FIrst FLights

Barry Doman’s RV-12 flew for the first time. Here’s more: Nervous and excited all in one. It’s been ready since last week from my local SAAA AP visit followed by a propellor balance the next day, weather and work got in the way until today. Perfect northern Victorian day, zero cloud no wind, and 21 […] Read More

Olafur Arnason’s RV-8 (with the help of four others) flew for the first time after almost two decades of building. Here’s more: First flight completed on a clear crispy day in Iceland. The construction took only 19 years and 3,000 hours logged. Yeah, building was slow, but we got the job done. We had a […] Read More

Frank Owens’s RV-9A flew for the first time: Great flight, no squawks.

Todd Wiechman’s RV-7 flew for the first time. Here’s more: After building many other RVs, I finally built my dream machine! It has all of the equipment I wanted, including complete Garmin panel (Dual G3Xs, 650xi, etc.), leather interior, Supertrack mod, almost RV-14 mod, and many other small mods. First flight went AWESOME! No squawks […] Read More

John Dawkins’ RV-7 flew for the first time. Here’s more: ZK-JDS flew successfully for the first time from Ardmore on March 5th, 2026. It was a good flight with no significant issues. The aircraft is powered by a Lycoming IO-360 M1B engine driving a Hartzell constant speed propeller. It is equipped with two 10” Dynon […] Read More

Wes Hewitt’s RV-10 flew for the first time. Here’s more: Today, years of hard work paid off and N837EL took its first flight! Thank you so much to my friend Ryan Allen (three-time builder) for piloting the first flight. The airplane flew great minus a little lower oil pressure than we would have liked. That […] Read More

John Krug’s RV-9A flew for the first time. Here’s more on the RV’s build story: After two years, nine days, and a total of 1,100 hours dedicated to building, N820JN finally took to the skies for its maiden flight yesterday. This milestone marks the culmination of countless hours of hard work, perseverance, and teamwork. Throughout […] Read More

Florian Gruenberg’s RV-8 flew for the first time. Here’s what he had to say: A childhood dream became reality when two passionate builders brought this outstanding aircraft to life. A perfect blend of cross-country performance and pure flying fun. The first flight of D-EXFL, performed by builders Florian Gruenberg and Lars Schoettler, took place in […] Read More

Tiziano Ponti’s RV-14A flew for the first recently. Here’s more: Taking to the skies in a plane you’ve built with your own hands – even if you started with a kit – is an incredibly exciting and rewarding experience. It brought back memories of the thrill of my first solo flight, which took place decades […] Read More

Thomas Dieker’s RV-8 flew for the first time. Here’s more on the journey from first rivet to first flight: My very first rivet was set at a free workshop at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. At the time, I really had no idea what I was doing, I just thought building an airplane sounded like something I […] Read More

Eric Vickery’s RV-10 took to the skies for the first time. Here’s more: After nearly four years of building and three months of waiting after passing the designated airworthiness (DAR) inspection, I finally got N731VF in the air. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful first flight. No issues whatsoever except my less than […] Read More

Bob Watzlavick‘s RV-10 flew for the first time. Here’s more on the build and first flight: After four-and-a-half years and 3,200 hours of building, N284MA had its first flight yesterday! Other than the oil door popping open on takeoff and high CHT on Cylinder 1, it was a good flight. Flew for 30 min at […] Read More

Rob and Amy Krieg’s RV-8 flew for the first time after much anticipation. Here’s more: I first learned about Experimental Amateur-Built aircraft shortly after joining the U.S. Marine Corps in 1989. Over the years I read magazines and books about homebuilt airplanes, attended EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, and spent countless hours dreaming about what it would […] Read More

Jari Häkkinen and Jonas Gullstrand’s RV-7 flew for the first time. Here’s what they had to say: After 12 years building at four different locations, finally we could take off in calm weather. The take off thrust was impressive, within seconds we were airborne and the plane flew really well. The only issue we had […] Read More

Shannon Carter’s RV-7 flew for the first time. Here’s more: I’m pleased to inform you that N526SJ (kit #72463) took to the skies on a clear and beautiful day. I purchased the tail and wing kit (along with tools) from Tom Maxwell in February of 2008. Although it’s been a somewhat slow build, I’ve enjoyed […] Read More

Greg Tilford’s RV-14A flew for the first time. Here’s more about the journey and first flight: I wanted a project that I could enjoy with my sons. Building an RV was a great way to spend quality time learning some things together….not the least of which was patience 😉. The plane flew beautifully, and phase […] Read More

Brandyn Kilgore’s RV-7A flew for the first time. Here’s some of the story: This was an incredible and rewarding journey. It’s one that’s story is truly just beginning. I spent nearly eight years building this aircraft and to finally have my first flight was an overwhelming experience. I had many ups and downs over the […] Read More

Roger Peltola’s RV-7A flew for the first time. Here’s more: Dick VanGrunsven inspected my first rivets at our EAA 105 breakfast and I believe he picked the order for my fuselage kit. Scott McDaniels served as Designated Airworthiness Representative and Mike Seager as Qualified Additional Pilot. All the Legends. The video tells the rest.

Kevern Brown’s RV-7 flew for the first time. Here’s more: ZU-IYV took to the skies at Eagles Creek Airfield in Johannesburg today. The machine has Dual G3X Garmin 175s Garmin Autopilot. It has a carbon instrument panel with carbon tips all-round except the wing tips, in addition to carbon spats fairings and cuffs. The plane […] Read More