FIrst FLights

Congrats to Jim! He writes: The first flight went well. The airplane flies straight and handles well.

Congratulations to Buck on his new RV-8, he writes: Construction of my dream RV-8 began way in 2002 (!) and progress stopped and started numerous times due to life getting in the way, having multiple jobs, house moves, and all sorts of other distractions — including my own desire to customize almost everything on the […] Read More

Congratulations to Kenneth on his new RV-10! He writes: I started the build in December 2018 as I retired from the electrical contracting industry and spent ever day over the last 4+ years working on the build. A heartfelt Thanks to my good friend Stuart who has been with me throughout the build. I went for […] Read More

Congratulations Ben! He writes: I started the slow build project in October 2018 and I’m pleased to say it flew in July 2023! It’s had a year in a bit of limbo, flying in primer and the addition of a few modifications but now it’s painted I can say it’s finally finished! I’ve enjoyed fixing […] Read More

Congratulations to Nathan on his new RV-12iS! He writes: After 4 years and 1 month of building our RV-12iS flew for the first time. Except for needing to adjust the rudder tab, it flew straight and true. Thanks Van for the great airplane. It has been a great retirement project.

Congrats to Rod on his RV-6! It took me 35 years to get this thing flying. I would just lose interest for sometimes years at a time, but I always got back to it. I am so appreciative of Van’s that they were always there during that time for parts and help.

Congratulations to the Ellersdorfer family on their new RV-10! Christian writes: On August 10, 2023, after more than five years of building, our RV-10 took off for the first time in LOKW (Austria). It was an overwhelming feeling to finally be able to fly the first RV-10 in Austria after so many hours in the […] Read More

Congratulations to Adrien on the completion of his new RV-7! He writes: Building the RV-7 was an amazing experience. The planning, the days spent in the hangar with my friend Xavier (also a builder), the questions, and solving (small) issues – I miss all of that today! On March 20th, after 4 years of building, […] Read More

Congrats to Kevern on the first flight of his RV-10! Today I test flew one of three RV’s ordered. We ordered full kits of the following aircraft a RV-7,RV-8 and a RV-10. The RV-7 is in final finishing stage the RV-8 is at finishing stage and the RV-10 flew today. The RV never disappoints, this […] Read More

Congratulations to Kevin on the first flight of his RV-7! He writes: N575KD is based at KHUF in Terre Haute, IN. The airport was very accommodating with the first few flight circling above class D airspace. First five flights were conducted by Elliot Abel and he completed many of the EAA task based cards for […] Read More

Congrats Dave! Rolled down the runway, and it tracked well. Felt the stick get “light”, and then I was off. It wasn’t until I was at 1100 ft, that I said to myself, well it flies and the enormity of it started to sink in. Followed Mike Busch’s recommendations on how to properly break in […] Read More

Great work, Michael! He writes: Building this aircraft has been a journey of highs and lows and a test of patience and a lesson in persistence, flying this wonderful piece of engineering is well worth the price of admission. A big Thank You to everybody at Van’s Aircraft, Van’s AirForce and EAA Tech Councilor Bob […] Read More

Congratulations to Scott on the completion of his fourth RV! He writes: Fourth first flight in personal RVs that I built over the last 20 years. Flew great with a slightly heavy left wing and too flat prop pitch. It climbed like crazy but would quickly hit the yellow for straight and level. Now have […] Read More

Congrats to Greg on his RV-7A! He writes: Greg Miller finally flew his RV-7A for the first time on Aug 14, 2024. It was perfect morning with light and variable winds and cooler than it had been for weeks. I spent 43 minutes orbiting the field with a big grin on my face. The airplane […] Read More

Congratulations Chris! I am proud to announce that serial #74866 took its first flight early in the morning on Sunday 8/11/2024. I was the test pilot and received 5+ hours of transition training from Alex DeDominicis, referenced from the Van’s website. He did an outstanding job, which gave me the confidence for my first flight! […] Read More

Congratulations to James on completing his first flight with his RV-14. He writes: “The Spirit of Jack Gilfillan” is a tribute to my father. Three generations of Gilfillan’s at Villanova University with my dad leading the way (‘56, me ‘92, Dave ‘22, Annie ‘24). He walked on to campus on a scholarship when he was […] Read More

Cheers to Noah! Congratulations on your first flight. Exactly 700 days after the first kit arrived, N412BZ became a real airplane with a successful first flight out of Allegheny County Airport (KAGC). An hour of circling the airport revealed no squawks and an engine that was breaking in nicely. 85 hours of Phase I and […] Read More

Congratulations Bob! After 5 years building, I finally took to the skies with a very uneventful and smooth flight from Conroe/North Houston Regional Airport. I flew for about 25 minutes before returning for a nice landing. The airplane flew beautifully just like it was designed. I was so pleased with how easy it was to […] Read More

Congrats to Paul on the completion of his retirement project! He writes: This is my retirement project. It took a bit longer than expected, both due to not putting as much time as expected and to COVID delays. First flight was about 1/2 hour at Glendale AZ airport. Biggest squawks were that the nose wheel […] Read More

Congratulations to Rick on his new RV-14A! He writes: Standard build. Flies great! Impressed with the performance. I worked with the Nashville FSDO for my AWC portal submission and inspection. They were very helpful and great to work with.