Congratulations to David! He writes: Slow build C-GCOA was completed almost exactly two years after the tail kit arrived but delays with the paperwork over the Christmas holidays meant we couldn’t legally fly it until February 12. First flight was flawless and conducted by my building partner Gene with myself monitoring the engine gauges and […] Read More
Congratulations to Brian on the first flight of his RV-7, he writes: I flew my RV-7 for the first time on March 1, 2022. She flew perfectly with no anomalies noted on my first flight which was about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I built this airplane from a slow build kit over the past […] Read More
Another RV-12iS has taken to the skies for the first time, and this one is in Germany! Congrats to Thomas, who writes: The amazing part is, that there is not much of a story to tell. The test pilot, who had never flown a Rotax powered RV, asked about the engine handling, climbed in the […] Read More
Congratulations to Richard on his new RV-14A and its first flight! He writes: A beautiful, but cold day in southeastern PA for the first flight. N628DF jumped off the runway in less than 600 feet and flew beautifully…straight and level. Only stayed up long enough to make sure all engine indications and flight characteristics were […] Read More
As they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words! Congrats to Mark, who writes to explain the results of his first flight in his new RV-14. Sometimes fewer words mean more: “Wow” Enjoy your new airplane, Mark!
A big congrats to Richard on the first flight of his new RV-14! This is his second RV, and not his last! He writes to tell us about it: It was a superb first flight and behaved just as a RV should – beautifully. The aircraft has now completed 8 hours and I am still […] Read More
Congratulations to Igor on the first flight of his new RV-10! He writes to tell us all about it, and about a person without whom it would not have happened: What an amazing performer! The 1st flight went well and lasted 18min. The RV grin came right after lift off 😉 Thank you Van’s Aircraft […] Read More
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
