Any Regrets Over Changing from 7A to 7?

[plehrke]

Originally Posted by DaAV8R

I knew you would come around

One advantage with the taildragger is that Vans sends the Ray Bans and leather jacket as standard equipment. You'll also need pretty girl repellant but I think you can get that from Spruce

Glad I could be of help.

My wife thinks I am plenty cool with a nose wheel and Van offered me the Ray Bans and leather jacket when buying my 6A kit, since all RVs are way cooler then anything else out there, but I opted for electric trim and sliding canopy.

Originally Posted by Stalldog

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Seriously, when I was building my 6A I bought a C-140. Put on 300 tail wheel hours. Still glad I continued with the 6A and have never regretted as I think the 6A looks pretty cool (I admit the 6 is just a tiny bit cooler looking but you should build what you want and not something just because it is cool)

[Lindamon]

I now have about 30 hrs in my -7. With a decent amount of experience in all kinds of tail wheels from Champs and Cubs to Pitts and Extras, I can say it is by far the easiest and most docile taildragger I have ever flown. Wheel landings are a real joy in this plane, and I can't believe how short I can land it full stall with full flaps. Visibility while landing and taxiing is very good as well, compared to other tail wheels. The only downside for someone inexperienced might be the higher insurance until you accumulate some hours, but I would say it's quite worth it. I believe, if you learn TW in a Decathlon or Champ, you will find the -7 a pussycat compared to them.

[ao.frog]

I had zero experience with TW before I built my first -7.
Until then, I had about 9000 hrs/30 years on nosewheel: T-37, T-38, F-5, F-16, Boeing 737, Cessna 150 + 172's, Piper Cherokee and Saab Safir. A total of about 400 hrs on GA planes with nosewheel.

Therefore, I was set on building a 7A because I thought it'd be difficult to get used to the TW after all that time with the wheel up front.

Luckily, I was talked into building a 7 by several pilot-friends of mine: all of them said the same thing: "a TW -7 is very easy to get familar with. It'll be absolutety NO CHALLENGE for you to get used to it." (They had all gone the same route: NW to TW)

I took a ride with an IP in a Cub and where convinced: there was nothing to it really.
The TW training consisted of a few hours (about 50 landings) on a Cub, and approx 30 landings on a Cap 10.
Then I did about 30 landings on a Cub alone, then about 20 landings on a RV-6 with an IP. Then I felt I was ready for the first flight in my -7.
This was in 2008.

Now, I'm VERY happy I trusted my pilot-friends: the -7 is easier the handle than both the Cap-10 and the Cub and it's just pure fun with the TW.
Besides: I'm often landing on short grass-strips and I have no fear to flip over.

The wiew on ground is plenty, the X-wind takeoff and -landings are pure fun and it feels very good to have the wheel in the back.
I have set the tension in the chains as shown in the building manual, and the plane is very easy to handle.

I suggest you get a few rides in RV's which have the 3rd wheel in the front and in the back, then follow your gut feeling.

Good luck.

[Stalldog]

Excellent points by all, and I really appreciate the input. When the weather improves this Spring I'll hookup with someone for a TW lesson and see what gives. I've certainly got the time to get a TW endorsement and build some time. I figure at my given rate I've got three more years on my build!

Thanks again for the feedback.

[wirejock]

I said, "I want to build an airplane."
Sweetie said, "Fine as long as it's got a wheel in front."
Nuff said! Cuz if the wife ain't happy, no one is happy.

Plus the insurance quote was much better.

[Stalldog]

Originally Posted by wirejock

Cuz if the wife ain't happy, no one is happy.

Well said! Probably trumps all other concerns. I don't think the wife would mind, but maybe I'd better ask her too!!! Thanks, Larry.

[diamond]

Ask the wife, then go with your gut feeling.

[bret]

Really? What is up with the Top Gun mentality around here, for me, it was a low time pilot and no tail wheel-insurance cost decision. For the girl thing, the 32' twin offshore power boat does just fine. Don't see too many random bikini girls hanging around the hanger these days

[Jaypratt]

I built a RV6 with no tail wheel time. I taxied my new plane around the runway and got used to it. After a few hours with some aggressive moves, ie ,tail up., I went flying. No regrets, it was so easy. At the time I had about 1,400 hours in my log, and I was current flying a C172.
Now, 18 years later, I have over 2300 RV hours, logged. I have only had to sweat a few times, when the wind was howling! About 125 of those RV hours were in a nose wheel RV. No regrets.

[FlyArmy]

25 tw hours isn't all that difficult to get. As for low time, I was fairly low time (couple hundred fixed wing/glider hours and 25 tw hrs) when I got my -8, and the insurance underwriters didn't really care about my 1000hrs of helicopter time. Don't let low time, total or tw, deter you. 25 is easy to get and you only have to do it once. My first year of insurance wasn't much more than my second after gaining a couple hundred tw hours...the low time penalty isn't that bad and is a onetime thing. Tailwheel is way better. That's a fact not an opinion . A lot more people convert nose draggers to tail draggers than the other way around.