Why I chose the Van’s Aircraft RV-7
The Van’s Aircraft website has a page to help determine which aircraft is right for you. A lot of the questions are not about what you want, but what you need. Following this tree I ended up with a single airframe that fit my mission; I will describe my decision tree here.
How many seats do you need?
- One: RV-3
- Two: RV-4, RV-7/7A, RV-8/8A, RV-9/9A, RV-12is, RV-14/14A.
- Four: RV-10
One seat is undesirable to me as I want to travel with passengers occasionally, and I have no need for four seats.
Airframes that fit the mission: RV-4, RV-7/7A, RV-8/8A, RV-9/9A, RV-12is, RV-14/14A.
Do you need aerobatic capability?
- Yes: RV-3, RV-4, RV-7/7A, RV-8/8A, RV-14/14A
- No: RV-9/9A, RV-10, RV-12is
While I have no intention of flying competition aerobatics, the ability to move freely in three dimensions is something that I do want.
Airframes that fit the mission: RV-4, RV-7/7A, RV-8/8A, RV-14/14A.
Tandem or Side-By-Side?
- Tandem: RV-3, RV-4, RV-8/8A
- Side-By-Side: RV-7/7A, RV-9/9A, RV-10, RV-12is, RV-14/14A
Tandem is very much pilot and passenger, I want a pilot and co-pilot arrangement.
Airframes that fit the mission: RV-7/7A, RV-14/14A.
Conventional or Tricycle?
- Conventional: RV-3, RV-4, RV-7, RV-8, RV-9, RV-14
- Tricycle: RV-7A, RV-8A, RV-9A, RV-10, RV-12is, RV-14A
This is entirely personal preference, conventional gear for me.
Airframes that fit the mission: RV-7, RV-14.
Private Pilot or Light Sport?
- Private: RV-3, RV-4, RV-7/7A, RV-8/8A, RV-9/9A, RV-10, RV-14/14A
- Light Sport: RV-12is
Private pilot, because I am one.
Airframes that fit the mission: RV-7, RV-14.
Removable wings?
- Non-Removable: RV-3, RV-4, RV-7/7A, RV-8/8A, RV-9/9A, RV-10, RV-14/14A
- Removable: RV-12is
I have no need to remove the wings.
Airframes that fit the mission: RV-7, RV-14.
Tip Up Canopy, Sliding Canopy, or Doors?
- Tip Up: RV-7/7A, RV-9/9A, RV-12is, RV-14/14A
- Sliding: RV-3, RV-4, RV-7/7A, RV-8/8A, RV-9/9A
- Doors: RV-10
Another personal preference, I don’t need doors, and I like sliding canopies more.
Airframes that fit the mission: RV-7.