Photo of RV-7 with unmodified external steps?

[idubrov]

Does anybody has a photo of an RV-7 with the unmodified external steps? How high / low are they?

I know some builders shorten them, but how critical is it?

[Mark33]

It’s not critical that you shorten them, but they’ll be more user friendly if you do. I’ve forgotten how much I shorted mine, but I think it was around four inches. With the tail down, I put a level line from the trailing edge of the wing down the side of fuselage about a foot or so. I then measured from that line down to the ground with my tape measure running through the center of the hole where the step would be. I divided that number in half. That ended up being a good happy medium and made it so with the step shortened, it was basically a natural stride from the ground, to the step, to the wing.

[doubleh]

Thanks for posting this. Ive been researching the same thing but not finding much. A flaps down pic would be a great help.

[BoydBirchler]

I had a friend fall off the wing of my RV7: that made me decide to install steps.
Another friend on the field was in the process of installing steps on his in build process 7A. I did some measurements on his and decided that I wanted full length steps.

I leave my flaps down while on the ground/in my hangar for easier access to the wing walk and less chance of someone stepping on a flap. With the flap in the extended position there is just enough room for the toe of your shoe to go under the flap when stepping on a full length step.

To alleviate concerns about clearance; I ran a string from the wing tip to the bottom of the step and another string, from under the main gear tire to the wing tip. Comparing the angles of the 2 strings assured me, that in a 3 point attitude, there is plenty of clearance for a full length step on a taildragger RV7. However you still need to avoid taxiing where you could be "high centered" not only for the step, but also for any belly mounted antennas.

[doubleh]

Thanks guys for the info. That helps a lot. I think I will shorten mine if I install them.

[Jvon811]

This is my father's -7 that was converted from a -7A. The steps were never modified so I'm guessing full/stock length. They've never been a problem at that length for him or my mother. Her hips/back/knee's are a problem sometimes, so having a low first step has helped her out several times.

[doubleh]

Jvon, thanks for the pic! That’s perfect.
That probably won’t work for me at the ranch. I think I will send them back and get them shortened.

[MikeyDale]

I left the original steps on my 7 that I converted from a 7A project. I have been flying 8 yrs of my grass runway on my farm and never had a problem with them. On the flip side, I wish I had taken them off! I never use the one on my side for fear it will break. And, I am slightly tail heavy as most 7s are, and it would improve my CG if they were gone!

[Mark33]

Originally Posted by doubleh

Jvon, thanks for the pic! That’s perfect.
That probably won’t work for me at the ranch. I think I will send them back and get them shortened.

Another thing you may want to do is to make them removable. I riveted a doubler with nutplates inside the fuselage. This allowed me to bolt the steps in place rather than riveting them. This gave me the option to easily remove them in the event they ever needed repair or if I wanted to just remove them and bolt a little cover plate on. Doing it this way really opens up your options.

[doubleh]

Those are good points. I hadn't given any thought to the effect on cg. I will probably need them in the future. Since I have the installation complete up to the drilling of the rivets, the removable option might work out nicely. I guess that helps with the decision whether to make the floor, removable, easier as well. For now Im leaving them off.