| RF7 | |
|---|---|
| |
| The RF7 prototype as G-LTRF | |
| Role | Motorglider |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Fournier |
| Designer | René Fournier |
| First flight | 5 March 1970[1] |
| Number built | Two |
| Developed from | Fournier RF 4 |
The Fournier RF7 was a single-seat motorglider designed and built in prototype form by René Fournier in France in 1970 and intended for series production by Sportavia-Pützer in Germany.
The RF7 was a conventional motorglider design derived from Fournier's RF 4D,[1] a low-wing cantilever monoplane with an engine mounted in tractor configuration in the nose.[2] The sailplane-style undercarriage consisted of a retractable mainwheel, a fixed tailwheel, and small outriggers under each wing.[1] Compared to the RF 4. the wings were shorter and the tailplane surfaces larger.[1][2] The ailerons were also larger,[3] and the RF7 was fully stressed for aerobatics.[3][4]
Construction of the prototype (registered F-WPXV[3]) began in July 1969,[1] and the aircraft first flew on 5 March 1970.[1] It was displayed at the Hanover Air Show the following month, where the journal Flight International praised it for the quality of its finish "[i]n spite of its prototype status."[3] By 1971, Sportavia-Pützer abandoned its plans of series production of the type and hoped to market the RF7 in kit form instead.[4] By 1978, all development had been abandoned and the prototype was offered for sale.[5]
Data from Taylor 1972, p.96
General characteristics
Performance
