Van's Aircraft

Van's Aircraft
Industry Aerospace
Founded 1973
Headquarters Aurora State Airport, Oregon 045°14′32″N 122°45′57″W / 45.24222°N 122.76583°W / 45.24222; -122.76583, Aurora, Oregon, United States
Key people
 Richard VanGrunsven
Products Kit aircraft
Number of employees
 65
Website www.vansaircraft.com

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

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 by the middle of July 2017, about 9,700 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 one of the most numerous of all homebuilt aircraft. They feature responsive controls plus both good speed and fuel economy.[2][3][4] In 2013, the company announced it would begin selling some assembled 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]

Van's factory is located at Aurora State Airport, Oregon. This airport is the location of an annual fly-in for Van's aircraft owners.[4]

Regulatory status

RVs are deemed Experimental - amateur-builts 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-12 is available as an experimental and special light-sport aircraft.

RV aircraft series

Formation flight of 40 Van's Aircraft
  • RV-1: single example of a 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 wing[7]
  • RV-2: wooden flying wing sailplane prototype that was never completed[8]
  • RV-3: single seat, debuted in 1972; genesis design for rest of the RV series[8]
  • RV-4: two seats, tandem, bubble canopy[8]
  • RV-5: a small metal single seat prototype that was flown with a two-stroke engine[8]
  • RV-6: two seats, side-by-side; most built of the RV series[8]
  • RV-7: improved RV-6, with longer wingspan and larger rudder[8]
  • RV-8: improved RV-4, with larger cockpit[8]
  • RV-9: two seats, side-by-side; larger wing and more docile handling qualities[8]
  • RV-10: four seats, tricycle landing gear only[8]
  • RV-11: single-seat motorglider; under development
  • RV-12: two seats, side-by-side light-sport aircraft[9]
  • RV-14: two seats, side-by-side version of the RV-10 (the RV-13 was never built)[10][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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 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. ↑ Grady, Mary (24 July 2012). "Van's Introduces RV-14, Up-sized Two-Place". Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Van's Aircraft and Those Amazing RVs". flyingmag.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
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