95 per flight hour — fuel $57, maintenance and reserve $38.
Van's RV-14 Piston
$7,546 /yr Baseline
Van's RV-14: $7,546 per year — insurance $2,200, hangar $4,346, annual inspection $1,000.
Van's RV-8 Piston
$6,861 /yr Baseline
Van's RV-8: $6,861 per year — insurance $2,000, hangar $3,861, annual inspection $1,000.

Estimates only. Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Each bar stacks your selected occupants against full fuel and the aircraft's useful-load limit (the black line). The open gap between them is spare payload. Add an occupant and the gap closes; once it's gone, fuel has to give.

190 + 30 lb Occupants
×
1
Van's RV-14
2 / 2 seats 50 / 50 gal fuel 510 lb wet payload 810 lb useful 2,050 lb MTOW
Van's RV-8
2 / 2 seats 42 / 42 gal fuel 428 lb wet payload 680 lb useful 1,800 lb MTOW

Occupants at 190 + 30 lb each. Fuel at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas.

Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Van's RV-14
27.0 × 21.1 ft 8.2 ft tall
1× Piston Fixed Unpressurized
Van's RV-8
23.0 × 21.0 ft 5.6 ft tall
1× Piston Fixed Unpressurized

Payload-Range Map

Full fuel ← → Max payload

Origin: · two fingers to move map

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