RV7A build log
My wife and I decided to indulge my life long desire to build an airplane. I have been involved with aircraft since 1968, but have never had the time to pursue building one. I looked at the sleek fiberglass airplanes, but did not feel my skin would like continued exposure to either the fiberglass fibers or the resins.
I have worked with aluminum extensively and plan to use the Panel Pro to fabricate many of the parts and pieces on the aircraft.
I settled on the Vans company because of great designs, great support and reasonable prices. I enjoy flying with my wife so the side by side design of the RV7A was what we settled on.
I went with the tricycle design of the RV7A for better visibility. This was a hard decision, because the nose gear of the Vans airplanes is a bit of a weak point, and may limit my airport choices to smooth runways. However in the end the visibility won out.
The next choice is the type of canopy, tip up or slider.
Factors for the slider are:
- It can be open for taxi
- It looks nicer
Factors against the slider:
- The sliding track and open canopy get in the way of prime antenna space.
- Access behind the instrument panel is blocked.
- The roll bar will interfere with a inside the windshield #2 com antenna.
Factors for the tip up:
- When open, it allows access to the space in front of the panel. This is an experimental aircraft, and I intend to experiment.
- It can be completely removed if necessary.
Factors against the tip up:
- limited opening for taxi
- For a tail wheel aircraft, it can interfere with boarding the aircraft. No problem, I am going with the Tricycle
