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, a low-wing cantilever monoplane with an engine mounted in tractor configuration in the nose.[1] The sailplane-style undercarriage consisted of a retractable mainwheel, a fixed tailwheel, and small outriggers under each wing. Compared to the RF 4. the wings were shorter and the tailplane surfaces larger.[1] The ailerons were also larger,[2] and the RF7 was fully stressed for aerobatics.[2] [3]
Construction of the prototype (registered F-WPXV[2]) began in July 1969, and the aircraft first flew on 5 March 1970. 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."[2] By 1971, Sportavia-Pützer abandoned its plans of series production of the type and hoped to market the RF7 in kit form instead.[3] By 1978, all development had been abandoned and the prototype was offered for sale.[4]