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Awesome - it looks like a modualr build siilar to the RV-12 with wiring harness, etc.
They taken the best of the 7, 9, 10 & 12 and put it into a roomy 2 seater! Wow! Bob |
No more banging the canopy frame to get it to fit...that's why no slider the old style canopy frame appears to be gone!
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Interesting that Van's has identified builder's favoured quality components and made them standard - Andair fuel selector (and I think fuel pump) is a good example. I also noted the simple old bent tube pitot head is long gone. Great work, I'm sure it will be another winner for them... Though I'm hoping that the next model will be the smaller horsepower (IO-233) airplane I thought the -14 was going to be! |
Oh' Boy
Now all you guys who are building Seven's know how the "Six" builders felt when the RV-7's were introduced! :eek:
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This could replace both the 7 and the 9...plus be an easier build! BTW, that's nothing but my speculation.
Bob |
Shack!
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Maybe I'm totally missing the boat here, but...
Compared to a 7A, the new 14A shows lower performance specs per the PR sheet, in virtually every area but service ceiling (solo) and useful load, said performance being achieved with a 210 HP ($$$) motor (to make up for the nearly 200 pounds higher empty weight)? I made a quickie spreadsheet for a 7A w/ a 180HP motor, a 9A w/ a 160, and the new 14A with a 210, all numbers per Van's (didn't include range for -7 or 9, since I don't know how they computed it on their website, and I assumed lower numbers for builds since it's assumed marketing would do the same for PR on a new model, and to get maximum performance figures during testing). RV-7A RV-9A RV-14A Light Top Speed 208 197 205 Cruise (75% @ 8000’) 198 189 195 Cruise (55% @8000’) 178 169 172 Stall Speed 51 44 56 Takeoff Distance (ft) 275 300 525 Landing Distance (ft) 350 300 545 Rate of Climb (ft/min) 2100 2000 1800 Ceiling (ft) 23,000 24500 26,000 Range (75% @ 8000’) 938 Range (55% @ 8000’) 1103 Gross Top Speed 207 196 203 Cruise (75% @ 8000’) 197 188 193 Cruise (55% @8000’) 177 168 169 Stall Speed 58 50 56 Takeoff Distance (ft) 575 475 630 Landing Distance (ft) 350 450 715 Rate of Climb (ft/min) 1600 1400 1500 Ceiling (ft) 19500 19000 18,000+ Range (75% @ 8000’) 925 Range (55% @ 8000’) 1080 Specs Span 25' 28 27’ Length 20' 4" 20' 5" 21’ 1” Height 7' 10" 6' 8’ 2” Wing Area (sq.ft.) 121 124 126.1 Engine (hp) 180 160 210 Gross weight (lbs) 1800 1750 2050 Wing Loading (gross) 14.8 14.1 16.25 Power Loading (gross) 10 10.9 9.76 Empty Weight (lbs) 1077 1015 1240 Propeller Hartzell c/s Fuel Capacity (US gal) 42 36 50 Baggage (lbs) 100 75 100 (useful load) 723 735 810 Add in a wing kit (to start) that looks to be a couple of thousand more than the other kits, and... what am I missing here? Is this just more $ = more comfort, same performance? Or is there something about the thing that makes it that much easier to build? Or what? And no, this is not "sour grapes"...other than I was hoping they'd come out with something *really* different, like a glider or a seaplane or something :). Just not getting it... ETA: Sorry for the crappy formatting...I don't know how to do tables in these posts... |
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Is the 14 replacing the 7/9's? And one more thing... I'm still thinking about that 180hp limit on the medical proposal thing. I'm not going to start feeling bad about my 7A just yet. We'll see. |
Surprising product introduction, IMO. They are cannabilizing the -7 and -9 markets, and the "fat boy" option (IMO) won't generate many additional sales. So instead of selling 1,000 -7 and -9 kits a year, they are gonna sell 1050 -7's, -9's, and -14's.
Besides, unless they have made a great deal on the -390, this'll be one notch closer to RV-10 territory, price wise. I was hoping for an AA-5B knockoff. Oh well... |
Steve, you're right about some of the top end numbers - especially when compared to the -7, but as a -6 driver I would gladly give up a few kts at the top end for the ability to load up 2 big dudes and all their bags without being over gross. As always, I suppose it comes down to your mission and how you "really" use the airplane. This new design basically eliminates all the big practical limitations I've found in flying my 6, most of which do not show up in the standard litany of specs, so it sounds awesome to me. Those performance numbers are within a few percentage points in most cases, anyway, And really, things like going from a 275' takeoff distance to 525' is, for most missions, not impactful at all.
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