From Van's Website:
"SEVEN!! ???
WHAT?S AN RV-7?"
If it?s a 7, you can think of it as "one better than an RV-6" It will be the RV-6?s successor.
"ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY? The RV-6/6A IS THE BIGGEST SUCCESS IN KIT AIRCRAFT, EVER. WHY REPLACE IT?"
Well, we do reserve the right to get smarter. In the RV-7/7A, we have an airplane with comparable performance, better visibility, more useful load, more room, and more range. It is also much easier to build.
"EXPLAIN..."
The RV-6/6A was designed in the mid-1980s and introduced in 1986. In fifteen years of production over 6,000 RV-6 and RV-6A kits have been sold. Our prototypes accumulated about 5000 hours. More than 1000 customer built aircraft have flown, and new ones are taking to the air every day. We?d also developed the RV-6/6A?s successors, the RV-8/8A and RV-9A, and acquired modern design and production tools. It was time to put those capabilities and those years of experience into a new and improved airplane.
The RV-7/7A is designed for much the same mission as the RV-6/6A. However, it will accept Lycoming engines from 150-200 horsepower, giving the builder more options. It uses many parts in common with the RV-8/8A and RV-9A, which keeps production and inventory costs down. Legroom, headroom, and useful load are all greater than the RV-6/6A. The span and area of the wing has been increased. The Vne (never exceed speed) has been increased to 230 mph. Fuel capacity went from 38 gallons to 42.
But the biggest difference is the kit. The RV-7/7A kit is the most highly advanced kit Van?s has produced, and maybe the easiest to build. Computer aided design and computer controlled production tools mean that the parts fit exactly as they should. Traditionally, the task of locating, aligning, drilling and preparing the thousands of rivet holes has fallen to the airplane builder. It?s not particularly difficult, but it is repetitious and there are many opportunities for error. In the "matched hole" RV-7/7A kit, a computerized punch press locates and punches all the rivet holes during manufacture, so the builder can pull the parts out of the box, align the holes and begin assembly immediately.
Many improvements have been incorporated into the RV-7/7A kit: pre-fabricated wing spars are standard, canopy frames are stiffer and more accurate, internal structure has been simplified...the list goes on and on.
We estimate the construction time for the RV-7/7A kit at about 13-1400 hours, or about 30% less than an RV-6/6A. QuickBuild Kits are planned and should become available in late 2001.
"BUT I JUST STARTED AN RV-6!...."
Can I use my RV-6/6A empennage kit on an RV-7/7A ?
If you ordered an RV-6/6A recently, it may be possible to complete your airplane as an RV-7/7A. RV-6/6A empennage kits which include the optional thicker elevator skins and counter-balanced rudder may be used on the RV-7/7A.
The wings of the RV-6/6A and RV-7/7A are not interchangeable. If you wish to complete your airplane as an RV-6/6A, you will have the opportunity to purchase a wing kit. RV-6/6A fuselage and finish kits will remain available for the foreseeable future. We don?t intend to leave any orphans out there.
"SO, THE RV-7/7A IS ...."
Everything the RV-6/6A was (and is) plus... Plus more room, plus better visibility, plus more load, plus more range, plus more engine options, plus a very advanced kit.
Even the best can afford to get better.