Van's RV-15

Overview

The Van’s RV-15 is a two-seat, high-wing Experimental Amateur-Built kit aircraft from Van’s Aircraft of Aurora, Oregon, the company’s first high-wing design in over fifty years of low-wing kits. A flight-test prototype first flew in 2022, and Van’s began phased kit deliveries from 2025; its performance figures remain preliminary. Aimed at backcountry and utility flying done the RV way, it pairs a strut-braced high wing, large flaps, and a roomy two-seat cabin with the cruise efficiency and benign handling the RV line is known for, targeting a clean stall under 45 knots and a cruise around 140 knots on 175 to 220 hp Lycoming power.

The RV-15 is Van’s entry into the short-field, off-airport segment occupied by the Cub, Kitfox, and Bearhawk families, and a high-wing counterpoint to low-wing two-seaters like the RV-7 and the four-seat RV-10. Because the design is still being finalized through flight test, this record carries only the figures Van’s has published, and most performance and envelope numbers are preliminary targets. Choose the Van’s RV-15 when you want a modern, fast-cruising backcountry high-wing you build yourself, and you are comfortable buying into a design still completing development.

Key Features for GA Buyers

• Van’s first high-wing. A strut-braced high wing with large flaps for short-field and off-airport operation.
• Backcountry mission, RV efficiency. Designed to combine short-field and off-airport capability with the cruise and handling the RV line is known for.
• Roomy, useful cabin. A wide two-seat cabin with substantial baggage and a 60-gallon fuel load for long backcountry legs.
• Builder-selectable power. Engineered around 175 to 220 hp Lycoming engines and a constant-speed propeller.

Trade-offs

• Prototype, preliminary data. First flown in 2022 and still completing flight test; cruise, stall, gross weight, and most envelope figures are Van’s estimates, not finalized specs.
• Kits shipping in phases. Sub-kits are delivering on a staged timeline, so a complete kit and finished aircraft remain a multi-year project.
• Unproven in the field. As a new design it lacks the deep fleet history, resale record, and community knowledge of the established RVs.
• No published V-speeds yet. Van’s has not released a flight-tested V-speed chart, so never-exceed and structural-cruise limits are not yet available.

See Also

• Van’s RV-10 – the four-seat low-wing Van’s, for builders weighing seats and speed against backcountry utility. Compare
• Van’s RV-7 – the low-wing two-seat all-rounder, the speed-and-aerobatics counterpoint to the RV-15’s utility mission. Compare
• Van’s RV-14 – the largest current low-wing two-seater. Compare
• Van’s RV-9 – the efficient low-wing cross-country two-seater. Compare