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Richard VanGrunsven
- Founder / CEO
The initials "RV" usually mean Recreational
Vehicle, and while that may be an apt description of the
RV line of kit aircraft in this case they are also the
initials of designer and founder of Van's Aircraft,
Richard VanGrunsven. Usually known as Dick or
"Van", Richard learned to fly in 1956 at the
age of 16. He has logged 10,000+ hours, the majority of
it in airplanes of his own design, and holds CFI and
multi-engine ATP ratings.
 Throughout
high school and college years he flew a Cub and a
Taylorcraft from the 670' grass strip on his parents'
farm near Cornelius, Oregon. He flew as a respite from
long weekends of academic study and for the sheer joy of
it. His flying included frequent flights to visit the
few homebuilders of the era. Often his destination would
be one of the noteworthy pioneers of experimental
aviation, George Bogardus and Hobie Sorrell. Both had
private airstrips that enabled Van to visit regularly.
The information he gleaned from them and others became
the basis of his later vocation.
After finishing college with a degree in engineering,
he joined the Air Force for a three year tour. He served
as a communications officer because a slight color
vision problem prevented his acceptance in the pilot
training program. He remained active in flying, becoming
a key figure in the base flying club. While serving in
Michigan, he purchased a homebuilt 65 hp Stits Playboy
and rebuilt it, installing a 125 hp Lycoming engine,
bubble canopy, and Hoerner style wingtips. This flew
much better, but still had a high landing speed, high
sink rate, and only moderately good cruise speed.
The first homebuilt was a rather sad-performing 65 hp
Stits Playboy which Van flew for a year and sold. During
that time, he purchased another Playboy airframe and
rebuilt it, installing a 125 hp Lycoming engine, bubble
canopy, and Hoerner style wingtips. This flew much
better, but still had a high landing speed, high sink
rate, and only moderately good cruise speed. Clearly, he
reasoned, this much horsepower should provide better
performance, so the airframe couldn't be as efficient as
its sporty lines indicated.
Within a year of returning to civilian life, now
employed as a mechanical engineer, he had designed,
built and installed a set of cantilever aluminum wings
to replace the strut-braced wood and fabric originals.
Renamed the RV-1, the Playboy flew like a new airplane.
The wings were equipped with flaps to provide the short
landing performance required for operation from the
short farm strip. His friends joked that the only reason
"that cheap Dutchman" rebuilt the Playboy was
to be able to keep it at home and avoid hangar rent.
Whatever the reason, it was the beginning of the RV
designs.
Van flew the RV-1 from 1965 through 1968 and enjoyed its
performance immensely, but he was aware that it was a
hybrid and felt something better was possible. Van
figured that an airplane should be able to fly into any
reasonable airstrip where the fun might be, have enough
power and maneuverability to do good basic aerobatics,
and be as fast as possible. This may not seem to be a
particularly inspired goal, but consider for a minute
how few airplanes actually achieve it. He reluctantly
sold the RV-1 (it is still on the active registry) and
began design and construction a completely original
airplane: the single-seat RV-3. It flew for the first
time in August 1971 and proved to be a delightful
airplane, an improvement in every way over the RV-1. 
Shortly thereafter, he started his own business,
providing parts, plans and very basic kits for the RV-3.
Even before the RV-3 had flown and proven a success, Van
was inundated with requests for a two-seat RV. His
answer was the tandem RV-4. On its first flight in
August 1979, the RV-4 proved outstanding, better than
Van had dared dream. Its top speed was only 10 mph less
than a comparably powered RV-3. The handling, low speed
control and delightful aileron response that
characterized the RV-3, had been retained. The RV-4
found a ready and enthusiastic market.
After the RV-4 was established, Van designed an airplane
for the prospective customers clamoring for a
side-by-side design. Building upon his own work and
incorporating ideas from a custom built airplane built
in Michigan by Art Chard, (the first man to finish a
homebuilt RV-3) he designed the RV-6 and followed it
shortly with the tricycle gear RV-6A.
The RV-6/6A became the most successful kit aircraft in
history, but Van continued to design new airplanes.
Assisted by an engineering staff and CAD draftsmen, Van’s
Aircraft, Inc. introduced the RV-7/7A, the RV-8/8A, the
RV-9/9A, the four-seat RV-10, and most recently, the
Light Sport RV-12.
Now almost 40 years at the helm, Van continues to lead
the company he founded – now the most successful in
the field. Almost every weekday, he commutes to his desk
in the engineering office (no private cubicle, no
executive washroom, no reserved parking spot) in his
original RV-4 – or his RV-10 – or his new RV-12.
Well, almost every day…in the summer, when the soaring
conditions are good, he pulls out his all electric
self-launching Antares sailplane, takes a few days off…
And goes flying.
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