Trying to decide between these two and have a couple of questions. I hope to start building early next year. Mission is mostly fun/flying for sport, pancake runs across CA with my kids, etc. Would like to try some gentleman's aerobatics eventually. Side by side seating is a must, as I have 4 children, all girls. Ease of build is a factor but not that big. I'm looking forward to building the thing almost as much as flying it and am not in a huge hurry. My heart has me leaning toward the 7 but maybe the 14 is the better choice? I hope not to exceed $150K. Here are the pros of each as I see them:
RV 7
10 knots faster
Better climb (maybe 250 fpm similarly loaded?)
Sportier handling, I think?
More engine options at this point? (IO 375, etc)
Slightly better looking IMO with the lower profile canopy
Relative cost
RV 14
More room/comfort
More range
Ease of build
Bigger/more stable platform with the shortened RV-10 wing
Stronger nosewheel (doesn't matter to me since I definitely want a TD)
Newest product from Vans (not sure if this means anything or not)
Like I said, I like the better performance and sportiness of the 7 as it seems to be more of a hot rod relative to the 14. Comfort is always a factor but I'm 5'10 165 pounds and I'm only going to be flying with kids for maybe 2 hour legs max at a time. And I'm guessing a similarly equipped 7 will be about $10K-$20K cheaper than the 14? For all these reasons my heart is more with the 7 at this point. I don't care much about re-sale value either.
On the other hand, the 14 doesn't look like a slouch performance-wise, and if it's just way more comfortable and a better ship then I'm willing to go for that too. I saw a post the other day talking about 2000 fpm at Oshkosh with two guys aboard. So obviously it's plenty sporty.
Am I crazy to prefer the 7? Or is there some unseen advantage of the 14 and having the latest design (other than what has already been mentioned above)? I find the 7 to be sexier and just fits my mission better and at a lower cost to boot. Is the 14 meant to replace the 7? I wouldn't think so since the 7 has some advantages and shares a lot of parts with the 8 and 9 anyway. It seems the 14 is more of a hybrid that will not replace the 7.
RV 7
10 knots faster
Better climb (maybe 250 fpm similarly loaded?)
Sportier handling, I think?
More engine options at this point? (IO 375, etc)
Slightly better looking IMO with the lower profile canopy
Relative cost
RV 14
More room/comfort
More range
Ease of build
Bigger/more stable platform with the shortened RV-10 wing
Stronger nosewheel (doesn't matter to me since I definitely want a TD)
Newest product from Vans (not sure if this means anything or not)
Like I said, I like the better performance and sportiness of the 7 as it seems to be more of a hot rod relative to the 14. Comfort is always a factor but I'm 5'10 165 pounds and I'm only going to be flying with kids for maybe 2 hour legs max at a time. And I'm guessing a similarly equipped 7 will be about $10K-$20K cheaper than the 14? For all these reasons my heart is more with the 7 at this point. I don't care much about re-sale value either.
On the other hand, the 14 doesn't look like a slouch performance-wise, and if it's just way more comfortable and a better ship then I'm willing to go for that too. I saw a post the other day talking about 2000 fpm at Oshkosh with two guys aboard. So obviously it's plenty sporty.
Am I crazy to prefer the 7? Or is there some unseen advantage of the 14 and having the latest design (other than what has already been mentioned above)? I find the 7 to be sexier and just fits my mission better and at a lower cost to boot. Is the 14 meant to replace the 7? I wouldn't think so since the 7 has some advantages and shares a lot of parts with the 8 and 9 anyway. It seems the 14 is more of a hybrid that will not replace the 7.
