How tall and heavy are RV-7 drivers?

[guycole]

I like the side by side seating of the RV-7 and RV-10 (and Lancair Legacy, for that matter).

I think the RV-7 would be a easier project to complete, I'm just concerned about being able to fit in one. I'm 6'4" and 260 pounds. My wife isn't small either. I currently own a Warrior and that works OK for us (size wise). The Van's literature seems to indicate a cockpit size which closely approximates our Warrior (across the front seats). Is this true?

Thanks in advance.

[728GD]

I have a 6 and I'm about 6'5" and 210 lbs. I've taken up guy's almost as tall, but closer to 280 lbs. It's tight, as any small plane would be, but there is ample room to move around. I fly quite a bit with a good friend who is about my weight and around 6' or a little taller. No problems at all.

I have found you can trust Van's numbers, all aspects.

Dale

[bmurrish]

Guy, you might consider looking for someone who has a 7 and ask if you can check it out. You can do a search in the Van's white pages to find someone close. Most RV owners would be more than happy to let you sit inside to test fit. Just plan on putting on the kid gloves.

[captain_john]

I am 5'11" and 190 lbs., but expect to fit fine inside my plane.

You, my friend are unusually and abnormally LARGE!



I remember seeing a site, authored by someone your size (and his brother) who built and are flying a -7 and fly it all over Hell's half acre!

He says the only change that was made was the seat cushions were shorter.

Lemme see if I can find it. No promises, though!

CJ

[bmurrish]

I think this is the website you are talking about CJ
http://www.experimentalair.com/n703rv/f ... eb-05.html

[captain_john]

YUP! That's the one!

This guy is no pip squeak!



CJ

[guycole]

That URL was quite inspirational. Apparently, size is (almost) no excuse.

[captain_john]

Well... ya gonna pull the trigger or what?

CJ

[prestwich]

OK, so I'm 6'1" and 180 lbs. You'd think I'd fit in anything. But, although not too many people have to worry about this, *proportion* is important. Ya see, I've got short legs and a loooong torso. It's a major consideration for me in car shopping as well as airplane shopping. I've got a friend who's 6'5", but sitting side by side, my head sticks up at least an inch taller than his. I got a test flight in an RV6, and I had to scoot down to clear the canopy, and scoot down a little more to to accomodate my 1/4" thick headset band. Fortunately, Van's has added a smidgen more headroom to the 7, and the test sit I had in one of those was OK.

Another thought with the 7 vs. 10 debate is useful load. Can you and your wife fly with full tanks? Something to think about.

[728GD]

I know what your saying. As I said above, I'm 6'5" and have a 34" inseam. The nice thing about building is when you construct your seats you can make them as think, or thin, as you want. My seat is about an inch and a half thick, which is plenty if you use good foam. My passenger seat bottom is about three inches thick to help my wife have a better view (although she never seems to open her eyes anyway!!). If I did it again, I would have made two different bottoms for the passenger side for when I take up another "tall" person. I have not hit my head while flying, yet, and I have been in some pretty rough air.