Must I commit when I order?

[Lemmingman]

Hi there,
As I type this I cannot help but feel this is going to be the weirdest question posted on this site. I am torn between the 7 and 7A. I know all the arguments for and against each type, and I honestly like them both. This is something I must ponder on more.
The question I have is about committing when you order. The order form for the emp doesn't seem to care if you are building a tail wheel or nose wheel design, nor does the wing kit. Is it possible that I can put off this decision until I get to the fuselage?
Those of you that have built, can you remember a place in the build of the emp or wings where it said "...if you are building a tail wheel do this, if you are building a nose wheel do this." ? I've skimmed through the preview plans and don't see anything except a warning about the lower VS fiberglass cap.
TIA

[schristo@mac.com]

Not an issue until the fuselage...

[TCONROY]

Our project started as an RV-7A until it was time to commit when we ordered the fuselage. Due to a number of personal factors (mainly my experience with t/w and the tip-over issue) we decided on an RV-7. Couldn't be happier with our decision as I was drilling the tailwheel weldment last week!

[Danny7]

not just $695, there is also $175 savings on the finish kit, the total is

=870 cheaper for the RV7 vs the RV7A

[esjacoby77]

You don't have to decide until you order your fuselage kit.

I've been planning a 7A all along. However, before committing to it on my fuselage order, I decided to see what the tailwheel thing is all about by getting an hour of dual in a Super Cub. Now, I'm planning to complete my tailwheel endorsement in January, and I'm starting to seriously lean towards ordering a 7 fuse kit.

[Neal@F14]

Originally Posted by esjacoby77

You don't have to decide until you order your fuselage kit.

I've been planning a 7A all along. However, before committing to it on my fuselage order, I decided to see what the tailwheel thing is all about by getting an hour of dual in a Super Cub. Now, I'm planning to complete my tailwheel endorsement in January, and I'm starting to seriously lean towards ordering a 7 fuse kit.

As a ~1000 hour tricycle driver (mostly Cherokee time) who finished my taildragger endorsement in a Cub two years ago, hadn't flown any taildraggers from then until this past summer, then got checked out in an RV-4 and an RV-8 and have logged ~60 hours of RV tailwheel time since July, and got to fly my friend's brand new RV-8 to Oshkosh since he couldn't go this year, I'd say there's only one choice.... forget the -A model and go for the taildragger RV-7 all the way

If I can handle landing a tailwheel RV, anyone can.

[Lemmingman]

Thanks for the information. This is what I was hoping for. I get to procrastinate the decision for as long as possible.

[Ron Lee]

Just remember, real men don't have to fly a taildragger.

[L.Adamson]

When I went through the same thought pattern for a number of months...

It was my uncle, who spent a career with the U.S. Airforce, beginning shortly after WWII... that convinced me of all the reasons why you don't see many military tail draggers these days.

I like tail draggers too. But more along the lines of an Aviat Husky or Piper Super Cub (or clone) for those rougher back country strips. RV's are not really back country planes, and shouldn't pretend to be so...

L.Adamson ---- RV6A

[Bob Axsom]

Surely some of the folks in 732 around Bentonville have examples of both the RV-7 and the RV-7A when you get to the decision point before ordering the fuselage kit. I know there are both versions of the "6" up there. I think there is one tail dragger down here at Drake but I don't see it much. All the rest are "A" models. There are some at Springdale and Siloam Springs (and probably Rogers and Harrisson) but I'm not sure of the models there either.

Bob Axsom