Overview
Van’s Aircraft is an American kit-aircraft manufacturer based in Aurora, Oregon, and the largest producer of kit aircraft in the world. Founded by Richard “Van” VanGrunsven, who flew his first design in 1971 and shipped the first kits in 1973, the company built its name on the all-metal, low-wing “RV” series and a “Total Performance” philosophy that balances speed, aerobatics, short-field ability, and efficiency in a single airframe. Van’s remains in production and active: more than 11,000 RVs are flying, more than any other kit line, and the company kept shipping kits through and after a 2023 to 2024 Chapter 11 reorganization.
Heritage
The line began with the single-seat RV-3 and grew with builder demand: the tandem RV-4 in 1979, the side-by-side RV-6 in 1985 that became the best-selling kit of its era, then the tandem RV-8, the efficient non-aerobatic RV-9, and the refined RV-7 that replaced the RV-6. The four-seat RV-10 followed in the 2000s, the light-sport RV-12 in 2008, and the larger two-seat RV-14 in 2012. In 2022 Van’s broke with five decades of low-wing designs to fly the prototype RV-15, its first high-wing, aimed at the backcountry market. The 2023 to 2024 reorganization restructured the company’s finances while preserving the product line; Richard VanGrunsven, still involved, test-flew the RV-15 on his 85th birthday in 2024.
Design Signature
Van’s aircraft are defined by “Total Performance”: light, responsive handling, genuine cross-country speed, short-field capability, and, on most models, an aerobatic envelope, all on modest Lycoming power. The airframes are predominantly riveted aluminum, and the kits are engineered for amateur builders, with pre-punched, match-drilled parts that cut jigging and measuring, plus an optional QuickBuild path with major assemblies pre-built at the factory. The result is a family of airplanes that fly alike and reward proficiency, from the single-seat RV-3 to the four-seat RV-10, with the high-wing RV-15 extending the philosophy into backcountry utility.
For Owners
Van’s supports the largest builder community in homebuilding. Every kit ships with detailed plans, the factory support team is staffed by RV builders, and the independent Van’s Air Force community and EAA chapters provide deep, model-specific knowledge for both builders and buyers of completed aircraft. Parts and factory support continue for in-production and legacy models alike, including the out-of-production RV-3, RV-4, and RV-6. Buyers should note that most RVs are Experimental Amateur-Built: an airplane is only as good as its builder, so a type-experienced pre-buy inspection is essential when buying a completed example, and owners who hold the Repairman Certificate perform their own maintenance and condition inspections. The 2023 to 2024 reorganization is worth understanding as background, but the company remains in production and supplying the fleet.