FIrst FLights

First flight was perfect!

Nice work Charles! He writes: 8/3/23: the most beautiful day ever. I flew my Van’s RV12iS, sn#121488 for the first time today. Thank you Van’s Aircraft for an excellent kit project. She flies just as advertised. Remarkable control and exciting to fly. I spent about 961 man hours over the past 12 months, mostly in […] Read More

Check out David’s stunning new RV-7! He writes: There are few times in life where years of effort result in one defining moment – but making the first flight in an aircraft you built is one of those, and what a great moment it was. So much support from friends and family enabled the RV […] Read More

Congratulations to Dan on the first flight of his RV-14! He writes: After retiring on the field at AirVenture 2018, I knew I wanted to build this airplane. I returned in 2019 and bought my first kit. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it..even my mistakes. I have lots of people to thank… Ken’s Balch’s group of […] Read More

Congratulations to Ian and Theo on their new RV-10, they write: Everything worked as planned, a few minor squawks, nothing to prevent further progress and flight, and three of the four sorted already, the final one to wait for the oil change. Flies absolutely beautifully. perfectly straight, no trim required. A huge thanks to Theo […] Read More

Congratulations to the Glidden’s on their new RV-7A! 20 years after the first Cleco was put in the tail, our Gray Owl took to the sky out of KCNO.

Congratulations to Scott on the completion of his RV-12iS! Got our airworthiness certificate on 6/21/23 and got a perfect day on 6/23/23 to take flight for the first time. Everything went great and flew exactly as expected – fantastic. Thanks to Van’s for a great kit, excellent instructions, and fantastic support!

Congratulations to Bob and Ben on their new RV-10! They write: After 4 1/2 years building, it’s difficult to describe the feeling when the wheels leave the ground for the first time. One giant puckering smile is all we could muster. Flight went as planned, orbit over the field, watch the engine temps, bring it […] Read More

Congratulations to Ben on his new RV-14A! He writes: Thanks to the help of Darin, Harry, Randy, Jeff, Renato, Dave, Dynon, Van’s and my best friend and wife of 37 years Kathy N632KB was built in 20 months. The plane is absolutely amazing. It is a big step up from my first (and only) other […] Read More

First flight today

Congratulations John! Flys straight and true. Very good and honest handling.

Congratulations to Ken on his new RV-10! He writes: One month shy of five years in the making, I was able to complete the construction of my RV-10 and accomplish the first flight. It lifted off the runway easily and flew perfectly straight. The controls were very light and responsive. As I orbited above the […] Read More

Congratulations to Peter on the first flight of his RV-8! He writes: First flight of my RV-8 Fastback, N22UP, took place on the evening of June 13, 2023 at Carroll County Regional Airport (KDMW) in Westminster, Maryland. N22UP is powered by a Lycoming IO-360 A3B6D 200HP Angle Valve engine behind a Whirl Wind 74 HRT […] Read More

Congratulations to Andrew, who write to tell us about the first flight of his new RV-7A: 15 years in the making, N25AC flew for the first time on May 13th 2023. The plane has a IO-360-M1B with dual emags, C/S prop, a nice G3X setup, and a classic aero interior. Paint TBD. The project made […] Read More

Lyle and Paul write in to report on the (re)birth of their RV-10: First flight was powered by a Subaru and I tweaked things for 275 hours before installing a Lycoming IO-540 and a two blade Hartzell.

Oren sent us this quick note about the first flight of his new RV-10 is Israel: Went smooth ! amazing aircraft! 😉 Congrats, Oren!

Congrats to Paul, who writes to tell us: “First flight was 1 Jun 2023 @ 8am. Smooth as silk! Flies straight and true. Many fellow pilots, builders, and family were on hand for its inaugural flight. Thank you to my tech counselor and friend Kevin Ross for his support. Also thanks to my wife Phyllis […] Read More

Congratulations to Greg, who writes: A calm beautiful Colorado morning for my first flight. The plane flew beautifully! What a marvelous experience and reward. Thank you all at Van’s for your support and competence.

Congrats to Jeffrey, who writes: I am happy to announce that the first flight of my RV-14 went very well. She rotated earlier than I expected and flew hands off, with only a couple of minor squawks. A big thank you to my family and friends who helped and supported me with this build. Especially […] Read More