The RV-7/7A is designed for much the same mission as the RV-6/6A. However, it will accept Lycoming engines from 150-200 horsepower, giving the builder more options. It uses many parts in common with the RV-8/8A and RV-9A, which keeps production and inventory costs down. Legroom, headroom, and useful load are all greater than the RV-6/6A. The span and area of the wing has been increased. The Vne (never exceed speed) has been increased to 230 mph. Fuel capacity went from 38 gallons to 42.

But the biggest difference is the kit. The RV-7/7A kit is the most highly advanced kit Van’s has produced, and maybe the easiest to build. Computer aided design and computer controlled production tools mean that the parts fit exactly as they should. Traditionally, the task of locating, aligning, drilling and preparing the thousands of rivet holes has fallen to the airplane builder. It’s not particularly difficult, but it is repetitious and there are many opportunities for error. In the "matched hole" RV-7/7A kit, a computerized punch press locates and punches all the rivet holes during manufacture, so the builder can pull the parts out of the box, align the holes and begin assembly immediately.

Many improvements have been incorporated into the RV-7/7A kit: pre-fabricated wing spars are standard, canopy frames are stiffer and more accurate, internal structure has been simplified...the list goes on and on.

We estimate the construction time for the RV-7/7A kit at about 13-1400 hours, or about 30% less than an RV-6/6A.