Van's Aircraft

Van's Aircraft, Inc. is an American kit aircraft manufacturer, founded by Richard "Van" VanGrunsven in 1973.

Van's Aircraft, Inc.
IndustryAerospace
Founded1973
FounderRichard VanGrunsven
HeadquartersAurora State Airport, Oregon 045°14′32″N 122°45′57″W,
Aurora, Oregon
,
United States
Key people
Richard VanGrunsven
ProductsKit aircraft
Number of employees
70
Websitewww.vansaircraft.com

Van's RV series of aircraft, from the single-seat RV-3 to the latest RV-14, are all-aluminum, low-wing monoplanes of monocoque construction. The RV series of airplanes has been extremely successful, and as of November 2019, about 10,600 RV kits had been completed and flown, and thousands more are under construction. Completion rates currently average about 1.5 per day,[1] making the series the most numerous of all homebuilt aircraft. They feature responsive controls plus good speed and fuel economy.[2][3][4] In 2013, the company announced it would begin selling assembled RV-12 model aircraft as well on a limited basis.[5]

In December 2017 the company reported that its 10,000th aircraft had flown, an RV-7 built in Martinsburg, West Virginia.[6]

The Van's Aircraft factory is located at Aurora State Airport, Oregon.[4]

Regulatory status
Previous company logo, used 1973-2018

RVs are deemed Experimental Amateur Built (EAB) aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States and are accepted under the corresponding category by the aviation authorities in many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. A modified version of the RV-6 was sold to the Nigerian government as a kit-assembled military trainer.

The RV-12iS is available as an experimental light sport aircraft (ELSA) or special light-sport aircraft (SLSA), which allows for commercial use for purposes like rental and flight training.

RV aircraft series
Formation flight of 40 Van's Aircraft
  • RV-1: single example of a modified Stits SA-3 Playboy built by VanGrunsven in 1965 and modified with a 125 hp (93 kW) Lycoming engine, larger tail, modified cowling, modified fuselage and a custom metal wing[7]
  • RV-2: wooden flying-wing sailplane prototype that was never completed[8]
  • RV-3: single-seat kit aircraft, aerobatic, debuted in 1972; genesis design for rest of the RV series[8]
  • RV-4: two-seat kit aircraft, tandem seating, aerobatic, bubble canopy[8]
  • RV-5: single example of a small metal single-seat aircraft that was originally flown with a half-Volkswagen engine and then with a two-stroke Rotax 447 engine (being restored)[8]
  • RV-6: two-seat, side-by-side seating aircraft, aerobatic; the most-built model of the RV series[8]
  • RV-7: modernized kit with similarity to the RV-6, with longer wingspan and larger rudder, aerobatic; replaced the RV-6 model[8]
  • RV-8: two-seat tandem seating, aerobatic aircraft, with larger cockpit and greater overall size than the RV-4[8]
  • RV-9: two seat, side-by-side aircraft; non-aerobatic, with larger wing and more docile handling qualities than others in the RV line[8]
  • RV-10: largest of the RV fleet with four seats, non-aerobatic, tricycle landing gear only[8]
  • RV-11: single-seat motorglider; under development
  • RV-12: two-seat, side-by-side light-sport aircraft,[9] updated to RV-12iS variant in 2017
  • RV-13: designation not used[10]
  • RV-14: two-seat, side-by-side aerobatic aircraft, considered similar to the RV-7 in design but larger and roomier[11]

References
  1. "Van's Aircraft - History". Van's Aircraft. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  2. Kitplanes Staff: 2008 Kit Aircraft Directory, page 77-78, Kitplanes Magazine December 2007 Volume 24, Number 12, Belvior Publications, Aviation Publishing Group LLC.
  3. Vans Aircraft (August 2010). "First Flights". Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  4. Van's Aircraft (2007). "Introduction - About RV Kitplanes". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
  5. Goldfield, Robert (April 16, 2013). "For plane kit maker, assembly no longer required". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  6. Grady, Mary (5 December 2017). "Van's Kits Produce 10,000 Airplanes". AVweb. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  7. Pew, Glenn (27 March 2012). "Van's "RV-1" -- The First Of The Breed". AVweb. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  8. Van's Aircraft (2008). "Introduction - About RV Kitplanes". Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
  9. AvWeb Staff (April 2000). "Vans RV-12 Light Sport Aircraft". Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  10. "Van's Aircraft and Those Amazing RVs". flyingmag.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  11. Grady, Mary (24 July 2012). "Van's Introduces RV-14, Up-sized Two-Place". Retrieved 25 July 2012.
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