The Van's RV-7 and RV-7A are two-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt airplanes sold in kit form by Van's Aircraft. The RV-7 is the tail-wheel equipped version, while the RV-7A features a nose-wheel. The RV-7 was the replacement of the RV-6, replacing the RV-6 in 2001. It is externally similar to the earlier model, with longer wings, larger fuel tanks and a larger rudder to improve spin recovery characteristics.
Development
The designer of the Van's aircraft line, Richard VanGrunsven, designed the RV-7 series as a replacement for the RV-6. The RV-6 itself was a two-seat side-by-side development of the RV-4, which was, in turn, a two-seat version of the single seatRV-3. The RV-7 incorporated many changes as a result of lessons learned over the years in producing over 2,000 RV-6 kits. The RV-7 airframe will accept larger engines, including the Lycoming IO-360, up to. The RV-7 also has increased wingspan and wing area over the RV-6, as well as more headroom, legroom and an increased useful load. The RV-7 carries a total of 42 US gallons of fuel, up from 38 US gallons on the RV-6. The RV-7 shares many common parts with the RV-8 and RV-9 which reduces production costs. The RV-7 also uses computer assisted design to produce a kit with pre-punched rivet holes, thus greatly reducing assembly time for the builder. Construction time is estimated at about 1500 hours for an average builder. The RV-7A version features a hardened, solid steel nose wheel strut that fits into a tube welded to the engine mount. As in all nose-wheel equipped RV aircraft, the nosewheel is free castering and the aircraft is steered with differential braking, or rudder at higher taxi speeds. The brakes are conventional toe brakes. As of October 2019, 1,785 RV-7s and RV-7As have been completed and flown.
Pricing
As of December 2016, the price of the "standard build" RV-7 kit was US$22,910 and the "quick-build" kit US$34,350. In 2008, Van's claimed that most builders can complete their RV-7 projects for between US$41,000 – $97,000. In 2016, Van's estimated the completion cost at between US$55,500 and US$116,000. However, Van's cautioned these numbers were estimates only, as costs vary significantly based on installed equipment and finishing.
