Dick VanGrunsven…The Monarch of Homebuilding

By David Gustafson

OnthehomepageoftheVan’sAircraftwebsite,thereisa

replicaofaHobbsMeter.Itdoesn’tcounthours;however,itcounts

aircraftcompletions…thenumberofRVsthathavebeenfinished

andflown.Thecountthisafternoonwas7,607!Nootherdesignin

the homebuilt movement has come close to that. What’s equally

amazingisthatthenumberofRVscurrentlyunderconstruction(orabandoned)mayexceedthattotal.What’s

evenmoreremarkableaboutallthisisthemanbehindthosedesigns,plansandkits:DickVanGrunsven.He

fitstheDutchstereotype:intelligent,clever,quiet,soft-spoken,conservative,andstubborn.Peoplewhotryto

talkhimintomodifyingoneofhisdesignssometimesgettoseeadifferentsideofDick.That’snottosaythat

hedoesn’trespondtothemarket.Hestartedoutwithasingleseat,gottalkedintoatwo-placetandem,thena

sidebysidemodelandeventuallyafour-seatdesign.Inanycase,hissubdueddemeanormakeshimanunlikely

candidatetobetheworldleaderinproducingkitsthathavemadeittotheflightline…untilyougettoknow

wherehe’scomingfrom.

There’smoretoitthansheernumbers.Ithasspawnedakind

ofcult;abandofbrothers,whotaketheirRVbuildingand

flyingveryseriously.ThereareRVclubsoutthere,RVflying

formations,anonlinechatroomandblogthat’shostedby

volunteers.EAAsetsasideanenormousareaforRVtiedownsto

accommodatethosewhovisittheannualFly-In.Thereareguys

whohavebuilt5,6,even7copiesoftheRVdesigns.Theyfinish

one,flyitforawhile,sellitandbuyanothermodel.Theyjust

love building them.

AlotofkitmakershavecomeandgonesinceDicksoldhisfirst

limitedkitatOshkoshin1974.Van’sAircraftmaybetheoldest

continuouskitcompanyinthebusinesstoday.Anumberoffactorshavecontributedtotheon-goingsuccess

ofDick’sDesigns:aluminum,newproducts,easeofconstruction,ruggedness,buildersupport,integrity,

andperformance,performance,performance.There’sanotherfactor:success…thekindthatfeedsonitself,

Dick VanGrunsven has become the undisputed leader in kit plane sales.

stimulatingevenmoresuccess.Fewpeoplegetseriousabouthomebuildingtodaywithoutatleasttakinga

lookattheRVs.

DicklaunchedVan’sAircraftwiththeRV-3.Thatairplaneandallthathavefollowedhavebeenbuilt

outof2024-T3aluminum.Obviously,Dickprefersthatmaterialovercomposite,tubeandfabricorall-wood

designs.Aluminumiswellunderstoodforitsstrength,durability,andendurance.Ithasdominatedthemilitary

andcommercialworldsfor75years.Everysooften,asonedesignbeginstofadealittle,Dickmanagesto

comeoutwithsomethingnewandtherearealotofpeoplewhobuiltthelastdesign,whocan’twaittolineup

foranewkitsotheycanbuildacopyofthenextdesign.

BuildersupporthasbeenahallmarkforVan’sAircraft,withnewslettersandwebsitesthathave

handledjustabouteveryquestionabuildercanthinkof.Nowadays,ifsomeonetacklesanRVdesign,it’svery

likelythatsomeoneelseintheneighborhoodhasalreadybeenthroughthedrillandcanprovideanswersto

mostissuesthatanewbuilderwillface.

It’stheperformanceandhandlingoftheRVsthathaswonovermostbuilders.Van’sdesignsarefast,

strongandhighlymaneuverable.Theearlymodelsweredesignedtobefullyaerobaticandsomeofthem

havefoundtheirwayintoIACentry-levelcompetitions.Thelaterdesignstendtocatertopilotswhoaremore

interestedinutilitythanhighperformancehandlingandcertainlytheRV10and12areoutsidetheaerobatic

envelope.

ThestoryofhowDick’sstableevolvedfromtheRV-1upthroughtheRV-12(RVstandsforRichard

VanGrunsven,notRecreationalVehicle)isastudyinpassion,commitment,andaperfecteyeforwhatworks

andwhatdoesn’t.ThisisthestoryofhowonemanchangedfromaquietcountryboytoaHomebuiltGuru,

theworld’sleadingproducerofhomebuiltaircraftkits.

How it came to be.Dickandhisolderbrother,Jerry,grewuponafarmnearCornelius,Oregon.As

kidstheydevelopedafascinationforaviation,shapingbalsawoodandcoveringitwithtissue.Theirfatherhad

takensomeflyinglessons(inthemid-1930s)beforehegotmarriedandthestoriesofhisexperiencesaloft

inspiredtheyoungboys.Inhisinvolvementwithflight,Dick’sfatherhadhookedupwithahomebuilderwho

wasveryprominentinthe1930’sandthatgaveDicksomeearlyinsightintothewholefieldofhomebuilding.

ThatcouplednicelywithDickandJerry’sfrequentconstructionprojectsaroundthefarm.Hisparentslearned

earlyonthatDickhadahighaptitudeforallthingsmechanical.

Itwasn’tlongbeforeheandhisbrotherworkedtheirwayuptoowninganoldJ-3Cub.Theywere

soonflyingoffa670’stripontheirfarm.Dickhadthatmysticalexperienceoflearningtoflyat15andgetting

hislicenseat16inthekindofaircraftthatnotonlyproducedarespectandunderstandingforstickand

rudder,butwhichinspiredandgaveflyingasenseofromancethatseemstohavedisappeared.Dickwas

airbornewheneverhecouldsqueezethetimefromhisscheduleorthegasmoneyoutofhispockets.He

madeCFIby19andlateraddedtheIFRandworkedhiswayuptoanATPrating.Whenitwastimetogooff

totheUniversityofPortlandin1957,hechosetomajorinGeneralEngineering.Theydidn’thaveaprogram

inaeronauticalengineeringorhe’dhavebeeninit.Followinggraduation,hewentintotheAirForceforthree

yearsandthentriedhishandatengineeringwhichseemedlikeanerraticcareer.

WhilehewasintheAirForce,hecameacrossaStitsPlayboyin1962.Heboughtit.Soon,however,

hehadittornapartandrebuiltit.Stillunhappywiththeperformanceandhandling,hetookitapartasecond

time,in1965,andfittedtheaircraftwithcantileveredaluminumwingshehaddesignedandbuiltinplaceof

thestrutbracedwoodwings.ThatwastheRV-1.Afterflyingitthreeyears,furtherupgradingitandenjoying

itimmensely,hesomewhatreluctantlysoldittoanairlinecaptain.Beingbereftofanaircraft,hehadthe

impetustobegindesigningtheRV-3.Inbetween,however,therewastheRV-2,aflyingwinggliderthatwas

nevercompleted.“It’sprobablybetterthattherearepartslyingaroundratherthanhavingitflying.”Henever

drewupplans,hasnophotosandbelievesitwillneverbefinished.

The RV-3. DickwantedtocreatehisowndesignandhekeptthePlayboyinmindashesketchedout

thebasicconfiguration,butwherethePlayboyiswood,steeltubeandfabric,Dickwasdeterminedtocreate

anallaluminumairframe.“ItwasbasedonwhatIalreadyknewanditbecameakindofcornerstoneforthe

business.Itwasanopportunitytogetstarted.”Hebeganbybuildingaprototypein1969andfirstflewitin

Dick’s RV-1 evolved from this Stits Playboy. RV-1

1971.Hewasdelighted

withtheaerobatic

performance and high

speed of the design. He

drewupplans.Inthose

daysan“aircraftkit”

hadawholedifferent

meaning.Theyweren’t

complete. They did

include plans and some

ofthedifficultpartslike

wingribs,bulkheads,

cowling,enginemount,

fairings,canopies,

someofthealuminumpartsthathadcriticalbends.Buildersstillhadtofindsheetsofaluminum,rivets,bolts,paint

upholstery,instrumentsandanengine.“Itwasaneasierbusinesstogetinto,becauseyoudidn’tneedtobesetup

withintricate,sophisticatedtoolingforcompletekits.CNCmachinesdidn’texistthen.”Buildershadtofindtheirown

materials,domostoftheirownshaping,drillholes,insertclecosandrivets.Hisfirstshopspacewasaonecargarage

andasomewhatlargershopwaslocatedintheloftofabarn.Afterabouttwoyears,hehadpurchasedaproperty

withahouseandamorespacioussizedshopwhichbecamehisone-man-factory.

“Thatsoonchanged.Theindustrywasevolvingandpeoplewantedmorecompletekits.Withinacouple

years,Dickwasshippingoutcompletekitswithallmaterialsandwithallofthebendingcompleted.Thegoalnow

wastodothekindofworkforwhichtypicalbuildersdidn’thavethetoolsortheskillstodoitright.Itwasassumed

thatthebuilderwoulddosomeminorweldingandfabricating,buttodayallthatkindofworkisalsodoneatthe

factory.CNCmachinesnowpre-punchalltheholes,allofthesteelpartsarereadytoboltin,andthereisverylittle

fabricationleft.It’smainlyanassemblyprocessnow.“Youreallycan’tcomparetheearlykitswithourcurrentkits.

They’reverydifferentnow,muchmorecomplete.”

DickstillsellsRV-3kitsanditispossibletogetaQuickBuildWingKitthatisessentiallyassembled.Very

littleworkislefttobedonebythebuilder.Dickpointsoutthattheworkdoneatthefactorystillcomplieswiththe

FAA’s51%rule,whichdictatesthatthebuilderhastobuildoverhalfoftheaircraft.Overtheyears,andthroughthe

The RV-3 was designed to go fast and be aerobatic.

differentdesigns,DickhasbeenverycarefultoavoidanyconflictwiththeFAAoverthe51%rulethatgoverns

ExperimentalAmateurBuiltaircraft.

The RV-4. AlmostassoonasDickintroducedtheRV-3,hebegangettingquestionsaboutdevelopinga

two-seataircraft.Hewasreluctantatfirst,believingthattwo-seataircrafttendmoretowardutilitarianflying.He

wassohappywiththeperformanceoftheRV-3thathedidn’twanttogiveupanyofthespeedandaerobatic

capability.Inthosedaystherewerealotofsingleplacehomebuiltaircraftandtwo-seaterswerestillsomewhat

rare,butcertainlydesiredbyalotofpeople.

He resisted.

They persisted.

Eventually,about1975,hebegantothinkabouttheconfigurationthatbecametheRV-4:atwo-seat

tandemarrangement.HeworkedonitbetweenshipmentsofkitsfortheRV-3.WhenitfinallyflewinAugustof

1979,Dickhadapleasantsurprise.Itturnedouttobeahighperformanceaircraft…morethanhe’dexpected.“I

hadfearedthatwewouldhavetogiveupalotofthemaneuverabilityoftheRV-3.Buttherewasjustmoreand

morecallforatwo-place.”Intheend,heletgoofabout10mphandanalmostnegligiblereductioninrollrate.In

configurationitwasanexpandedversionoftheRV-3.Ithadabout20%morewingarea,alongerfuselage,butit

RV-4 and RV-3: After years of appeals, Dick gave the market what it wanted: a two-seat tandem ver-sion of the RV-3.

wasalsoataildragger,lowwing,andallmetalconstruction.Unlikethetypicalbiplanesofthatage,soloflight

wasinthefrontseatinsteadoftherear,providingmuchbettervisibilityonlanding.

HefoundahugeaudiencewaswaitingforthenewmodelwhenhetookittoOshkoshforthefirst

timein1980.OrdersstartedpouringinandDickbeganhiringfulltimepeopletohelpoutwiththeplansand

kits.“Ofcoursedevelopingaprototypeisonething,gettingintothebusinessofshippingkitsisanother.It

takestimetosetupaproductionlineforkits.”Asdemandwentgeometric,Dickbeganwithtailgroupkits,

thenaddedwingkits,thenfuselages.Ittookthreeyearstobeabletoshipoutcompletekits.Onepolicy

Dickhasadheredtofromthebeginningisnottakingmoneyforproductshedoesn’thave.Hewillnotaccept

advancepaymentsonkits.“Weweren’talwaysabletokeeppeoplehappybyhavingwhattheywanted,when

theywantedit…butweweren’tgoingtohaveanyonefeelingstrungoutforsomethingthey’dalreadypaidfor

andcouldn’tget.”

The RV-5. TheRV-5wasaone-offdesignprogramthatDickputtogetherin1975tocreateagroup

projectforhislocalEAAPortlandChapter105.Itwasintendedtoutilizeatwo-cylinderVolkswagenengine

projectthatoneofthelocalmembershadcreated.TheenginemanneededanairframeandDicksetoutto

designasingleseatairframethatwouldaccommodatetheengine.Theconfigurationwasalittledifferentthan

Dick’snormallow-wingdesigns,utilizinginsteadashoulderheight,flat,onepiecewingthatwouldpivot(not

fold)fortrailering.Itwasakindofscissors-wing.

Itflewreasonablywell,thoughtheenginefellshortofDick’sexpectations.Afteracoupleyearsof

flying,theaircraftwasretired.PlansarenotavailablefortheRV-5andneverwillbe.Itwasnotintendedas

acommercialventure.“Becauseofthewayitevolveditsimplywasnotpractical.”Severalyearslater,Dick

pulleditoutofstorageandhunga40hpRotaxtwo-strokeengineonit.WiththeRotax,performanceimproved

dramatically,butitwassoonretiredagain.Reportedly,oneofDick’semployeesisintheprocessofrestoring

theaircraft“asalark”.

The RV-6. “Peopleareneverhappywithwhatyouhave.Oneoftheprincipalfactorswasthatmore

andmorepilotswerebeingtrainedinsidebysideaircraft.That’swhattheywereusedtoandit’swhatthey

wanted.It’salsowhattheirspouseswanted.Theydidn’twanttositinabackseat.”Therewasdefinitely

atransitiontakingplaceinthepilotpopulation.Theyweren’tasinterestedinpushingtheenvelopein

performance.“Geewhiz,can’tthebaggagecompartmentbemadelarger.Well,yes,butwhenyoudothatyou

giveupaerobaticcapability.”Dickbegantorealizethatnewerpilotsweren’tcutfromthesameclothhewas.

TheywerelookingforSundayafternoonadventures,notanaerialrush.

Dickthoughtthesidebysidewoulddetractfromtheobjectiveshe’dalwayshadinmindwhenhecalledout:

“Clear!”Reluctantly,heagreedtodesignwhatheconsidereda“fat”airplane.“Iftheywantafatairplane,we’ll

givethemafatairplane.”Itwentagainsthisengineeringpenchantforoptimizingeverythinginperformance,

usuallyatthecostofutility(i.e.largebaggagecompartments)“andcurtainsonthewindows”.Hesetoutin1985

tosatisfythemarketplace,workingwhereverhecouldtooptimizehisengineeringgoals.Therewereanumber

ofcomponentsintheR-4that

couldbeused,likethetailgroup,

orexpandedalittle,likethewing,

toaccommodatethe6.They

weren’tidentical,buttheywereas

similaraswaspractical.Hewound

upwithatwo-seat,sidebyside

aircraftthathadbaggagespace,

butalsoaerobaticcapabilitiesin

excessofhisexpectations.“Turned

outthatitworkedoutverywell.

We hardly lost any speed and it

RV-6: There were those who demanded side by side seating... and got it!

RV-6A: The number of pilots proficient and comfortable in a taildragger was diminish-ing, so Dick created a tricycle version.

stillhadgoodhandlingqualities.Despitegoingintothedesignwithreservationsandmodestenthusiasm,ithas

turnedouttobethebestsellinghomebuiltdesignintheworld…ever!”Heflewthenewdesignin1986andtook

it to Oshkosh that year.

The6didnotgeneratethekindofrevolutionthatsomeotherdesigns,liketheVariEzeorQuickiehad,

butitstartedwitharespectablenumberandjustgrewandgrew.Ashehadinthepast,Dickstartedoutwithtail

kitsandworkedupintoacompleteairplaneinthemonthsthatfollowed.TwoyearsafterfirstflyingtheRV-6,he

madeadeparturefromhistraditionaldesignsbycreatingtheRV-6A,ortricyclegearversion.Hecouldseethat

moreandmorebuildershadonlyflowntricyclesandwereleeryoftaildraggers.Thereafterheusuallyfeatured

bothtypesofgear.TheRV-6wasinproductionuntil2000,whenitwasretiredfromthekitinventoriesand

replacedbynewermodelsthatdeliveredmoreroomandperformance.Eventhoughkitproductionwashalted,

Dickisstillseeingcompletionstoday,asmanyas50ayear.Altogether,Dickbelievesthatcloseto2,500have

beencompleted,

hundreds more are

stillunderactive

construction,

and maybe a

thousand have

been abandoned…

byguyswhofound

themselves in over

their heads. There

are probably a lot of

unfinishedorpoorly

finishedtailkitsout

there.

The RV-8. Forreasonsdifficulttounderstand(orrecall),thenextofferingfromVan’sAircraftwas

designatedthenumber8.Itwas,accordingtoDick,“aversionoftheRV-4onsteroids”.Thepopularityofthe

4beganoffalloffwiththeadventofthe6.Questionsbegantosurfaceaboutthefutureofthetandemdesign:

shoulditberetired?Hasthe6polisheditoff?Beingcommittedtothekindofflyingthatthe4allowed,Dick

wasn’treadyforanykindoffuneral.Hebegansketchingoutsomeimprovementswhichheturnedovertohis

RV-8: This was a substantial upgrade of the RV-4.

aeronauticalengineersandhisCADdraftsmen.Theprimarychangesincludedanincreaseincockpitspaceand

morehorsepower.DickmadeOshkosh96withthe8andannouncedthattherewouldbean8Atricycleversionof

theaircraftinanother

year or so. With a

casualglance,the

8lookslikea4,but

Dickfelttherewere

enough changes to

justifyanewmodel

designation.The8/8A

kitswerecertainly

more advanced than

theoriginal4kits.

Therewasmoreinthe

kitsandtherewere

morepre-fabricated

parts.Itwasdesignedtomakebuildingmucheasierandquicker.TheCNCmachines,newtoDick’sshop,werekept

busyshearing,punchingandshaping.Alignmentbecamemucheasier,assuringaccuracyinassemblywhichin

turnbroughtupthequalityandsafetyofthefinishedproduct.

The RV-7/7A. Onegoodturndeservesanother.Chronologically,the8/8Areachedthemarketbefore

the7/7A.Thequalityand

sophisticationofthekithad

movedsofarahead,thatDick

decidedtoreworktheRV-6.

Again,there’slittledifference

inthethreeviewsforthe6

andthe7.“Thisisonewhere

thedifferenceisfoundunder

thepaint.”Itwasamarked

advancementinwhatthe

RV-8A: Once again Dick made the move to accommodate those who preferred tricycle landing gear.

RV-7: This was an upgrade of the RV-6, wih an improved kit. It was followed by a Tricycle version, the RV-7A.

buildergotwhenheopeneduptheboxesofcomponents.Theworkloadforthebuilderwassubstantially

reduced,aswerethetoolsandskillsrequiredtoassembletheaircraft.Alloftheholeswouldlineupperfectly,

requiringtheinsertionofacleco,followedbyarivet.“Thiswouldleadtoafinishedproductsosuperiorto

theoldRV-6kitsthatit

justwasnotpracticalto

consider them under the

samedesignation.”There

wereafewchangesin

measurements,expanding

the cockpit and enlarging

thewingareaslightlyto

accommodate heavier

pilotsandpassengers,but

otherwisethechangewas

in the kit components.

The RV-9. In1998DickintroducedtheRV-9,whichhedescribesasanRV-6fuselageonamuchlargerwing.The

reductioninwingloading,alongwithloweringofstallandlandingspeedswereintendedforlowertimepilotsor

pilotswhoweren’tuptotheskilllevelsrequiredforahighperformanceaircraft.“Experienceshowedthatalotof

pilotweren’treallyasqualifiedastheyshouldbeforflyingthesehigherperformancesportaircraft.Sothe9was

aneffortatdetuningtheaircraftabit,givingitsomemoretrainer-likequalities.Westilltriedtoretainasmanyof

theperformanceandhandlingqualitiesaswecould.Itwasacompromiseairplane.”

Itwasgivenaslowerspeedairfoil,amoreaggressiveflapssystemtoslowitdownmorewhichmadeit

lesssensitiveandmoremanageable.Itwasratedforlowerhorsepowerandhadalargerwingwhichremovedthe

optionofdoingaerobatics.TherewereseveralfactorscontributingtoDick’sdecisiontodetunetheaircraft:most

pilotshadlearnedtoflyinalowperformancetricycleaircraft,manyofthemdidn’tmaintainproficiency,and

somejustdon’thavethequickreflexesneededinahighperformanceairplane.“Wedecidedtotailortheairplane

tothepilotratherthanjustassumethepilotwouldacclimatetotheaircraft.”Overtimeithasmetwithahigh

level of approval from builders and pilots.

The RV-10. “Throughtheyearstherehadbeenmanyrequestsforafour-placeaircraft.Initially,the

marketwasfloodedwithgoodusedfour-placeaircraftthatwereveryaffordable.Therereallyweren’tanytwo-

RV-9A: This is the third generation of the RV-6, with significant changes.

RV-10: It took a long time, but the inevitable came to pass: a four-seat RV-10.

placeairplanescomingoutofthefactoriesthatwereanywherenearcompetitivesothatmarketwaswideopen

tous.Therewasnocompetition.Wealsorealizedthatafour-seaterwasgoingtobebigger,heavier,andharder

tobuild.”Astimewenton,thefour-seatersgotolder,begantorequiremoremaintenanceandbeganrisingin

price.Concurrently,Van’sAircraftkitswerebecomingmoremature,moreadvancedandsomucheasiertowork

with.Astimeworkedoverthefour-seatfleetanddiminishedthenumbers,itbegantolooklikeafour-seatkit

wouldfindamarket.Itdid.Introducedin2003,theresponsewasn’tquiteasgreatasthetwo-seatmodels,but

itwascertainlyrespectablewithwelloverathousandkitsgoingoutthedoorinthefirstdecade.

TheRV-10wasacleansheetdesign,becauseofthesizeofit.Ontheotherhand,aluminumaircrafttend

tohavecommonthemesrunningthroughtheminconstructionandthoughthewingribswereuniqueinsize,

theywereverysimilarinshapetoallthekitsthatprecededthe10.“Conceptsyes,actualcomponentsno.”With

theRV-10Van’sAircrafthadtransitionedintoCADandotheradvancedformsofdesignwork.Avastmajorityof

thecomponentswerecreatedbycomputerassistedtools.Prototypepartsproducedfromthecomputerspecs

werebasicallyproductionlineparts.“Thedaysofbuildingprototypeaircraftfromchalkmarksontheshopfloor

aregone.”

The RV-11. “It’saconceptIbeganworkingonmoreyearsagothanIcaretoadmit.Basicallyit’sahigh

performancesingleseatmotorglider.It’sbeenanonandoff,afterhoursprojectandit’sjustnotthatsignificant.

It’sbeenback-burneredalotandisnotyetfinished.It’sananomalyintheproductlinethatmaynevermake

theflightline.Dickisconcernedthattheremaynotbesufficientmarketresponsetojustifythehighcostof

developingakitofthequalitybuildersnowexpect.Don’texpecttoseethisonesoon,ifatall.

The RV-12. It’sDick’sresponsetotheLSAmovement.ThisisanLSAinakitformat.“Thethinkingthere

wasthatwewouldbeabletobeartheexpenseofakit,whichiswhatourbusinesshasalwaysbeenfocused

on.Evenifweneverevolvedtoproducingareadytoflyaircraft,wefelttherewasenoughofamarkettojustify

making a kit for this

category.”Ithasbeen

sellingwellasakit

and Dick considers the

program a success. The

RV-12canbebuiltas

anELSA(Experimental

LightSportAircraft),

inwhichcaseithasto

be built precisely as

spelled out in the plans

withnocustomizing,

or it can be built as an

ExperimentalAmateur

Built.

IntheRVtradition,thisisalow-wing,allaluminumaircraft.Ithassidebysideseating,removable(not

folding)wings.ThepowerplantisaRotax912ULS100hpengine.Theusefulloadisverygenerous,allowingfora

pairof210lb.people,20gallonsoffueland50lbsofbaggage.IthandleslikeanRVwithintherestrictionsofthe

LSAlicensing.Dickdidnotwanttocreatesomethingthathandleslikea150,preferringinsteadamoresportykind

ofhandlingforpeoplewhoenjoyresponsivecontrols.Builderscaninstallsomeextraslikealightingpackagefor

nightflying,atwo-axisautopilot,wheelpantsandacompleteinteriorpackagewithcarpets,sidewallcoveringand

seats.

Constructiontimeforthe12asanLSAisestimatedat700to900hours(pluspaintingtime)depending

ontheshopspaceandbuilderskillsgoingin.Itliterallycanbeassembledwithsimplehandtoolsandcomeswith

everythingbutthepaint.Theillustratedinstructionsarearrangedinakindof“failsafe”sequence.“We’revery

satisfiedwiththefinalproductandfeelthattheresponseinthemarkethasendorsedthetrackwetookwithit.”

Overtheyears,Dickhasseenalotchangeinthehomebuiltmarket.“Ithinkit’sbroadenedoutfromthe

RV-12: Van’s Aircraft has finally entered the ELSA market with the RV-12.

purehobbyistwhohadextensiveskillandtoolstopeoplewhodon’thaveasmuchmechanicalbackground

andaren’tsofocusedonbuildingasonflyingthefinishedproduct.Theywanttogetthereasquicklyasthey

can,andyettheyanairplanethathasutilitarianvalueaswellassportyperformance.

Ifyouarethinkingaboutbuildingyourownairplane,Van’sAircraftisanexcellentplacetostart.They

haveasolidreputation,anincrediblyloyalfollowing,andadesigntofitjustaboutanymissionprofileinthe

sportaviationworld.Learnmoreatwww.VansAircraft.com.