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RV-7 Construction Log
My mission is to redirect some of the travel budget toward long cross countries with my wife Karen. She'd much rather hold my hand than stare at the back of my head, so I'm building a side-by-side RV-7 while we're still young enough to get some use out of the finished airplane. To expedite the build, I plan to build fairly stock. I value efficiency a bit more than raw speed, so I'm planning on a 180hp Lycoming or clone. Even at 55%, Vans numbers say the RV-7 will make 3 miles a minute, about half again what my Cessna 170 makes with the same 8 gph fuel burn. To maximize the efficiency (and range) I'm going with fuel injection, constant speed prop, and at least one electronic ignition. Another nod to efficiency (I hope) will be a James cowl and plenum. One piece of "bling" I plan to allow myself is a Cummins spinner. As far as configuration, about 90% of all my flying has been in taildraggers, so that option was easy. I like the looks (primary) and visibility (secondary) afforded by the tip-up canopy, so that's the current plan. I'm instrument rated, but grossly out of currency, mainly due to the lack of a suitable platform. I'm planning on an IFR "glass" cockpit in the RV-7, but the utility and reliability of the currently available crop of equipment is increasing almost daily, so I'll just try to keep abreast of developments as long as I can before committing to any one avionics solution. As seems to be the custom, I guess I need to tell you that this is not a "how to build an airplane" website. I'ts just a record of how I'm building mine to satisfy the requirements for certification in the Experimental Amateur Built aircraft category. A side benefit is that family and friends will be able to track my progress, in turn providing me with the incentive to SHOW progress. However, if you are an experienced builder, or are otherwise qualified to point out my mistakes or omissions, by all means please do so! For additional photos and build details, check out my Picasa RV-7 photo page at https://picasaweb.google.com/115839306616839334947
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