Van's aircraft designer
Richard VanGrunsven designed the RV-7 to replace the RV-6, which was a two-seat side-by-side development of the
RV-4. In turn, this was a two-seat tandem version of the single seat
RV-3. The RV-7 incorporated many changes resulting from the lessons learned in producing over 2,000 RV-6 kits. The RV-7 airframe will accept larger engines, including the
Lycoming IO-390, up to . The RV-7 also has increased wingspan and wing area over the RV-6, as well as more headroom, legroom and an increased useful load. The RV-7 carries a total of 42 US gallons (159 litres) of fuel, up from 38 US gallons (144 litres) on the RV-6. The RV-7A version features a hardened, solid steel nose-wheel strut that fits into a tube welded to the engine mount. As in all nose-wheel equipped RV aircraft, the nose-wheel is free castering and the aircraft is steered with differential braking, or rudder at higher taxi speeds. The brakes are conventional toe brakes. As of November 2022, 1,909 RV-7s and RV-7As had been flown. ==Specifications (RV-7)==