Van's RV-3
Piston single engine • Low Wing • Fixed gear
Range Map
• nm at current load
• click map to move • two fingers to move map
Payload vs. Range
Configure weights
Default: 190 lbs
Default: 30 lbs
gal
Fuel on board
lbs
Extra weight
nm
Range
Mission Profile
Estimated Ownership Costs
About the Van's RV-3
Overview
The Van’s RV-3 is a single-seat, low-wing Experimental Amateur-Built kit aircraft from Van’s Aircraft of Aurora, Oregon, first flown in 1971 as Richard VanGrunsven’s first kit design and the airplane from which the entire RV line grew. Built with a 100 to 160 hp Lycoming (commonly a 150 hp O-320), it cruises about 170 knots true, climbs around 2,050 fpm, and is an aerobatic taildragger rated to +6/-3 g in its reinforced-spar RV-3B form. Light, fast, and efficient on modest power, roughly 300 were built; it is long out of production, with only the RV-3B wing kit catalogued in later years.
The RV-3 is the genesis of Van’s “Total Performance” philosophy and the direct ancestor of the two-seat RV-4 and RV-8. It is bought used and flown by owners who want a pure single-seat sportplane with historical significance; support is thinner than for current models. Choose the Van’s RV-3 when you want the original RV, a light single-seat aerobatic taildragger, and you accept the thinner parts support and workmanship variance of an early, low-production, out-of-production homebuilt.
Key Features for GA Buyers
- Van’s founding design. VanGrunsven’s first kit, first flown in 1971, and the direct ancestor of every later RV.
- Light and fast on little power. Strong cruise and climb on 100 to 160 hp.
- Aerobatic. The reinforced-spar RV-3B is rated to +6/-3 g.
- Pure single-seater. A focused, low-weight sport airframe with no passenger compromise.
Trade-offs
- Out of production and rare. Roughly 300 built, so parts and type support are thinner than for current RVs.
- Spar history. Early RV-3/RV-3A airframes needed a main-spar reinforcement (the RV-3B fix); confirm the modification status of any example.
- Single seat. No passenger; builders who want two seats step to the RV-4 or RV-8.
- Limited published data. Van’s never published a full V-speed set for the RV-3, so some envelope figures are not available from a reproducible source.
See Also
- Van’s RV-4 – the two-seat tandem that grew directly from the RV-3. Compare
- Van’s RV-8 – the modern tandem descendant of the RV-3/RV-4 lineage. Compare
- Van’s RV-7 – the current side-by-side all-rounder of the line the RV-3 began. Compare
- Van’s RV-6 – the best-selling side-by-side two-seater of the classic era. Compare
Technical Specifications
Dimensions & Weights
- Height
- 5.0 ft
- Length
- 19.0 ft
- Parking area (ft2)
- 718.08 ft2
- Max Takeoff Weight
- 1,100 lbs
- Useful Load
- 350 lbs
- Fuel Capacity
- 30 gal
Performance
- Cruise Speed
- Source: manufacturer figure 170 KTAS
- Range
- 517 NM
- Service Ceiling
- 23,500 ft
- Rate of Climb
- 2050 fpm
Sources
Where the figures on this page come from. Van's RV-3 specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.
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