Are You Sure You Want an RV-9? November 1st, 2005
When I was at the Orndorff’s workshop, I mentioned the fact I was going to build an RV-9A. George suggested I give the RV-7A a second look. It’s faster, stronger, has a longer range, and is not really more difficult to fly. He told me I should at least get a ride in an RV-7 before ordering the first kit.
Then I went to my second local EAA meeting, and everyone there seemed to either be building an RV-7, or want to build one!
So, I decided it was time to get a ride in one! I called a Ron Walker, a local pilot who has an RV-7A, and politely asked for a free ride. Again, I offered to pay for his gas. Again, after rescheduling around the weather, I finally met him at his airfield, and on we went.
This plane was sure fast! After taking off, he handed me the controls, and I played with it a little. For all the talk about an ‘aerobatic’ plane, it was actually very stable and smooth. Sure, it only took a nudge of the stick to put it in a 30 degree bank, but it was not ‘jumpy’ or ‘feisty’, as I’d heard before.
In fact, at one point it was a little bumpy, and Ron suggested we climb to around 6,000 feet for smoother air. He pushed the throttle forward, and we shot upward at many many feet per second more than my trusty C152 will do. Pretty soon we were up at 6,000 ft., and things were smooth again. Ron then proceeded to show me slow flight, stalls, and then did a quick turn that got my heart pumping. After that, we did a couple of touch and go’s at Georgetown Municipal, and then headed back to his airfield.
Obviously, by the time we landed, I was sold on the RV-7A. When I offered to pay for the gas, Ron simply said “Don’t worry about it, any excuse to fly is good enough” He then added I could give him a ride in the ‘152 sometime. 🙂
Ok, so now I’m pretty sure I know what I want to build. Time to get ‘tooled up!
The following postings will detail my quest for the best value in tools….