Posted by Bernhard Daenzer
The RV-7A is a 2 seat experimental aircraft, built from a kit sold by Van’s Aircraft of Aurora, OR.
It is an extremely good “allround” high performance aircraft, featuring decent payload, high cruise speeds and is even capable of doing aerobatics. However we opted not to include any provisions for negative g maneuvers (Inverted oil system / Inverted fuel pickup) mainly for weight and complexity reasons. The project took 5.5 years to complete, starting in January 2005.
One advantage of experimentals is, that pretty much anything can be built into a panel / doesn’t need to be certified. Which means the experimental market offers much more capable instrumentation at a lower price compared to certified aircraft. Simply because of less required paperwork. Our panel features 2 Efis Screens, a pc-based moving map system and an integrated electrical system. Flight director functions are available, driving a 2 axis autopilot.
Performance (mix between Van’s / our own data, still being developed/improved):
| Speed – Gross Weight, 180hp | |||
| Top Speed | 173 KTAS | ||
| Cruise [75% @ 8000 ft] | 168 KTAS | ||
| Cruise [55% @ 8000 ft] | 150 KTAS | ||
| Stall Speed (full flaps) | 50 KIAS | ||
| Ground Performance – Gross Weight 180hp | |||
| Takeoff Distance (ground run) | ca 260 m | ||
| Landing Distance (ground run) | ca 400 m | ||
| Climb/Ceiling – Gross Weight 180hp | |||
| Rate of Climb | 1,500 fpm | ||
| Ceiling | 19,500 ft | ||
| Range | |||
| Range [75% @ 8000 ft] | 664 NM | ||
| Range [55% @ 8000 ft] | 816 NM | ||