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14A or 7A transition training

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SomeGuyInCentralJersey

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I'm about to get my AWC and am looking for transition training in a 14A or 7A. I'm in New Jersey and will travel to you anywhere, preferably on the east coast. I am current and have 450+ hours, mostly in a 172. My schedule is wide open.

I have spoken to Van's and Mike Seager (been speaking to him since 9/25) and the 14A he trains with has been down for months with no end in site as Van's doesn't have the manpower to work on the plane.

2 generous people near my home airport (N40) have taken me for rides and let me fly a bit but no one is willing to provide training due to insurance concerns. I am not interested in having someone fly my plane for the first flight.

My insurance doesn't require the training but I am trying to be proactive and safe. Can anyone help?
 
That's what they told me. The trainer 14A has been down for 100 hour service for months. There is no one there to do the maintenance. I have spoken to Mike Seagar 6 times via email since last September. He told me to talk to van's directly because he wasn't getting anywhere with them. I spoke to van's people and explained the lack of available transition training is a big problem. He agreed and said he would push this up the chain there. I haven't heard anything since.
 
SomeGuyInCentralJersey said:
That's what they told me. The trainer 14A has been down for 100 hour service for months. There is no one there to do the maintenance. I have spoken to Mike Seagar 6 times via email since last September. He told me to talk to van's directly because he wasn't getting anywhere with them. I spoke to van's people and explained the lack of available transition training is a big problem. He agreed and said he would push this up the chain there. I haven't heard anything since.
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WOW
 
For those who aren’t aware, the EAB waiver (LODA) allowing transition training for hire in someone else’s airplane does require a current 100 hour inspection. Same work as an annual condition inspection. It’s not completely negligible. (Yes, I know Vans planes are registered as factory demonstrators, but I’m guessing the same rules apply).
I am surprised at your statement, ‘…insurance doesn’t require the training…’. I have never seen RV insurance offered to any 450 hour 172 pilots without some mandatory transition training. Of course, I guess anything is possible for a price.
Don’t limit yourself to RV14A’s. -10’s fly very similarly (same airfoil) and there are more of them around.
 
BobTurner said:
For those who aren’t aware, the EAB waiver (LODA) allowing transition training for hire in someone else’s airplane does require a current 100 hour inspection. Same work as an annual condition inspection. It’s not completely negligible. (Yes, I know Vans planes are registered as factory demonstrators, but I’m guessing the same rules apply).
I am surprised at your statement, ‘…insurance doesn’t require the training…’. I have never seen RV insurance offered to any 450 hour 172 pilots without some mandatory transition training. Of course, I guess anything is possible for a price.
Don’t limit yourself to RV14A’s. -10’s fly very similarly (same airfoil) and there are more of them around.
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I'd gladly accept training in a 10. My insurance isn't requiring training, although training will significantly lower the cost.
 
Not on the east coast but I can highly recommend Tom Berge in the Minneapolis area. He trains in his RV-7A. Rvtransition.com
 
Chris Droege in Nampa, ID has a -7A with a LODA and was great when I flew with him two years ago. 10/10, would fly with again. Not the East Coast, but Boise is a pretty easy airport to get to.
 
When I went up with Mike Seager, he had a -9A, too. Does he still train in that? The -9A pretty much flew and felt exactly like my -7A ended up flying.
 
Hi all, just wanted to update this thread. I completed transition training with Caleb Marsh in his 7A in El Dorado Kansas. I can highly recommend him. I got 5 hours in over 2 days, many, many landings of all types. Multiple airports. It was very windy, gusting near 30 knots sometimes, but as Caleb said, that’s just Kansas. So I feel prepared to fly my 14A now. He’s a great guy and calm instructor.
 
SomeGuyInCentralJersey said:
Hi all, just wanted to update this thread. I completed transition training with Caleb Marsh in his 7A in El Dorado Kansas. I can highly recommend him. I got 5 hours in over 2 days, many, many landings of all types. Multiple airports. It was very windy, gusting near 30 knots sometimes, but as Caleb said, that’s just Kansas. So I feel prepared to fly my 14A now. He’s a great guy and calm instructor.
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6 years ago, my insurance agent through the companies she worked with were quite insistent that my check-out had to be in a 14A or 10. (I had a 14A) Something about the airframe had to exceed 200 hp to qualify. Recently a RV-7 pilot who is a commercially rated pilot had to get checked out in a RV-10 for his new to him RV-10 as his agent said the same thing. I know the 7A in question could have an engine that exceeded 200 hp (IO-390) Is the 200 hp+ requirement necessary any longer?
 
dmattmul said:
6 years ago, my insurance agent through the companies she worked with were quite insistent that my check-out had to be in a 14A or 10. (I had a 14A) Something about the airframe had to exceed 200 hp to qualify. Recently a RV-7 pilot who is a commercially rated pilot had to get checked out in a RV-10 for his new to him RV-10 as his agent said the same thing. I know the 7A in question could have an engine that exceeded 200 hp (IO-390) Is the 200 hp+ requirement necessary any longer?
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I see your question asks "...is it necessary...". We're not talking about the FARs here. We're talking about insurance companies, and what they think is needed to manage their risk. Generally, they want experience (dual if necessary) in same make and model. Sometimes, they'll allow experience in something "similar". What does that mean? It's totally at the whim of the insurance company. There's really nothing magic about 200+ HP. When I first flew my -10, insurance would not count 2000+ hrs in a 230 HP 182 as "similar", and I don't blame them. The 2 planes fly nothing like each other.
 
BobTurner said:
I see your question asks "...is it necessary...". We're not talking about the FARs here.
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Maybe I should have said "do insurance companies generally require" . +200 hp is the threshold for 14 CFR 61.31(f), is that still needed by insurance companies for the RV-10 and 14 I guess should have been the question or can one get a hi performance rating and then get checked out in a 7 that is below 200 hp? I had a hi performance rating, but my insurance company still required a RV-14 or 10 checkout for my 14A.
 
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