by John Ostrem
EAA Chapter 54
One of the first RVs in the Chapter 54 fleet was Gene Frank's RV-6, shown here in 1998 as Gene displays it to a newspaper reporter.
Ever wonder why you can have three Van’s aircraft in the Lake Elmo pattern at the same time? Perhaps the answer is that 30 percent of the homebuilt aircraft in the USA are Van’s! That amounts to over 12,000 planes from the company in Aurora, Oregon. It was started in 1973 by Richard Van Grunsven and now has 110 employees producing kits for the RV models. Builders, including many from Lake Elmo, are turning out Van’s aircraft at an amazing 1.5 completions per day! They have designed many configurations from two to four seats in front to back and side by side models. Some are for back country flying and some are tremendous speedsters for cross country adventures. Each of the models has a number starting with the RV-3 which is a single seater designed in 1973. From there the numbers include RV’s 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (the four-seat model) 12, and 14. Interestingly, the missing numbers were constructed as factory test models and not put into production. Their fastest model, the RV-8, has a cruise speed of 220 mph and is fully aerobatic with a sleek slider canopy making it look like a small fighter. It has a 210 hp Lycoming IO 360 which is easy to service, very reliable and can be built as either a tricycle or conventional tail dragger. The RV-8 model is even used by some countries as a military trainer.
As many Chapter 54 members know, building any aircraft is a complex but rewarding task with dedication, skill and perseverance required. A nice benefit to a homebuilt is that annual inspections can be competed with owner assisted support and supervised by a licensed A & P and no Inspection Authority is needed. Every build is different and the company has developed several “Quick Build Kits” that make the construction easier and faster with build times from 1,000 to 2,000 hours. Van’s report their aircraft require skills but are designed for a “learn as you go” construction process. Van’s Aircraft are relatively expensive to build especially if the Company does more of the assembly. The newest model RV 14 has expected build times of 1,100 to 1,200 hours, and the cost for the quality kits can be $111,000. You might know the Van’s company has successfully reorganized in the US Bankruptcy Courts with an 88% vote of support by the kit builders. So the next time you are in the pattern with a Van’s RV, know that someone has made a huge commitment of time and money on the beautiful homebuilt, and if it happens to be an RV8 - don’t get into an air race unless you have a very big engine or two!
