Ron's RV7 Aircraft Factory


Welcome to my personal blog. This site was created as an informal description of my build progress in the construction of a Van's RV7 aircraft. A place where family/friends/builders/curiosity seekers can follow along. It is not intended to be a detailed description of every step in the building process as that would be much too time consuming. There are plenty of sites that do a great job in that arena, that is not my intention with this site. My intention is for this to be a philisophical/motivational/inspirational account of the emotional ups and downs of the life changing journey...and it will change your life. I hope this will give you an idea, through my eyes, of what its like to make this transformation. A note to other builders, I am not an expert so do not put your safety at risk by attempting anything you see on this site until you have done your own research, or send me an email so we can discuss it. Any deviations from the plans are not approved, nor endorsed by Van's Aircraft or myself. Thanks for visiting.



Wednesday, February 25, 2009


What is a Van's RV-7 aircraft you ask? This description (and photos) were taken from the Van's website,
"It is an all-around sport airplane, with excellent cross-country capability, fine aerobatic qualities and superior handling. A typical RV-7 can hold two FAA standard pilots, 100 lbs. of baggage and full tanks: 42 gallons. At the aerobatic gross weight of 1600 lbs., the RV-7/7A complies with the +6/-3G standards of the FAA’s Aerobatic Category.
It’s a fast airplane, too; able to maintain cruise speeds near or even above 200 mph depending on the engine installed. That speed, combined with the endurance and the range possible with the 42 gallon fuel capacity means that you can traverse half the American continent in a day -- more if the winds are right."


I will be building the "taildragger" version with a "tip up" canopy. As of this posting (subject to change due to finances!), the plan is to install a Lycoming new IO-390-X (210hp) engine. Prop has not been chosen yet, but I am leaning toward a three bladed version...Catto or MT. The custom paint scheme of my design will be black/red with the interior having some grey added in also. I will also be designing my own custom intrument panel and center console, I have some ideas rolling around in my head for both of these projects. Stay tuned to see what I have in mind!




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1 comment:

  1. SahanMarch 28, 2010 at 9:15 AM

    Awesome work Ron! how many of them have you made already?

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