Any taildragger RV-7's or 9's in Maine?

[AcezHi]

I am thinking about building one or the other but haven't decided betweet tail dragger and Tri gear.

I have flown in a 9 tri gear, but was hoping to checkout a taildragger.

Are there any RV Taildraggers in Maine?

[VETE76]

come to kfzy sep 11 and fly one
rv 7

[AcezHi]

I have already committed to go with a buddy to the Greenville, Maine Seaplane flyin that weekend.

[aparchment]

There is an RV7 at the Sanford airport. It's owned by Ken Richards. There is also an RV6A down there owned by Carl Beatrice, but you didn't ask about that model. Biddeford (B19) has a number of RVs, but I only remember seeing 8s. I think there is an RV9 based at Lewiston as well.

[AcezHi]

I did get the chance to fly in one of the 9a's in Lewiston.
That is what got me hooked in the first place.
There is a second 9a in Lewiston now as well.
I will have to check into the others who have the tailwheel.
I am currently halfway through a tailwheel endorsement and would like to see how that responds in an RV.
I am training in a 152 tailwheel conversion at Twitchell's at the moment.
I know I want an RV, but do I want tailwheel ??????
And do I want a 9 or 7 ????????????

[N941WR]

Lots of talk on the forum about the -7 vs. -9. Do a quick search and you will find more to read on the subject than you can handle.

The -9 TW compared to the 152 isn't even a comparison. The -9 and the -7 are hands down easier to land. Even in strong X-winds the RV TW's are easier to land. Probably because they are more responsive than a Cessna, Piper, Citabria, Decathlon, Champ, T-Craft, Luscomb, etc.

[AcezHi]

I have been reading everything I could find to the point where my head feels like it will explode. I guess this is a never ending debate.

I have even reviewed NTSB reports looking for nose gear failures vs. groundloops to see how many have happened.
In most cases it doesn't seen to have been caused by hardware failure.

I was hoping to get a chance to see how much "bumpier" a 7 would be then the 9's that I have ridden in.

My wife is not an avid flyer and I don't want to turn her off with bumpy rides over long distances.

I however like what I have heard about the responsiveness of the 7 as most of my flying is done with other pilots who aren't as bothered by a few bumps.

I would really like to hear from people who have been in both in similar conditions to give me an idea of the differences in the rides if possible.

I will say that at the moment I am leaning toward a taildragger, but which one?


Thanks for all of the great input. I really appreciate it as this is a huge decision.

[N941WR]

I?m biased towards the -9, but only because I built and own one.

This isn?t discussed very much but the ride will be smoother in the -7 due to its higher wing loading. Simple science.

If you are looking for the smoothest ride, go with the -7.

On our trip to SnF this spring I flew side-by-side with a -6A and at one point I stuck my head in a sick sack. Lucky for me, the expected never happened. When I asked my buddy how his ride was, he said, ?Fine, no problem.?

Note, that once I flipped off the AP and started hand flying I was fine and stopped noticing the bumps.

[AcezHi]

Being green I would have thought the opposite.

Thanks