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Show us a pic of your FINISHED RV-7/7A!!!

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I love the spinner!
 
MArk,

Do you have a few more pics of the center console. I did like what
I can see.

Thanks,
 
RV7 Centre Console, Paint etc

Thanks for the nice comments, I have also had a few emails asking what I had done on the Console etc. I have added a few more pictures to the Picasa album so take a look:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Mark.CastleSmith/RV7DuringTesting

The console was designed a couple of years ago before EFIS started becoming affordable and popular. I could halve the panel space now if I redesigned the panel with modern instruments. The console has worked really well, it does not limit the control column movement, gives bags of extra space, provides a useful place to terminate the various electronics located close by including the stick switches (Flaps, Trim, PTT, Com and VLOC flip flop) and also helps to push on when getting in and out! It also provides an excellent location for the Andair fuel selector which is fitted with an extension shaft. Hopefully the pictures give enough info on how it is constructed. I have shown it 'open', but there are cover plates on both sides.

We like flying right handed so we have also located the throttle quadrant to the left hand side of the RV and also fitted a quadrant on the right hand side. Because we could not get a mirror image quadrant with the correct markings, we milled about 0.2mm off the top of the RHS quadrant to remove the lettering and then engraved new lettering and anodized to match the LHS quadrant. There is no mixture lever as we have fitted full FADEC.

The instrument panel and console were painted with a paint that is commonly used on scientific instruments, it is very hard wearing, has a slight texture and is dead matte, there are absolutely no reflections from the paint at all so we also used it on top of the panel as well. We do not get any reflections on the canopy. After painting, the panel was engraved and then I used a very fine artists brush with only a few hairs left to fill in all the engraving with white enamel - that took a few hours!

I have also shown a picture of my own design of a simple system to monitor the electrical power state of the aircraft. She is entirely electrically dependent and has two alternators and batteries. The LEDs are dimmable and show (I hope) at a glance the power status of the alternators, main and essential busses. If all power is lost, operation of the essential bus switch connects the main battery directly to the essential bus (do not pass go, or a fuse or a contactor etc).

The paint on the aircraft itself is from the car industry. It is a 'colour changing paint'. There are many manafacturers out there who make such paints but most are very obvious and hit you right in the face with large metallic flakes etc. We wanted something more subtle (we are British after all!!). In dull light the paint looks like a normal silver paint job, but as soon as the sun shines on it, it sparkles all the colours of the rainbow, particularly on the rounded edges. Difficult to describe but looks stunning. Before you all ask: yes it is heavy -needs 4 coats and a laquer, yes it is expensive and yes it is difficult to repair, but what the heck: you only build a plane once: oops: I just started an RV3! oh well.

Hope this is of some interest
 
Mark,

Thanks for the pics. AWESOME job on the center console.

Good luck on the 3-B.

All center console on that one.
 
Ditto!

That center console is AWESOME, and I also love the idea of the LH throttle quadrant. That's exactly the way I'd like to have mine.

Great work and awesome photos. Thanks for sharing. :cool:
 
Anyone have a light gray and blue plane?

Hi.

We're looking into paintschemes these days and I've promised my wife that she'll decide the colours and the scheme. (yes I know; I'm either very brave or very stupid...)

So far she's thinking of having the plane painted with two colours: light gray and medium metallic blue, maybe with white stripes as "stash".
The scheme will be something like Vans yellow/white RV-7.

I've been looking through the forums for a plane with those colours but no luck.
Does anyone have pics of such a plane they can send me or post here maybe?

Thanks!

Regards Alf Olav Frog / Norway
RV-7 finishing/wiring
 
N622JP Out of Paint Shop

I suppose I can finally post something under the 'FINISHED' thread. :D

Today I picked my plane up from Tuscaloosa Alabama. It was a full day of reattaching control surfaces, etc. Bobby Potts (Tuscaloosa Paint and Interiors) did the work. He did a fantastic job, including doing all of the pinhole filling on my fiberglass. Here are some pics:

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Slick!

Mark,
that's pretty slick. :D

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Of course you have that and more built right into the Vertical Power VP-200 and makes wiring a lot simpler (this is one of four electrical diagrams that can be shown).

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I like how you think!

Marc
 
Nice!

Very nice colour...great graphics, great lines and the three blade prop just looks fantastic!! Nice build, well done.
 
Interior Installed

Since Black Magic has performed so well, I figured it was time to dress her up a little. My interior is from Abby at Flightline Interiors. I can not say enough great things about Abby and the job she does on these interiors. I opted for the entire package to cover up all metal in the cockpit. UH....I'm liking this airplane!!!

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What Kind of Cloth is that?

What kind of cloth is that? It reminds me of that super stout yet more breathable stuff that VW used to put in there cars.

Hans
 
I really don't know the material but it is a thick weave. Abby talked me out of leather, I am glad she did so. In the past week I have flown in 80 degree weather, and yesterday 40 degree weather. The seats are not cold or hot. It took about 5 hours or so to install the entire interior. Abby, at Flightline Interiors gets a double thumbs up from me!!

Uh...........keep pounding em folks......it's worth it;) Man, it is sooo nice to say that:)
 
one classy airplane

Dana, you have one classy airplane there. As a famous orator once said, "there is a time for building and a time for flying and the time for building has past" Now go out and enjoy the results of all your rivet pounding.
 
Surely you guys must get bored with this - everyday or so another RV flying!
We would like to report that ZU-MER took to African skies on Friday afternoon, 6 June, from Brits airfield, piloted by Jan.
This after about 10 months and 1100 hours after the QB kit was delivered to us.
This 7A has a Superior IO-360, Sensenich prop, Garmin stack, Dynon EFIS and EMS, ADI II as well as a number of good old steam gauges.
As expected it flew like a RV - no problems and just pure magic!!


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Well that is close Martin!
I can however spot quite a few differences. I have also added blue and yellow bands of vinyl to the wings today.
 
It Is DONE!

After 3 years and 2500 hours of work...

...Presenting RV 'Zulu-7' i.e. ZU-LUZ
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Thanks to my wonderful wife Anel, my endearing daughter Anri and my AP inspector Steve Boshoff!

Test flight in the next week or 2 after all the legal paperwork is done.

Kind Regards
Rudi
 
Way to go

Hey Rudi,

Looks great. Got to be a bummer that it is done and just sitting there, unable to fly!!!!!

Keep us posted.

Darwin N. Barrie
Chandler AZ
 
Rudi,

That thing just looks outstanding! Congrats on finishing her up.

Hey, would you like to paint my -9? :D
 
Thanks Guys,
Next week I'll post some pics of the interior.

Rudi, those are nice color choices! Is the white base a metallic or a solid?

Dan it is a solid White. Red and Silver Metalic (Colors from they Autopaint color chip display CAR: MG Rover, Colours: 'Hot' Red and 'Titanium' Silver.)

Regards
Rudi
 
Finale

I can't wait to see the videos. If they are anything like your previous offerings, they are sure to be spectacular!
Great looking airplane Rudi!
Have fun!
 
Finish

Rudi:

Congrats on finishing the plane! Love your registration letters. (Numbers for us Yanks!)

You will have a long/hard time wiping that smile off your face when you finally fly her!:D
 
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