RV-7 for a First Plane?

[MikeyDale]

Go for it! Get plenty training!....I wouldn't rule a 9 out!

[Raymo]

I started training in an A-22 Valor (5-6 hrs) then bought a Cherokee 140 that I leased back to the school. If I weren't an A&P, I would have lost my shirt on the deal, thanks to a number of student pilots that broke things (hard landings, turning off the ignition during mag checks - then back on, etc.).

If I had to do it again, I would have finished my training in the Valor while building or buying my RV-7A. The Cherokee is a great plane but it did not fit my mission of cross-country to visit family, which I only realized after flying in a friend's RV-8. The Cherokee went on the market shortly after that ride but took another year to sell.

[jrs14855]

My dad did his training and first solo in a Luscombe 8A in the late 40's. Pretty common then. Then there was the guy who bought a Cessna 195 and learned to fly in it. Then of course there was the much earlier era where everyone learned to fly in a big old biplane with little or no forward visibility. This entire issue has degraded from routine to not recommended to impossible. Baloney!!!
A young man recently got all his flight training, first solo, private checkride in a Vans A model.
Anyone who is an above average motorcycle rider can do tailwheel transition in half the normal hours.
There are LOTS of instructors in the LA area who would instruct you in an RV. A good place to start a search for an instructor would be Sunrise Aviation at John Wayne.
GO FOR IT!!!

[rv7charlie]

Absolutely. I should have mentioned this in my previous post: The RV-4 I'm currently flying was built by a guy who formerly built sand rails and restored Corvairs. After he built it, he learned to fly in it. His instructor put him in the back seat, and when he could take off/land using only the back seat rudder pedals for ground control (no brakes or visibility in back), they swapped places. Same way I learned in the Luscombe, which has no brakes on the right side.

Charlie

[Stitch462]

Originally Posted by Vern

Anythings possible. However, you and your CFI will have to work harder. The Nigerian Air Force used about 40 RV-6As in their training fleet (AirBeetles). I have tried to obtain info on how that worked but have been unable. Perhaps Van's can shed light on that project?

Insurance may be interesting since solo flight is a big part of getting a ticket.
The military has produced a lot of pilots in complex aircraft but typically taught the basics in a simpler machine, which is what I would recommend. Even 5-10 hours in a typical trainer might be time well spent before throwing tailwheel, CS prop, High horsepower, complex avionics, etc at you. The physical side of flying is important also. Can you tolerate flight?

The RV-9 is certainly a better airplane for training. You might consider that as a first step.

This is a good point, at least for the Air Force, newbies are sent to Initial Flight Screening (IFS) and fly the DA-20 for about 15-20 or so hours to learn military patterns, radio/checklist procedures and such. These students then fly through the initial pattern solo and those who complete the course are then sent to their Undgergraduate Pilot Training base, where after Phase I academics/sims and such, are flying the 1100hp T-6 Texan II. So with a solid foundation in a -150 or a Warrior and a good instructor, going the -7 route seems possible. But like all things in life, your mileage may vary and do your homework that the FAA will buy off on your training in the -7 before you plunk down big bucks on an RV.

[rv7charlie]

Stitch,

What do you mean about the FAA 'buying off' on the RV? There's no restriction on what you train in. You just can't *rent* a homebuilt. You can certainly *borrow* one to train in, as long as someone is willing to loan it. So using your own homebuilt for training has no restrictions in the regs, other than, for instance, being equipped for the mission (ex: IFR work).

On the subject of transition time/difficulty, one of my earliest aviator friends once wisely told me that it will take you virtually the same number of hours to transition from tricycle to solo in a taildragger, that it would have taken to get from initial training to solo in that same taildragger.

Charlie

[Robb]

I think its a great first plane and would get the RV7

[Aero_Octaveus]

My thoughts having no experience and not even having my license yet.

It's going to take you a number of years to build your RV7. So why no build and learn to fly it at the same time. In fact getting into the local RV community has been incredibly rewarding, both in the help with building but also I have been able to log a little stick time with the odd ride with a local builder.

Currently I am working on my pilots license right now, maybe I'll be done by the time the RV is ready, maybe i won't. But I tell you this.....seeing a finish line you are way more motivated to work towards that goal and achieve it!

Good luck in your journey!

[tjo]

You'll get lots of good input, but on the economic side the cost difference is on the order of $50 per hour not including maintenance, which means your "savings" would be about $3k assuming nothing breaks and needs fixing in that time. In the grand scheme, that's not much and if you include maintenance the savings probably drops off to half that. Throw in the fact that if you rent you don't have the added headache of having to fix anything that breaks during training, the FBO does, you can just concentrate on the flying. If you have to spend your money and mental energy fixing stuff the hours you spend in training will likely go up and it makes the financial argument even less attractive. I'm certainly not saying don't do it, I see no problem with doing it, I just don't think it should be an economic decision. This is coming from someone who used a J5 Cub, Cessna 150, and several Cessna 172's in the training process.

HTH

Tim

[Superman1s]

I am almost new pilot too! Taking my check ride in a week or two! Did my training in a Citabria. I am looking at buying an RV7 from a friend as my first plane too, scary!
Iv'e flown it once with the owner who happens to be a CFI. The plane is so fast compared to my trainer!!! 200hp, CS prop and IFR, looks like I need more training.