Van celebrated his 85th birthday performing another development flight test of the RV-15X! Despite being 5’11” now (down from his youthful 6’1″), Van needed a pile of cushions to “sit tall” in the RV-15X, but still had 2 ½” of headroom—a testament to the plane’s spacious cabin.
Van shared: “From the beginning, the RV-15X’s performance has been very good, as reported and demonstrated in videos. However, we’ve continued to work hard to achieve the control response and harmony expected from an ‘RV.’ We’re very happy with it now, though we continue to make minor improvements. One definition of ‘Flying like an RV’ is that it comes close to being an extension of your thoughts. For a backcountry airplane, this does not mean that it flies like an RV-8, but rather that it responds naturally and quickly to pilot control commands. We’re confident that you will like the RV-15. Now that we have refined the configuration details, we are moving on to the next phase of structural refinement and kit development.”
As we progress through the next stages of development, we will keep you informed with regular updates on the RV-15. We’re excited about the recent advancements, and the RV-15 remains a top priority for Van’s Aircraft as we increase the momentum of this exciting project.
