Replacing my RV7A

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pit2atx

Filing Flight Plan
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pit2atx
I’m looking for advice on replacing my RV7A. I love the bird and there is no other plane that I’ve flown as fun to fly. It’s like a sports car in the sky.

That being said, 25% of my mission flying is 250NM, one other person, luggage and now a dog. The dog is too big to go now so it’s either drive or board him. The other 75% is either solo or one of person for lunch runs, sight seeing or fly ins. The RV is general pretty solid unless it’s a rough grass strip or not enough space for luggage.

So now I’m considering two directions to go. A 182 or similar to essentially cover all my utility needs or a more cost effective tailwheel 2 place (Rans S7, Kitfox, etc)

Completely different mission airplanes. My gut says 182, my thrill side says an S7 or similar and save the 250NM trip for truck and use my flying time for low & slow and off airport. There’s just something about cruising the countryside with the doors open on a warm summer evening that sucks me in. Another consideration is a 182 provides a solid platform to my instrument rating.

Any advice out there? Should I get an SUV or the Jeep?
 
Does the dog like to fly?
 
182 is about as good as it gets for an all around jack of all trades airplane. Get a 1970 or newer if you go that route.
 
Buying another two seater places fairly stringent constraints on any future changes in your life. If you get married, or even a find a SO, and gain relatives and children, they aren't going to fit in a Kitfox. If you move to another part of the country with a greater incidence of IMC, your little hot rod isn't going to be a good instrument platform.

Imagining other significant but not improbable changes in your future should be considered. I would favor the 182, as it will provide the greatest flexibility should circumstances become altered.
 
GA’s main utility is flying for fun and recreation - any other so called “missions” often end up being exercise in frustration if any resemblance of a timeline is to be considered - you want to be somewhere on time, drive or fly commercial.
 
Maybe a Cessna 170? Or if you don't need the off-airport capability, perhaps a Mooney? Your stated mission sort of points in many different directions.
 
You've got two pretty conflicting missions there, which is more important? The RV7 you have now might still be the perfect compromise.
 
pit2atx said:
I’m looking for advice on replacing my RV7A. I love the bird and there is no other plane that I’ve flown as fun to fly. It’s like a sports car in the sky.

That being said, 25% of my mission flying is 250NM, one other person, luggage and now a dog. The dog is too big to go now so it’s either drive or board him. The other 75% is either solo or one of person for lunch runs, sight seeing or fly ins. The RV is general pretty solid unless it’s a rough grass strip or not enough space for luggage.

So now I’m considering two directions to go. A 182 or similar to essentially cover all my utility needs or a more cost effective tailwheel 2 place (Rans S7, Kitfox, etc)

Completely different mission airplanes. My gut says 182, my thrill side says an S7 or similar and save the 250NM trip for truck and use my flying time for low & slow and off airport. There’s just something about cruising the countryside with the doors open on a warm summer evening that sucks me in. Another consideration is a 182 provides a solid platform to my instrument rating.

Any advice out there? Should I get an SUV or the Jeep?
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What part of the country are you in? I would be thrilled out of my mind to be able to get this (4 place ADV plane):
https://www.trade-a-plane.com/searc...l=BEARHAWK&listing_id=2365431&s-type=aircraft

Don’t get me wrong, 182s are great, but if a 182 is a good solid M4, the Bearhawk is a suppressed Desert Tech MDR. Or something like that. Keeping my 2 seater, planning to add 210 family hauler or build the ‘Hawk in 2021.
 
I second the RV-10. If you're looking for other types...

Stinson 108? Maule? Both 4 seat, off airport capable taildraggers. Both would satisfy what you're thinking about.
 
I have a 6A. My dog is only 12#'s and does fine in the back (mostly sleeps). If two-up and the dog I use Fedex to get the baggage to the other side.

If I were to switch for more seats I'd go C177RG over a 182. But that's just me.
 
The answer is obvious. You need two airplanes. Have you considered co-ownership or clubs? Since the 4-place load hauler is your 25% mission, consider finding a partnership or club with an Arrow or 182 for that and then do sole ownership of a 2-place open door 75% mission plane.
 
I have a 9A (was shopping for a 7A but found a good deal close to home on the 9A). I owned a C185 for 25 years in Alaska. It is great to have 4 or more seats and lots of load carrying capacity but you don't typically use that type of aircraft for boring holes in the sky. A 2 seat RV is a very practical, fun, economical, fast ride. I love 182s, 185s and 206s, but they are mostly for transportation, not so much for fun flying. IMO. The small taildragger idea for weekend flying is good, I had a Scout on floats and skis for years. It is too bad we don't all have money for 2 or 3 airplanes. :)
 
Here is the solution:
Grumman Tiger....four seats, but rear seat backs easily pop out to give expansive room for Rover. I fly with my two 80# Labs back there and they can stretch out easily. Fast, for a fixed gear. Well supported. Can fly with canopy open a bit. Great view for a low wing. Love the maneuverability. Try telling me the RVs weren’t based loosely on the AA5s.
 
wrbix said:
Here is the solution:
Grumman Tiger....four seats, but rear seat backs easily pop out to give expansive room for Rover. I fly with my two 80# Labs back there and they can stretch out easily. Fast, for a fixed gear. Well supported. Can fly with canopy open a bit. Great view for a low wing. Love the maneuverability. Try telling me the RVs weren’t based loosely on the AA5s.
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Good suggestion. I had a Tiger before my 9A. Loved the fact you could open the canopy, great for photography. You can find older examples for a lot less money than a 182 or a Kitfox and they are relatively inexpensive to maintain.
 
Do you do all your own maintenance on the RV7? Realize that your maintenance as well as fuel costs will ratchet way up with 182 or any standard cat airplane. And you're contemplating moving over to a 182 because it more suited for 25% of the missions? Why not rent one and keep the -7 for the other 75%. Going from a sports car to a delivery van doesn't make a lot of sense in my calculus unless you change the mission mix.
 
The OP has no idea of the second-tier effects of abandoning experimental mx allowances. "Don't know what you got til it's gone" type of thing. Rent the spam can, keep the RV.
 
Don't overlook the 180 hp C-172 conversions. Sufficient power for short-field/high DA, high useful load if the flap limiter is installed, and you can still throttle back and noodle around with the windows open at a reasonably low fuel flow.
 
edo2000 said:
The small taildragger idea for weekend flying is good
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2 seat taildragger for weekend flying + club 182 for the occasional longer trip works for me.
 
GeorgeC said:
2 seat taildragger for weekend flying + club 182 for the occasional longer trip works for me.
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This consideration is high up on my list. I wish I could afford two airplanes and I'd buy an RV10 in a heartbeat if I could afford it. So it is definitely a balance of budget. My only challenge with renting a 182 or similar is that I typically need it for 3-4 day weekends, holiday breaks etc.. That seems to be when the planes were always booked when I was in a club of PA-28s. You definitely have to courteous about it as well.. e.g., can't disappear Dec 23 - Jan 1st!
 
How about buying another type of RV for the 250 NM trip? As in recreational vehicle? Then you will have two RV's!
 
Sac Arrow said:
How about buying another type of RV for the 250 NM trip? As in recreational vehicle? Then you will have two RV's!
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It's like you can read my mind. That's the third option. Wife's happy that we can go on adventures in the camper-RV and I change my flying mission to mostly solo or two and a light load
 
pit2atx said:
It's like you can read my mind. That's the third option. Wife's happy that we can go on adventures in the camper-RV and I change my flying mission to mostly solo or two and a light load
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If that's an option, take a look at Provan Tigers. Kind of rare but cool... we have an older GT model based on a Chevy Astro van, newer ones are truck based (and much more expensive). Small enough to drive anywhere unlike the giant land yachts, big enough to be quite comfortable.
 
I kind of like the Mercedes Sprinter conversions. About the footprint of a full size pickup or cargo van, roomy, economical for what they are, and probably over the top expensive. If I was to go Jim Rockford on y'all, that would be my choice.
 
pit2atx said:
My only challenge with renting a 182 or similar is that I typically need it for 3-4 day weekends, holiday breaks etc.. That seems to be when the planes were always booked when I was in a club of PA-28s.
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This is true but not in all cases. It really depends on the particular club. I used to be in a club that had 40-50 members for 2 and later 3 planes. The vast majority of those members never flew more than 100 miles from home base. So as often as not, if you wanted to do a trip and the plane was booked, a few phone calls to those who had the plane booked telling them you wanted to take a trip would get them to eagerly consider rescheduling so you could do your trip. Most of the guys were very happy to see the planes being used for actual utility and transportation as opposed to the toying around the local area they were going to use it for. But of course every club is different so as always YMMV.
 
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