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1. 08:21 PM - Re: RV7A vs RV9A (Carl Peters)
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| Subject: | Re: RV7A vs RV9A |
Both will give you immense joy. Last year, I pondered the same Q's. Both
have the same fuselage, but empennage and especially the wings are
different.
That being said...
RV-9 pros - Perhaps a little more stable IFR platform. Better glide
ratio. Lands at lower trainer like speeds. Personally, I like the
aesthetics of the longer wing. Largest engine (O-320/150-160hp) is
ubiquitous on the used (and new) market.
RV-7 pros - Aerobatics of the "gentleman" type. This was my biggest
hurdle - do I potentially want to do some down the road?? I decided not,
but you always have the potential with the -7 (though I know folks who
have admitted doing rolls and even loops in the -9, but great care is
needed to avoid overloading the frame as with any utility category
craft). A little faster with a bigger engine, but also a little more
fuel burn for that increased speed (research I've done shows a slightly
throttled back RV-7/O-360/180hp flying the same speed as an
RV-9/O-320/160hp will have almost the exact fuel burn. This was also
corroborated by a Van's engineer to me. Dan Checkoway's wonderful
machine excepted : ) ). Bigger engine choices - though not really a big
deal. Quite a few RV-9's with O-360's - just be very cognizant of Vne.
Possible resale advantage with the RV-7 due to higher popularity and
aerobatic capability.
I chose the -9 for a cross-country platform and lack of interest in
aerobatics, and frankly I like its looks more with the higher stance on
the tri-gear and longer wing. Really try and get a ride in each, and
play with some aerobatics in the -7. If there is a chance you want to
yank and bank, your decision is made (though a demo ride in a -9 showed
it could be jerked around just fine short of defined aerobatics). As an
IFR platform, a good autopilot will help for the small decrease in
stability - many folks have used their -7's IFR/Xcountry successfully.
Carl
RV-9A wings
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