Soon after the single-seat RV-3 was introduced, it became
obvious that a lot of people wanted to share their RV Grin with
a friend. Van realized that he wasn’t going to be able to talk
them into building two RV-3s, so he set out to design a
two-place airplane that performed and handled as much like the
RV-3 as possible.
The RV-4 was an entirely new design. A poll of prospective
customers, taken in the early 1970s, showed a strong preference
for tandem seating. This suited Van as well, putting the pilot
on the centerline and keeping frontal area to a minimum. He knew
that a bigger, heavier airplane could never perform and handle
quite as well as a
small, light one, but when the RV-4 first flew in August, 1979,
the results were better than he’d dared dream. The top speed
was only 10 mph less than the speedy RV-3, and the handling
qualities, so difficult to define, were virtually identical.
The RV-4 holds two people and a moderate, but useable, amount
of baggage. The seating is compact, but still comfortable. It is
flown from the front seat only, but the kit includes a stick for
the rear-seater so he or she can share the fun. It is designed
for engines of 150-160 horsepower, although engines as small as
125 hp and as large as 180 work well and are commonly installed.
The all-around capabilities of the RV-4 are impressive. It is
capable of excellent "sport" aerobatics. Several RV-4
pilots have successfully competed in organized aerobatic
competitions, scoring well against specialty aerobatic
airplanes.
Others have used their RV-4s for sport of a different kind,
flying regularly into backcountry strips for fishing and
recreation. More than one SuperCub pilot has been startled to
land at an out-of-the-way mountain strip and find an RV-4
already there.
Th
e
RV-4 is also an excellent cross-country machine. Many couples
routinely use the airplane as a long distance "time
machine." The ability to land at any small airport means
they can get where they really want to go, not just to the
nearest big-city airport. The RV-4 takes them to fly-ins, to
reunions, to vacations, and to visit the kids and grandkids.
Distance is not usually a problem. An RV-4 is capable of
crossing half of North America in a day.
Van’s has been supplying and improving kits for RV-4 for
over twenty-seven years and it has become one of the most
popular kit aircraft in the world. Thousands of examples have
flown in countries all over the globe and new ones continue to
fly every week or two. If ever a personal airplane has stood the
test of time, it is the RV-4.
