Custom Canopy RV-7A

I really like the RV7A and believe this is the airplane for me, however I'm 6'5" and with the canopy closed my head hits the top, does anyone know of a custom canopy that would give me more headroom?

Custom Canopy,

I never get to be the first to welcome anyone to VAF but welcome to VAF!

I have to ask what kind of seats were in the 7 that you sat it? If I forget to remove the wedge from under the seat of the seven I get to use, my head is very close to the canopy as well. It would be easier to lower the seat first.

I have two suggestions: consider moving the seat support rail back. An advertiser here has a mod (aero-splat) (BTW, I am not affiliated in any way). This allows a leaned back postion that will increase headroom. Also, I found for me that in ear headphones buy me two inches of above head room compared with my previous Sennheisers.

Welcome to VAF!

Nils, welcome to VAF.

Try different seat cushions, and back tilt as mentioned above. Lots of adjustability there.

Good luck

I didn't have a head set on and my head still hit the canopy, the seat was not cushioned very well to start, but I didn't really look into the adjustability of the seat and rails. Any advice on getting a canopy that my melon fits under would be greatly appreciated, and thank you for the very warm welcome!!

Hi Metal Man,

It sounds like you haven't completely committed to building an RV-7A yet. I think it's smart to ask these questions before you do. I happened to see your question, and thought I'd comment because this is something I've had some experience with (not the modified canopy, but the seat cushions). Our company has been making seats and interior items for RVs for about ten years now, and this is one of those questions that comes up from time to time.

This mainly pertains to the RV-7s and 9s (it's not usually an issue on the RV-8). More than once, we've had a tall customer who built the whole airplane, and assumed that by making the seat cushions thin enough, they would have adequate headroom. The RV-7 and RV-9 are not small airplanes, but they are not big either.

Of course knowing your height is only part of the information that determines headroom. You also need to know how much of your height is in your legs vs. your upper body. I think the easiest way to determine if you will fit is to do a simple test in the model of RV you are considering. You can just take out the lower seat cushion, and sit on the floor. If you plan to wear a standard headset, put it on for this test (you might consider one of the in ear headsets that don't add any height on top of your head). Now measure the distance from the highest point on your head to the canopy. From that number subtract whatever clearance you would want to avoid hitting your head in turbulence (1" is usually a good number). The distance left over (if any) is the thickness that can be allowed for your seat cushion. If it's less than about 1.5", you won't have much of a seat cushion.

I hope this helps. I just saw your last post, and it looks like you might have all this figured out already. Let me know if I can answer any other questions about tall people and seat cushions (I try to read the forums regularly, but I don't always have a chance).

Best regards,

Go to the Mothership

MetalMan,
You need to take a trip to the Vans factory in Aurora, OR, or catch up with them at Oshkosh or Sun'n Fun. Try the aircraft on for size, including an intro flight. The RV-14 might be more your size.

Metal Man,
I am also 6'5" and I am building a RV-9 which is the same fuselage and canopy.
I found that with the right seat I fit fine. I also investigated modifing the build so that I could gain extra room. I am building the slider canopy so I looked at spacing the roll bar up and modifing the canopy. Posted on this site and talked with Van's. I have decided that I have enough room with just the proper seats. I fly with a friend in his RV-7 and with the booster cushion out it is tight but I got used to it. The RV-14 would be nice but I will make due.

no custom canopy in 2004

Hi Metal Man:

As others posted above, I'm 6'5 230ish. My son is 6'7" but does not carry the weight that I do.
I have a 7A that has a standard canopy. I contacted Todd's Canopy to see if he had a custom canopy when I was building. Back in 2004, he did not. I do not know if he has molded once since then.

I found that with the correct seat cushion, I / we fit fine. I fly without the seat wedge. I started with the basic seat cushions that Vans offers and flew with them for 3-400 hours. Finally upgraded to Oregon Aero cushions for a better ride.

Just as a side note, my first time sitting in a RV was with the Decatur gang some years ago. I first tried to fit into Mr. Butler's 6A but with his seats my head hit the canopy. Traded planes and climbed into Sam B's and the fit was okay. Thickness of the cushions really do make a difference and as stated in a post above, you can get some good cushions that are not thick.

Enjoy,
Doug

Thanks guys, the RV14 seems like a beautiful airplane, but I really don't want to wait for kit releases, in fact I may want to buy a partially completed or even completed plane. RV's are such a fantastic plane to fly, I may not be able to wait a couple of years!

Nils Simonsen
611 Highway 74 South | Suite 900

You can always contact Todd's Canopies and inquire. It would be a one-off design and thus might be a little pricey, but you never know.

I know a lot of builders have asked if he could build a 7/9 canopy, maybe with your help he could get started in producing them.

During canopy assemble, the builder can decide canopy height by not trimming off as much at the bottom, when fitting the canopy to the frame.

There was 2 inches I could add to the canopy height during assembly. I found my 6-1 frame had plenty of canopy height.

Although the RV-7 is a very nice 2 place aircraft, I'm suprised no one has converted one into a center stick single seater. I'll bet and RV-7A could reasonably fit/carry a 400 lb 6-7 person, and perform very well.