Doug Weiler - RV7
After retiring from Northwest Airlines in 2008, my retirement project was to build a new RV-7. My first project had been an RV-4, which was finished in 2003. Although it was a great machine and was about as close to a fighter I’d ever fly, my wife and I felt a side-by-side RV-7 would meet our retirement traveling needs.
The project took 4 ½ years and tallied almost exactly 2500 hours. I wanted a reasonable high-tech RV with basic IFR capability. Power is an Aerosport IO-375-B1B (195 hp). Here are some specific features:
- Hartzell blended airfoil c/s prop
- Dual Lightspeed electronic ignition modules with back-up battery
- Advanced Flight Systems 4500 and 3500 EFIS displays
- Monroy Traffic Watch transponder detector
- Tru Trak Digiflight II with GPSS and VNAV and autotrim system
- Garmin radios wired by SteinAir:
- Garmin GMA-340 audio panel
- Garmin 430W GPS/comm with WAAS
- Garmin SL-40 comm
- Garmin GTX-327 transponder
- Freeflight ADS-B system (both "in" and "out")
- Basic standby instruments
- Dual cabin heat muffs with the famous “Tom Berge” heat valve (good to -10 F)
- Whelen 3 strobe system
- HID Xenon landing lights
- Classic Aero ultra-leather interior
- Polyurethane paint by Wipaire (design by Scheme Designers)
- Oxygen system
We have made trips to Colorado, Michigan, South Dakota, northern California, and Maine. Not to mention many local "pancake-runs"!
Doug Weiler
Hudson, WI
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