The 3D-RV was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of 2540NaN0. The aircraft has a standard empty weight of 2500NaN0 when equipped with a Rotax 503 or Rotax 582 engine. With heavier engines it can be registered in the US Experimental - Amateur-built category.
The 3D-RV features a single main rotor, a single-seat open cockpit without a windshield, tricycle landing gear with hydraulic disk brakes, plus a tail caster. The acceptable power range is 50to and the standard engines used are twin cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke, single-ignition 500NaN0 Rotax 503 engine and the twin cylinder, liquid-cooled, two-stroke, single-ignition 640NaN0 Rotax 582 engine, mounted in pusher configuration.
The aircraft fuselage is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing and welded 4130 steel tubing. Its two-bladed rotor has a diameter of 251NaN1 and may use either manufactured metal blades or homemade Gyrotor wooden blades. The prototype was originally flown with wooden blades of 81NaN1 each, with a 51NaN1 hub bar, for a diameter of 211NaN1. In this configuration the aircraft flew acceptably, but did not climb well on hot days at higher density altitudes. The minimum control speed is 100NaN0
The initial propeller used was a 640NaN0 two bladed ground adjustable unit, but the plans specify a three-bladed ground adjustable design of 560NaN0 diameter.
The prototype used a conventional low landing gear design, but this was later developed into a high landing gear to set the vertical center of gravity to the prob hub height to prevent longitudinal stability issues and bunt "push-over" accidents. The final design features a tall aluminium rudder.
The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 250lb and a gross weight of 550lb, giving a useful load of 300lb. With full fuel of the payload for the pilot and baggage is 270lb.
The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off roll with a 500NaN0 engine is 10000NaN0.
The manufacturer estimated the construction time from the supplied plans as 400 hours.
By 1998 the company reported that 35 sets of plans had been sold and three aircraft were completed and flying.
One builder reported an eight-month completion time.
