FIrst FLights

Congratulations Richard! He writes: 1 Month in with 25 RV smile hours!

Congratulations to Maurizio! He shares: RV-Smile from takeoff to long after landing… 1st Flight Video

Great work, Adam. We’re excited to see his first flight with his RV-12iS. He shares: After 3 1/2 years of building, on March 8th, 2023, N242SA slipped the surly bonds of earth and took flight. With the help of test pilot Jeff M (pictured at right), she flew flawlessly with no squawks. I’ve had the […] Read More

Congrats to Ian on the completion and first flight on his RV-14A! He reports: First flight occurred after 4 years and 2 months and lasted about 25 minutes. I just orbited over the field at high power for engine break in. What a machine – nice taut handling yet very responsive. I really enjoyed the […] Read More

Great work, Lee! We’re excited to see his first flight with his RV-8. He shares: Sorry it took me so long. Aircraft has been flying 3yrs 8 months now. Full story on pages 102-103 of EAA sport Aviation November 2022 edition. Bronze Lindy awarded at AirVenture 2021.

Congratulations to Oliver on completing his first flight with his RV-14. He writes: What a fantastic feeling to fly the airplane you built with your own hands. The plane was flying perfect, well balanced with a super smooth engine and no vibration. As an upgrade from my L4, the flight characteristics are super cool. RV […] Read More

Congratulations Stefan! 1043 days ago we got our first kit from Aurora. The following 2 years my wife Silke and me spend every free minute on building our RV-14. After we received the approval from the authorities, yesterday was the day to change our status from builder to pilot. Weather was perfect, only light winds. The […] Read More

Congratulations to Mark on his new RV-7! He writes: After nineteen years of off and on building, first flight was in February 2020, finish paint August 2023. Subaru 3.0 six cylinder engine, mated to an Aerodrive gearbox and MT electric constant speed prop. Super smooth. What a blast to fly!

Nice work James! He shares: First flight, engine break in, it’s a smooth flying plane. No surprises, nice landing with 80lbs in the cargo hold. Building vs Flying? I have to go with FLYING! I learned several new skills, made some of my own custom tools, and spent $$$ on some cool new tools but […] Read More

Congratulations Richard! Minor issue with IAS but otherwise OK, Now at 72 hours and still fighting high oil temperatures.

Congratulations Dan! He writes: The RV-9A took me 2.5 years to complete. I installed a Dynon HDX panel, IO-320-D1A and a constant speed Hartzell prop. This aircraft was originally purchased as a quick build in the Mid 2000’s by a gentleman named Dave and sat for years on center island in the San Juan’s untouched […] Read More

Congratulations to Ross on the completion of his stunning RV-14! He writes: I’m a little late getting out the first flight report. N658RV first flew May 18, 2021. The first flight went very smooth with only minor adjustments to get it to fly hands off. A few big shoutouts: The gang at Bend Builders Assist who helped […] Read More

Congratulations to Matt on the first flight of his RV-7A! Check out his wonderful first flight story: FF was amazing! A few squawks, all minor…one hour and 177 miles later (all over KCVB…my ball of yarn track), she landed perfectly. New YIO-360-EXP / Hartzell CS two blade / Dynon HDX / Avidyne IFD 440 / […] Read More

Congratulations to Dan on his new RV-7! Dan writes: After 18 years of off and on building the RV-7 – my son stepped up to the challenge and along with his friends completed the construction of N4677P. The plane was finished and issued an Airworthiness Certificate on June 14, 2023. The first flight was done […] Read More

First flight was perfect!

Nice work Charles! He writes: 8/3/23: the most beautiful day ever. I flew my Van’s RV12iS, sn#121488 for the first time today. Thank you Van’s Aircraft for an excellent kit project. She flies just as advertised. Remarkable control and exciting to fly. I spent about 961 man hours over the past 12 months, mostly in […] Read More

Check out David’s stunning new RV-7! He writes: There are few times in life where years of effort result in one defining moment – but making the first flight in an aircraft you built is one of those, and what a great moment it was. So much support from friends and family enabled the RV […] Read More

Congratulations to Dan on the first flight of his RV-14! He writes: After retiring on the field at AirVenture 2018, I knew I wanted to build this airplane. I returned in 2019 and bought my first kit. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it..even my mistakes. I have lots of people to thank… Ken’s Balch’s group of […] Read More

Congratulations to Ian and Theo on their new RV-10, they write: Everything worked as planned, a few minor squawks, nothing to prevent further progress and flight, and three of the four sorted already, the final one to wait for the oil change. Flies absolutely beautifully. perfectly straight, no trim required. A huge thanks to Theo […] Read More