Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

2026-11-01T23:16:52Z

New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

New page

{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Van's RV-7
| image = Vans.rv-7.g-kels.arp.jpg
| caption = Van's RV-7. Photo: Arpingstone, Public domain, via [[commons:File:Vans.rv-7.g-kels.arp.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Van's Aircraft
| type = RV-7
| first_flight = 2001
| number_built = 1910 (December 2022)
| faa_registered = 1,459 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = one pilot, one passenger
| engine = Lycoming O-320, Lycoming O-360 or Lycoming IO-390, 160 to 215. hp
| cruise = 207 mph (RV-7)
| ceiling = 22,500 ft (RV-7)
| gross_weight = 1,800 lb (RV-7)
| developed_from = Van's Aircraft RV-6
| category = Light-sport and kit aircraft
}}

The '''Van's RV-7''' and '''RV-7A''' are two-seat, side-by-side, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt airplanes sold as kits by Van's Aircraft; the RV-7 has a tailwheel and the RV-7A a nosewheel. It replaced the [[Van's RV-6|RV-6]] in 2001, looking much the same but with longer wings, bigger fuel tanks and a larger rudder for better spin recovery.<ref name="wp"/> As of November 2022, 1,909 RV-7s and RV-7As had been completed and flown.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 1,459 with a valid registration, counted by model name because homebuilts are registered under their builders' names.<ref name="faa"/>

== Design ==
The RV-7 draws on lessons from more than 2,000 RV-6 kits. It takes larger engines, up to the 215 hp Lycoming IO-390, and has more wingspan and wing area, more headroom and legroom, more useful load, and 42 US gallons of fuel instead of 38. It shares many parts with the RV-8 and RV-9 to keep costs down.<ref name="wp"/>

Computer-aided design and pre-punched rivet holes keep building time to about 1,500 hours for an average builder. The RV-7A's nosewheel casters freely, and the airplane is steered with the toe brakes, or the rudder at higher taxi speeds.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''1,459''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| RV-7A || 418
|-
| RV-7 || 361
|-
| VANS RV-7A || 200
|-
| VANS RV-7 || 182
|-
| RV7A || 99
|-
| RV7 || 77
|-
| VANS RV7A || 74
|-
| VANS RV7 || 48
|}
</div>

== Specifications (RV-7) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! RV-7
|-
| Crew || one pilot
|-
| Passengers / capacity || one passenger
|-
| Length || 20 ft 4 in
|-
| Wingspan || 25 ft
|-
| Height || 5 ft 10 in
|-
| Wing area || 121 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 1,114 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 1,800 lb
|-
| Engine || Lycoming O-320, Lycoming O-360 or Lycoming IO-390, 160 to 215. hp (constant speed or fixed pitch)
|-
| Maximum speed || 217 mph
|-
| Cruise speed || 207 mph
|-
| Stall speed || 51 mph
|-
| Never-exceed speed || 230 mph
|-
| Service ceiling || 22,500 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 1,900 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:VansRV-7.jpg|An RV-7 (N477RV) on display at Sun n Fun 2004. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain
File:Johnson Daniel H Iii Vans RV-7 (N67683).jpg|2007 Johnson Daniel H Iii VANS RV-7 C/N 72630. Photo: Paul Nelhams, CC BY-SA 2.0
File:Van's Aircraft RV-7 G-DMPL (36793124990).jpg|G-DMPL Vans RV-7A @ Sywell 02/09/2017. Photo: Mike Burdett from CROMER, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
File:G-RDAR - Van's RV-7.jpg|G-RDAR - Van's RV-7 taxiing at Dunkeswell Aerodrome. Photo: Georgiearl47, CC BY-SA 4.0
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Van's RV-7 ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van's_Aircraft_RV-7 Van's Aircraft RV-7]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>

Van's RV-7 - Revision history

Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources