Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Van's Aircraft RV 7

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Top speed
  
351 km/h

Length
  
6.2 m

Unit cost
  
41,000–97,000 USD (2008)

First flight
  
2001

Wingspan
  
7.7 m

Range
  
1,239 km

Engine type
  
Lycoming O-360

Van's Aircraft RV-7 Scheme Designers Custom Aircraft Paint Schemes and Vinyl Designs

The Van's RV-7 and RV-7A are two-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt airplanes sold in kit form by Van's Aircraft. The RV-7 is the tail-wheel equipped version, while the RV-7A features a nose-wheel.

Contents

Van's Aircraft RV-7 My RV7 Dedicated to building a Van39s RV7

The RV-7 is the replacement for the RV-6 and is externally similar to the earlier model, with longer wings, larger fuel tanks and a larger rudder to improve spin recovery characteristics.

Van's Aircraft RV-7 VHBPX Private Vans RV7 at Serpentine WA Photo ID 64240

Development

Van's Aircraft RV-7 rv 7 vans aircraft Airplane Pinterest Van

The designer of the Van’s aircraft line, Richard VanGrunsven, designed the RV-7 series as a replacement for the RV-6. The RV-6 itself was a two seat side-by-side development of the RV-4, which was, in turn, a two seat version of the single seat RV-3.

Van's Aircraft RV-7 httpswwwvansaircraftcomimagesrv71png

The RV-7 incorporated many changes as a result of lessons learned over the years in producing over 2,000 RV-6 kits. The RV-7 airframe will accept larger engines, including the Lycoming IO-360, up to 200 hp (149 kW). The RV-7 also has increased wingspan and wing area over the RV-6, as well as more headroom, legroom and an increased useful load. The RV-7 carries a total of 42 US gallons of fuel, up from 38 US gallons on the RV-6.

Van's Aircraft RV-7 Van39s Aircraft RV7 Wikipedia

The RV-7 shares many common parts with the RV-8 and RV-9 which reduces production costs. The RV-7 also uses computer assisted design to produce a kit with pre-punched rivet holes, thus greatly reducing assembly time for the builder. Construction time is estimated at about 1500 hours for an average builder.

Van's Aircraft RV-7 Van39s Aircraft RV77A General Infomation

The RV-7A version features a hardened, solid steel nose wheel strut that fits into a tube welded to the engine mount. As in all nose-wheel equipped RV aircraft, the nosewheel is free castering and the aircraft is steered with differential braking, or rudder at higher taxi speeds. The brakes are conventional toe brakes.

By November 2014, 1394 RV-7s and RV-7As had been completed and were flying.

Pricing

Van's Aircraft RV-7 Van39s RV7 Untitled Aviation Photo 1219724 Airlinersnet

As of December 2016, the price of the "standard build" RV-7 kit was US$22,910 and the "quick-build" kit US$34,350.

In 2008 Van's claimed that most builders can complete their RV-7 projects for between US$41,000 - $97,000. In 2016, Van's estimated the completion cost at between US$55,500 and US$116,000. However, Van's cautioned these numbers were estimates only, as costs vary significantly based on installed equipment and finishing.

Specifications (RV-7)

Specifications are given for 200 hp, IO-360 configuration with a Hartzell constant speed propeller

General characteristics

  • Crew: one pilot
  • Capacity: one passenger
  • Length: 20 ft 4 in (6.26 m)
  • Wingspan: 25 ft (7.70 m)
  • Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.79 m)
  • Wing area: 121 ft² (11.2 m²)
  • Empty weight: 1,114 lb (504 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 1,800 lb (815 kg)
  • Max. takeoff weight: 1,800 lb (815 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320 or Lycoming O-360 constant speed or fixed pitch, 160 to 200 hp (119 to 149 kW)

    • Performance

  • Never exceed speed: 230 mph (368 km/h, 199 kn)
  • Maximum speed: 217 mph at sea level (351 km/h, 190 kn)
  • Range: 765 statute miles at cruise 75% power at 8,000 ft (1,239 km / 665 nmi at cruise 75% power at 2,500 m)
  • Service ceiling: 22,500 ft (6,900 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,900 ft/min (9.7 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 14.8 lb/ft² (75 kg/m²)

    • References

    Van's Aircraft RV-7 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA