Installing the step

I’m at the point of making the hole in a baggage rib for the step. I did order the steps and have them.

My question is are they necessary? Who decided against and what are the pros and cons? I did a search and couldn’t find anything on this strangely.

You could get by without them on a 7, but a7A is a hike up on the wing. You may be OK with that but you may have passengers who could use the step. And as we age, our agility may not be so good and it might be an adverse selling point if you decide to move on.

Roberta

I think it would be really hard to get up onto the wing of a tricycle-gear RV without the step. The flaps would be at risk for damage, if not by a very tall pilot then certainly by an average or shorter passenger. I think the reason you aren't seeing any posts on experience with no-step on an "A" model is likely that it's very rarely done due to its impracticality for mounting and dismounting the airplane. I'm shorter than average and it wouldn't even be possible for me to get in my airplane without stepping on the flaps unless there was a step.

Suffice it to say…I have no interest in owning a tail-dragger, and even less interest in relying on one of those folding plastic stools. If I was out shopping RV’s again, the lack of a step on an “A” model, either side, would be a deal-breaker for me.

IMHO, YMMV, etc

I saw this nice RV8 at KHHR. This one was built with the optional step since the plan for the TW version doesn't include the step. The pilot of this RV8 can get onto the wing even with the flaps retracted which is nice. Without the step, the flaps must be in the down position when parked or else the pilot will have problems of getting onto the wings.

If I build another RV, I would definitely consider adding the step for the convenience. It certainly won't win the Reno top speed award but it definitely alleviates the hassle of getting in and out of the airplane.

Portable step

I don't have any steps on my 6A and for those vertically challenged passengers, I carry a plastic fold up step which is about a foot high.

edstepec said:

I don't have any steps on my 6A and for those vertically challenged passengers, I carry a plastic fold up step which is about a foot high.

Click to expand...

The real question is, if you could do it over again would you install the step or do you prefer to carry the plastic fold up step?

For a tricycle that is much more challenging, a mishap can be costly and painful. So, one need to think about the consequences I guess.

I would never go without a step on a 7A model if I was building another one.

I used to own an RV-9A which had no steps. I'm a over six feet and I could get in and out with the flaps down, but it was quite a climb. My wife is much shorter and I had to physically lift her on and off the wing like an elderly dog getting into a pickup truck - no wonder she never wants to fly with me anymore. So I wouldn't recommend building an A-model without steps, it's just too tall for most folks.

I didn't put steps on my 7 taildragger, and I kind of wish I had. It's easy enough for me to climb in and out, but short folks might still have issues.

If you do install steps, think about how you'll deal with repairing a cracked step down the road. I've seen them installed with screws instead of rivets, which seems like a fine idea.

edstepec said:

I don't have any steps on my 6A and for those vertically challenged passengers, I carry a plastic fold up step which is about a foot high.

Click to expand...

Same here for my 7A. It's a bit of a step up for me, but when it gets to the point where I can't get in my own plane, I'll either figure out a solution or ...

For passengers, like this poster, I have a small, lightweight plastic stepstool. Works like a champ. And neither I nor any passengers have ever hit the flap (because I *tell* them to watch for it...you'd have the same problem with a step, anyway).

On the plus side, what's not there can't crack/break (just do a search on steps cracking), so it doesn't need to be removed and repaired (with all that entails for a built-in step). And, I have a little less drag .

RV7A - Yes, you will want steps

You will want the steps for a 7A, 6A's are lower but you'd still want them, I think. Don't worry about them cracking, that was with the old style step, the new ones have be modified to eliminate that problem. You can see how I replaced my passenger side step on my website, about 2/3 the way down.
http://www.newtech.com/bobbyhester/2021Flying.htm

How did you determine the “hashed” location on the cargo rib to remove. The plans are pretty vague.

<a href="https://ibb.co/QjVBWw5"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/qF8GHQZ/1-D52-DEA9-97-C4-4-DF9-A2-B7-D0-E1-ED765-C1-F.jpg" alt="1-D52-DEA9-97-C4-4-DF9-A2-B7-D0-E1-ED765-C1-F" border="0"></a>

How did you determine the “hashed” location on the cargo rib to remove? The plans are pretty vague.

There should be a pilot hole in the skin, as per the one in the vertical cargo rib. Slip a rod e.g. 1/8 12" drill bit through both holes and make a cardboard template "washer" 1.5 inch outside diameter/ 1/8" inside diameter to slide over the bit to mark where the flanges need to be removed.