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FIrst FLights

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Paul Mantegna’s RV-7 | Palo Alto, California RV-7 #74884

Congratulations to Paul and Kacy on their new RV-7! Paul writes: Kacy and I purchased our RV-7 kit just before the pandemic hit while we were both in New Zealand, her for work and myself for leisure. Work from home allowed me to sneak into the garage between meetings to keep the pace high during […] Read More

Denis Rottler’s RV-9A | KTRL - Terrell, TX RV-9A #92111

Congratulations to Dennis! He writes: I bought an RV-9A kit with quite a bit of the heavy lifting already accomplished in January 2019. After working in my garage for 2 years and 9 months, I was able to move the completed fuselage and all the bits and pieces to my hangar at KTRL. Two months […] Read More

Paul Dolley’s RV-12iS | Waikato, New Zealand RV-12iS #121263

Congratulations to Paul on the first flight of his RV-12iS! He writes: 18 months to the day after pulling the first rivet, the first flight of ZK-DOL was carried out by Bill Henwood , which all went smoothly and without a hitch. With the late summer weather holding on we were able to complete the […] Read More

David Ross’ RV-7A | Edmonton, Alberta RV-7A #74829

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

Brian Trepanier’s RV-7 | Monroe, Georgia RV-7 #74394

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

Richard Clark’s New RV-14A | West Chester, PA RV-14A #140714

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

Mark Elliott’s New RV-14 | Lakeville, MN RV-14 #140514

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!

Igor Halanda’s New RV-10 | Slovak Republic RV-10 #41519

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

Mehrdad Mehranpour’s RV-14A | Sacramento CA RV-14A #140890

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

Brad Fennell’s RV-4 | McKinney, Texas RV-4 #1705

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

Joseph P Migis’ RV-14A | Denton, Texas RV-14A #140191

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

Rob Arduini’s RV-8 | Rosamond, California RV-8 #83729

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

John W Bell’s RV-7A | Reno, Nevada RV-7A #70077

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

Joe Page’s RV-7 | Purcellville, Virginia RV-7 #72965

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

Joel Haynes’ RV-7A | Bend, Oregon RV-7A #74871

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

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