Dave Hock’s RV-7 | Littleton, CO RV-7 #74261

Congratulations to Dave Hock on the first flight of his new RV-7! He writes:

After 2,900 hours of building interrupted a couple of times with life events RV-7 N732DH took to the skies on November 1st, 2022! I have to say it was one of the biggest events in my life after marriage and the birth of our 2 great sons. The “grin” was so big and lasted so long it hurt! The plane flew fantastic with no yaw or roll and much faster than I expected. After circling nearby to the airport (KCFO which is under a Class B) to make sure all was in order I continued the flight to help the engine break-in. The first flight apprehension quickly faded and plane did what it was told to do without surprises. These are truly remarkable planes with telegraphic controls.

I enjoyed the building process and now enjoying the flying even more! Could not have happened with out my good friends Walt and Jim who provided help and advice. The flight training with Mike Seager was invaluable, fun and HIGHLY recommended. Mike really helped me learn the flight characteristics of the RV-7 and challenged me. I would be remiss if I did not mention the fantastic Van’s builder support team, they really helped this first time builder get it done and sometimes just validated what I was doing. THANKS!

My -7 came in at 1,115 lbs empty (55 on the tail) and has a Lycoming Thunderbolt I(O)360-EXP139 with dual P-Mags. I have a Garmin panel with a G3X and G5 with a GNX for navigation. I used a Sam James Cowl with a plenum of my own design for cooling which is working well.

Looking forward to the adventures to come, thank you Van’s!!!