Congrats to Mehrdad, who writes to share the news of the first flight of his RV-14A! Thirteen months of pure joy building the plane with some minor setbacks due to the pandemic and supply chain issue which we all have experienced. But with the support of the Van’s wonderful staff which always went above and […] Read More
A big congrats to the Hummels on the first flight of their RV-14A in Switzerland! Fabian writes: After four years of building, our RV-14A took flight on February 8th, 2022. It was a perfect day, with clear skies and no wind. After a flawless flight and a smooth landing, we found no leaks and everything […] Read More
Congratulations to Brad on the first flight of his new RV-4! He writes: “The day was cool and clear, a perfect day for first flight. After receiving my Airworthiness Certificate on 2/2 I had to wait nearly a week for an ice storm to pass before I could fly. The RV-4 flew and performed great. […] Read More
A huge congratulations to Grant Beattie of South Africa, who submitted his first flight report for his new RV-10, which turns out to be the 1,000th RV-10 to fly! He writes: Due to a very low cloud base, we couldn’t fly a long first flight, so decided to stay in circuit. This RV-10 although flies […] Read More
Congratulations Joseph! He writes: First flight was right at an hour and the plane flew flawlessly. Better than I had hoped. I can’t say enough about the quality of the RV-14A kit, it is simply amazing. I began the project in October of 2014 and after completing the empennage and wings. The project was put […] Read More
Congratulations Guy! This kit was started in Iowa by Peter James. Purchased in 2021, transported to Florida and finished by Guy Pessina.
Congratulations Rob! He writes: I’m a little late with my first flight report…. After selling an RV-8 in 2018 that I had owned for 4.5 years (650 hrs of flying) I thought I was going to get into back country flying. I almost immediately regretted selling the RV-8. I searched and searched for another one […] Read More
Congratulations to John, who recently wrote in to let us know about the first flight in his RV-7A: Aircraft was inspected and certified December 2021. I went for two day transition training with Chris Droege in Boise, one of Van’s recommended transition trainers. Exactly what an old guy pilot like me (75) was looking for. […] Read More
Congratulations to Joe on his new RV-7! He writes: After 14.5 years of build time RV-7 serial #72965 first flight was conducted at my home base of Martinsburg, WV (KMRB). Crazy long build time was due to many factors, including the normal life stuff (young kids, job, moves, etc.). More likely reason was that I […] Read More
My RV-7A took to the skies on Sunday Jan 9 for an uneventful 30 minutes after a little less than 2 1/2 years of building during a pandemic and 2 moves. I’m eager to finish the fairings and get her in the paint shop which won’t be long now. Don’t give up, it’s well worth […] Read More
Congratulations Nigel! Bought in September 2020 as an 80% complete project where the original builder had to give up due to health issues. Original steam gauge panel replaced with Garmin G3x touch. Every weekend holiday etc for past 15 months spent finishing the project. First flight undertaken by Jim Greenshields and reports that she flies […] Read More
Congratulations to Erik on the recent completion of his RV-14! He writes: In the final moments, I questioned everything. Have I done enough to get the result I want? Will I live to see tomorrow? I countered this with positive thoughts like – I’m not the first person to do this, it’s a proven design, […] Read More
Alan wrote in to let us know about the first flight of his RV-9A: The first flight of our RV-9A occurred on Memorial Day last Spring. The first flight was totally uneventful except for the RV grin. Stalls were docile and speeds matched Van’s numbers. Empty weight came in at 1083 with a ECI Titan […] Read More
Congratulations Calvin! He writes: Having owned an RV-8 years back, I am very impressed with my RV-14. I have the EXP engine and this thing is a rocket. I was lucky to get the weather this time of the year to cooperate, as I have my 25 hours flown off at this time. I was […] Read More
Marcel wrote in to let us know about the recent first flight of his RV-7: After four years of building, I finally finished my RV-7 now known as the PH-MNX. Since I only have a little over 80 hours ‘under my belt’ and had never landed an RV-7, I decided to take a ‘safety pilot’ […] Read More
Congratulations to Neil on his new RV-3! He writes: Received my kit in 2013 and started my build in September 2019. Having previously built an RV-8 in 2005 I thought that I would quickly come to grips with this RV-3 build. This was not the case as many RV-3 builders will confirm. I decided on […] Read More
Brian wrote in to let us know about the first flight of his RV-7: Van’s, Some might say my journey is over, others that mine has just begun. I like to think that I am only halfway through a book and I have moved on to the next chapter. I started my journey on my […] Read More
Congratulations David! My inspection was completed on 11/30 and then it was just waiting for the right day. Day after Christmas was 22 and sunny with light winds out of the southeast. What a Christmas present. First flight was the reward for nine years of building.
Congratulations to Martin! He writes: N818PP took her initial flight on a spring-like Christmas Eve day from Cape Fear Regional Jetport in Southport, NC. She circled the airport three times at 3000 ft then flew 60 NM to KCTZ and back at 75% power at a top IAS of 154 kts and 180 kts ground […] Read More
Congratulations to Lee, he writes: My RV-8 took to the skies for the first time on Dec 4th with Nigel Speedy at the controls. It was a perfect day for a test flight with clear skies and low winds. Nigel reported that it flew great and there were only a few minor squawks. The airplane […] Read More
