OK, I tried this last night and it didn't work. The piece of aluminium anodized nicely, but it wouldn't take the dye - just washed off. When I diluted the acid in the water (and BTW, always add the acid to the water, not the water to the acid) it got very hot and I didn't let it cool down before I s...

Smitty, Thanks for posting the link to that thread. I can't tell for sure, but it looks like it might be possible on a 7 or 9 to slide the canopy open if the airplane ends-up on it's back. If that's the case, then there may be a safety advantage to the slider. On the other hand, I don't think there'...

Yea, that's what I was thinking... On my Cherokee I always felt I could kick out a window if I had to. Anyone have any thoughts on "kicking-out" a canopy?

I'm sure you've all seen this photo:

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-p ... 242940.jpg

I'm just wondering if there's an advantage to a slider over a tip-up canopy should you end-up on your back.

Thanks,

Tom

Don't know if anyone's seen this, but pretty good article on anodizing aluminium at home.

http://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/anodize.shtml

Great - thanks for the info.

It looks like the quick build wing ribs etc. are not primed. Is this an issue or a reason NOT to go with the QB wing?

Thanks,

Tom

Wow - that looks awesome!

Well - OK I should be able to answer this myself. According to Van, Vso in the 7A is 58 mph at gross. 1.3 X 58 = 75 MPH. Is this about what people are using for final approach speeds? That's pretty docile. I used 85 MPH in my Cherokee.

Correction - 1.3 x 51 MPH for the 7A = 66 mph

Can someone tell me what approach speeds you normally fly in the 7?

Thanks again,

Tom

Thanks all for all your input. One more question. Would a 7A be tame enough to learn how to fly in? I'm thinking about my kids who might want to earn their PPL in it.

Thanks again,

Tom

Are the straight and level (and approach) flying characteristics that different between the 7 and the 9?

I owned a PA-28-150 for 3 years. Mostly boring holes in the sky and trips of 300 miles or less. I would like to be able to do more cross countries - the cherokee was so unreliable (avionics-wise) that I wasn't comfortable using it for that.

I have never done aerobatics, but would like the ability to have that option. Problem is, I'm get stuck on asthetics, and I think the wing on the 9A looks WAY better... and afterall, aren't most of us into flying (at least in part) cause we love the way these flying machines look???

Hello, I'm still in the dreaming stages here, but anyone have any input on a 7A vs. a 9A? I like the look of the longer, thinner wing, and the economy of the 9A, but I like the aerobatic capabilities of the 7A and the greater bagage capacity. Also, after looking a dozens of builder's sites, I've not...

There ya go... I've used this technique to "glue" two 1/4 inch pieces of Plexiglass together at right angles. I needed a hammer to get it apart, and much of the joint remained after breaking the rest off. Pretty impressive.

FYI - if you can get a hold of some chloroform, you can use it to weld plexiglas back to nearly full strength. Put the edges together, put a drop or two in the seam and it will be welded perfectly. Would work perfectly on that crack.

who would like to show off their airplanes?
I'm considering building an RV-7A and would love to see one up close and personal.

Thanks,

Tom

Thanks for the reply Spike... Well, it's a good question. I think my main reason for wanting to build is because I LOVE to build stuff, and I vowed never again to pay my mechanic $500 to change a tire on my Cherokee. I've been building wooden boats for years, but if I add one more boat to my fleet m...

Hello All, My name is Tom and I'm new to rivetbangers. I've been a pilot for 20 something years flying mostly Beech Sundowners, and Piper Cherokees. I owned a Cherokee for about 3 years and recently had to sell it. Now that the nest is empty, I've been thinking about building a RV-7A. I'd like to kn...