Van's RV-10

Overview

The Van’s RV-10 is a four-seat, single-engine, low-wing amateur-built kit aircraft sold by Van’s Aircraft of Aurora, Oregon. First flown on 29 May 2003 with first kit deliveries that September, the RV-10 was Van’s first design intended from the outset as a true four-place, cross-country traveling airplane rather than a two-seat sport airplane stretched to carry a family. By November 2022, approximately 1,010 airframes had been completed and flown, making the RV-10 one of the most-built four-seat kit aircraft in general aviation.

The configuration is conventional and practical: an aluminum monocoque kit, fixed tricycle gear, and twin gull-winged doors that swing up to give all four occupants stand-up cabin access. Van’s designed the airframe around the bulletproof six-cylinder Lycoming O-540 at 260 horsepower; the prototype and most completed examples actually fly behind the fuel-injected IO-540 variant. Published performance at gross weight is 171 KTAS cruise at 75% power at 8,000 ft, 1,450 fpm initial climb, 20,000 ft service ceiling, and roughly 717 nm of range on 60 gallons.

Because the RV-10 is built and operated under FAA 14 CFR 21.191 amateur-built rules, it carries no type certificate. The airworthiness regime, maintenance latitude, and operating limits flow from the experimental certificate the builder receives at first flight rather than from a TCDS. The MTOW of 2,700 lb places the RV-10 well outside the Light Sport Aircraft envelope, and the airplane is treated as a high-performance complex-class traveler in the kit-aircraft community.

Key Features for GA Buyers

• True four-adult cabin. Van’s designed the cabin around 6‘4” front and rear occupants with comfortable leg and head room, full fuel, and 60 lb of baggage. This is the design center, not a marketing claim, and it is the reason the RV-10 stands apart from the smaller RV-7 and RV-9.
• Cross-country performance with fixed gear. 171 KTAS cruise on 260 hp at 8,000 ft puts the RV-10 in the same speed band as the Cirrus SR22 and ahead of fixed-gear certified four-seaters like the Cessna 182 and Diamond DA40, all without the cost or complexity of retractable gear.
• Lycoming O-540 / IO-540 powerplant. The airframe is matched to the six-cylinder parallel-valve O-540 family, a direct-drive, air-cooled engine with a 2,000-hour published TBO and broad parts support. Most builders fit the fuel-injected IO-540 variant proven on the prototype.
• Builder-controlled maintenance. Under the Repairman Certificate the original builder may perform the annual condition inspection and most maintenance, which materially compresses ownership operating cost relative to a certified four-seater.
• Gull-wing cabin doors. Both doors swing upward, giving all four seats independent access without climbing over a wing or shuffling past a front-seat occupant.

Trade-offs

• Amateur-built means builder responsibility. The RV-10 ships as a kit, not a finished airplane. Build times vary widely (1,500 to 3,000 hours is typical) and the as-flown quality, weight, and equipment depend entirely on the builder. Used-market valuation tracks builder reputation, not just airframe hours.
• No type certificate, no IFR-by-default. Each experimental certificate carries its own operating limitations. IFR privileges, night privileges, and equipment requirements are negotiated airframe by airframe with the FAA inspector or DAR, and certain commercial operations are categorically excluded.
• No factory parachute system. Unlike the Cirrus SR-series, the RV-10 has no manufacturer-installed airframe parachute. Buyers who weight whole-airframe recovery heavily will land on Cirrus.
• Insurance and financing friction. Experimental amateur-built status narrows the insurance market and complicates traditional aircraft financing relative to a certified airplane in the same speed and seating class.
• Resale tied to airframe identity, not type. Two RV-10s with identical hours can differ materially in value based on build quality, panel, paint, and the original builder’s reputation. The buyer is acquiring a specific airplane, not a generic instance of a type.

See Also

• Cirrus SR22 – Direct certified competitor in the four-seat, 170+ KTAS, 260+ hp cross-country single bracket; AOPA’s June 2020 Fly-off ran the two head to head. Compare
• Diamond DA40 NG – Certified four-seat fixed-gear single often cross-shopped on the lower end of the cabin and performance band. Compare
• Van’s RV-14 – Two-seat sibling kit from Van’s; the natural step-down for builders who do not need four seats. Compare
• Cessna 182T Skylane – Certified four-seat traveling single; AOPA’s second Fly-off pitted the two together as the experimental-vs-legacy four-seater comparison. Compare
• Cirrus SR20 – Certified four-seat single one step below the SR22, useful comparison for buyers weighing kit-build economics against entry-level Cirrus ownership. Compare