RV-7 First Flight

[Michael Henning]

Great looking plane. Congrats. What do you find the biggest difference between the -6 and the -7?

[rackley16]

Absolutely perfect. The dream unfolded in living color before my eyes.

congrats and well done!

[MikeyDale]

Beautiful Plane! You must have been very focused for a 14 month build!

[MK77]

Congrats! Great paint scheme. Hoping for the first flight of my -7 this weekend if we get some good weather here in Northern IL.

[Jpm757]

The -7 flys just like my -6, however a very noticeable difference in directional stability, especially in turbulence, obviously due to the larger tail. Roll rate seems greater, but that may just be me. Also greatly improved ground handling with the 380x150 tires and Rocket link. I had a tip up on the -6 and the visibility was awesome. I am very pleased with the slider visibility and convenience, Super Tracks is a must for any slider installation.

[jcarne]

Congrats! What a great looking airplane!

[mfleming]

Sweet!

I'm building a -7 slider and I really like the looks of yours...Great Job.

Several questions.

Can we see the wings with a rear view? (I like the paint scheme and would like to see how the checkerboard plays out...is it on the ailerons too?)

Are those tires larger than stock? I like the wheel pants clearance.

Are you happy with the MT prop...Looks really nice.

Very inspiring.

[Jpm757]

Originally Posted by mfleming

Sweet!

I'm building a -7 slider and I really like the looks of yours...Great Job.

Several questions.

Can we see the wings with a rear view? (I like the paint scheme and would like to see how the checkerboard plays out...is it on the ailerons too?)

Are those tires larger than stock? I like the wheel pants clearance.

Are you happy with the MT prop...Looks really nice.

Very inspiring.

I think this might be the angle you are looking for. Checkers are on the bottom of the flaps and both sides of the rudder. 3.5" squares. Tires are 380x150, which is slightly larger than the standard 5.00x5 but still fit the 5" wheel and standard brakes. Wheel pants have a generous opening in hopes of keeping them in one piece during soft field operations. 6 hours on the airplane so far and the MT has been amazing. It is unbelievably smooth. It is fairly light, so if you do go that route you will want to keep an eye on your tail weight during the build process. Our CG came out to be 80.62" empty which is well with in the 78.7-86.82 range, how ever once you start adding people and baggage it moves rearward fairly quickly. This is where a heavier prop would have an advantage over the MT if you end up with a heavier tail weight.

[mfleming]

Originally Posted by Jpm757

I think this might be the angle you are looking for. Checkers are on the bottom of the flaps and both sides of the rudder. 3.5" squares. Tires are 380x150, which is slightly larger than the standard 5.00x5 but still fit the 5" wheel and standard brakes. Wheel pants have a generous opening in hopes of keeping them in one piece during soft field operations. 6 hours on the airplane so far and the MT has been amazing. It is unbelievably smooth. It is fairly light, so if you do go that route you will want to keep an eye on your tail weight during the build process. Our CG came out to be 80.62" empty which is well with in the 78.7-86.82 range, how ever once you start adding people and baggage it moves rearward fairly quickly. This is where a heavier prop would have an advantage over the MT if you end up with a heavier tail weight.

Thank you for the photo...that was exactly the angle I was hoping to see. Great looking -7!

Also, thanks for the details on the wheels and prop...very useful information.

-M

[jeffk]

Can you share a pirep on the ZipTips please? They look really clean. Do they perform well? How was the quality as delivered and how much work was the installation process? Thanks!