The RV-7 Project

 

Van's Flying Prototype

 

 

 

 

Basement Workshop

 

 

 

Close up of Rear Horizontal Spar

 

 

The first riveted part.

 

 

Splice Angles fabricated from angle stock.

 

 

Front HS Spar drilled and held in place by Clecos.

 

 

HS Ribs fluted for lie flat and ready for drilling.

 

 

HS Skeleton assembled and ready to brace on the Jig.

 

 

HS Skeleton with the right skin mounted with Clecos

 

 

HS Skeleton with both skins mounted with Clecos

 

 

VS with skin mounted with Clecos

 

 

Right Elevator Skin with Stiffners mounted with Clecos.

 

 

Right Elevator in Jig

 

 

Left Elevator Skin with Stiffeners mounted with Clecos.

 

 

Crated Fuselage at ABF Freight Yard.

 

 

Placing Crated Wings on trailer.

 

 

Jeff Hove and Dave Kolling with trailer loaded.

 

 

Box of parts used for the completion of the fuselage.

 

 

Another box of parts used on the fuselage.

 

 

Quick build kit fuselage and wings.

 

 

Aileron Bell Crank

 

 

Wings with Flaps Ailerons and Push Rods Installed

 

 

Elevator Bell Crank Installed

 

 

Alodined Foot Petals for Brake and Rudder Bar

 

 

Rudder Bar Mounted in Aircraft

 

 

Aft Top Deck Skin on Workbenches

 

 

Center Tunnel Cover

 

 

Fuselage with Pneumatic dimplier

 

 

Overhead shot of Fuselage and Wings

 

 

Tool Box and Drafting Table with Christian Eagle in the Background

 

 

Instrument Panel being fabricated and attached to supporting braces

 

 

 

Right Step Installation

 

 

 

Primed fabricated parts ready for assembly

 

 

 

 

Seats Riveted and Ready for Paint

 

 

Canopy Seal Brace fabrication

 

 

 

Rollbar Hoop Fabrication

 

 

 

Left and Right Fuel Vent Lines

 

 

 

Left Gear Weldment

 

 

Flap Attach Point

 

 

Intercomm

 

 

Strobe Kit

 

 

Top View of Project

 

 

Front Left Side View of Project

 

 

Front Right Side View of Project

 

 

Finishing Kit Arrives

 

 

Canopy Release

 

 

Canopy Release Close-up

 

 

Last Wing Panel in Place

 

 

Canopy Bubble Uncut

 

 

Canopy Bubble After 1st Cut

 

 

Canopy Front View

 

 

Canopy Side View

 

 

Canopy Overhead View

 

 

Canopy Marked for Separation Cut

 

 

Cutting Canopy Separation

 

 

Finishing Canopy Cut

 

 

Powder Coated Parts by Best Coat Inc. in Blaine MN

 

 

Center Tunnel Covering Hi Pressure Pump

 

 

Ready to Hang Engine with Rick Olson

 

 

Making Airplane Noises

 

 

Starting to Populate the Panel

 

 

Wiring the Panel

 

 

 

 

Firewall Penetrations

 

 

Canopy Mounted to Frame Ready for Fiberglass

 

 

PC Board for Flap Control System

 

 

More Wiring

 

 

 

 

 

Fitting the Top Cowling

 

 

Panel all Lit up

 

 

Close up of “Six Pack” Gauges

 

 

Appling Fiberglass to the Canopy

 

 

 

 

New Interior

 

 

 

 

 

New Hartzell Blended Blade CS Propeller

 

 

Fitting the Bottom Cowling

 

 

Engine Baffling 

 

 

 

 

Engine Induction System

 

 

Engine Air Filter

 

 

Damage to Cowling by Curious Builder

 

 

Cowling Repaired

 

 

Wings On

 

 

 

Grandpa with the Twins at EAA 54 Pancake Breakfast

 

 

Wingtips and Wing Root Seal Installed

 

 

Reinforced Mounting Holes

 

 

Fabricating Gear Leg Fairings

 

           

 

 

Fabricating the Left Gear fairing Intersection

 

 

Fabricating the Right Gear fairing Intersection

 

 

Modifying Van’s Lower Gear Leg Intersection Fairings

 

 

Filling Pin Holes on the Intersection Fairings

 

 

Filling Pin Holes in Upper Cowling

 

 

Reshaping Right Wing Tip

 

 

Looks More and More Like an Airplane!

 

 

RV-7A N347RV RUNS!

 

 

Ready to fly

 

 

Certification Complete

 

 

RV-7A In Flight Pilot Paul Hove

  

 

First Flight Award

 

 

 Back from the Paint Shop

 

 

Paint Job with Stripes 3/24/2008

 

 

Paint Job with Stripes Outdoors

 

 

Finished Panal

 

 

Jeff Flying East of Hudson Wisconsin