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What are key difference between RV 6 & 7

steve murray

steve murray

Well Known Member
I have seen a few RV6 kits for sale and am getting the building bug again. I currently have an RV8. Am looking for the key differences between the RV 6 and RV7. And any key differences between building an RV8 and RV 6\7
 
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The -7 (I believe) is several inches longer, several inches taller for more headroom, and the kit is all matched-hole drilled which makes it much easier to build. It also carries more fuel and has a higher design gross weight, as well as an enlarged rudder/vertical stab.

If you've built an older -8 the -7 should be even easier to build. And I also should point out that there have been many posts already on these subjects, so if you wish to get more information feel free to preform a search.

Good luck :)
 
Mike_ExpressCT said:
The -7 (I believe) is several inches longer, several inches taller for more headroom,
Click to expand...
Actually the -7 is not taller, except for the tail. The extra headroom is obtained by lowering the seat ribs.
 
The instrument panel on the 7 is around an inch further forward also, giving a "bigger" cabin (also delays needing reading glasses for about three months).

Another difference on the -A models is a longer main gear on the 7A's (and 9A's), which puts the tail quite a bit higher on the ground. I think Van got tired of people landing on the nose wheels... It is one looonnng step from the ground to the wing on the A models, a boarding step is essential.

The wingspan of the 6 is 23', and the 7 is 25'.

See www.vansaircraft.com/public/models.htm for all the details.
 
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.
 
One other small thing...

The -7 is designed for engines up to 200 HP.

BTW, if the -7 is one better than the -6, is my -9 two better than a -7?
 
My friend came over in his 6 the other day and we did a bunch of measuring. The longeron to the floor in front of the spar is 1 3/4" deeper in the 7. The canopy is about an inch higher. Instrument panel is about 1 1/2" foward on the 7 and mine is about 3/4"wider at the shoulders. The 7 wingtips add the extra 1 1/2' of span. Another friend has a 6A that has a 7 tail and wingtips making it a 6.5. Don
 
yakdriver said:
and mine is about 3/4"wider at the shoulders.
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Interesting. Van's has them both identical in cabin width on their website. I wonder if this is due to minor variations in bending the longerons?

Now, to address the original question. There is no comparison when talking about building a 6 vs a 7. The 7 is of the modern, pre-punched matched hole construction with much better manuals and plans. The 6 is of the older, non pre-drilled variety and more of a challenge to build. That said, thousands of "classic" style kits have been built and flown, so it is certainly doable. If you can pick up a second hand 6 kit for a good deal, you might want to strongly consider it.
 
The 7 has the 8/9 style three piece, presumably stronger wing spar with a mid fusealge and two outer sections. The 7 also had higher factory recommended gross weights.
Jim Sharkey
 
jsharkey said:
The 7 has the 8/9 style three piece, presumably stronger wing spar with a mid fusealge and two outer sections. The 7 also had higher factory recommended gross weights.
Jim Sharkey
Click to expand...

I've been thinking the "other" way around. The 6 has the spars that carry all the way through the fuselage and meet at the center with a bunch of large diameter precision bolts............instead of merely bolting to the itty bitty ends of a center section. :D

Being realistic though, I suppose one method is as good (or better) as another...

L.Adamson --- RV6A
 
The 7 exists due to the fact that the 6 could no longer be manufacturered economically. When Van's designed and tooled for the 8, it was all CAD designed to be built with CadCam (machinerey). The 7 was born to take advantage of like components that where being manufactured for the 8 and to be able to produce the kit on the new machinery. While they where at it, they made a few small "improvements" as has been mentioned.
I have flown both and prefer my 6, for the simple reason that I own it.
 
On a RV7A you can remove the wings and still leave the plane on it's landing gear. Very very handy for moving it around.

To remove the wings on an RV6A you have to prop the fuselage and take the load off the landing gear because the landing gear mounts are bolted to the wing spar...and must obviously be unbolted to get the wings off. The only way to wheel around a 6A without wings is to fabricate a temporary timber centre section and bolt the gear mounts onto it. A lot more hassle methinks.
 
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