![]() |
I would have never thought about building an Experimental aircraft, but a young kid was selling magazine subscriptions door to door, the only magazine that piqued my interest was Kitplanes. My first copy had a picture of Pat Hatches beautiful RV-4(God rest it's soul), and there was one other RV-4 in the Completions section, it too was beautiful. I remember the inside cover of the magazine was a Lancair ad, and the back cover was a Glasair ad, both of them quite fancy. Buried in the middle was a small Vans ad making claims that I found hard to believe, but were backed up by testimonials. I ordered the VHS tape and info packet, and the rest is history. That was 1989.
|
In 2005, I was standing in the local flying club when an aircraft taxied by; I asked someone: "What's that"? I was informed that it was an RV-6. I responded "What's that"?
Several days later, the pilot of the aforementioned flying machine came up and said; "I understand you've never been up in an RV"? I responded in the negative. And he took me for a half-hour flight. That SOB cost me a hockey sock full of money! Ordered an RV-7A kit several months later and finally got it flying last April. It's a dandy! :) |
Met Bob Larcel at Hillsboro Oregon airport 1983 while flying for Hillsboro Helicoptors and teaching in fixed in wing. Saw his RV-3 out of the window and hunted him down. In Van's first couple of promo video's Bob has the 3 with the basic RV paint scheme. It's scratch built, when I first saw the plane it was upside down hanging from the roof of the hanger. He had made wet wings instead of the header tank and was trying to use a slosh to seal the top of the tank in the wing. His version of the wet wing could not be removed. Not sure if he is still around, very nice and helpful. A man on the other side of the airport named Dave gave me a ride in his white yellow, orange and red RV-4. I had a tail kit for a 4 next month, but didn't start building until we moved to Southern Calif, flew in 1992.
|
Would have been in the early 90s. I was working for a friend of mine on the airshow circuit and we were staging from their midwest house. A neighbor took me for a ride in a newly completed RV 4. Mind you, with two full size guys off a grass strip in the middle of a midwest summer day I was not expecting much. When we were off the ground in just a few hundred feet before he got full throttle on I was impressed. Then we went up for some light aeros, went flat out to 180 and slowed to 50 and the thing was controllable and predictable throughout the envelope I knew one day I would build one.
|
I grew up with dad building a Fisher Classic on a budget in the basement.
He always talked about building a RV-4 even though he had never even had a ride in an RV. I was at OSH in 2002 saw a Glassair I TD for sale flying for a pretty good deal but was still more than I could swing at the time. Several weeks later found a partially finished RV-4 with Engine, Prop, and mostly dated instruments and avionics. Went in head first having never sat in an RV much less built or flown one. Finally got a ride in a RV-6 about 1 month before I finished the RV-4 which was 2004. Fast forward....2009 we were married and I felt we NEEDED! to upgrade to a Harmon Rocket. I was so close to ordering the first parts of the Rocket...I mean I practically picked the phone up several times to order it but something held me back. Few days latter we found out a baby is on the way......a friend had just finished his RV-10 and by this time I had PIC time in the RV-4, RV-6, RV-7, RV-8 and RV-10. He said take my RV-10 to Virginia when you go next time and see how you like it. I was sold. I couldn't believe the speed that big ole thing would do on a relatively good fuel flow. I ordered the -10 Kit. 22 months latter it was flying and 2 weeks or so latter we had our 2nd little girl......time flies. Literally! |
It was in 1986 at an EAA fly in at Martin State Airport in Baltimore, Md. It was time to fulfill the dream of building my own airplane, so I was actively looking around. Glasairs and VariEzes were all the rage then, but I had reservations about the composites. Along the rows of homebuilts I saw an RV-3 built by Luther Peale (gone west many years ago). An hour of questions to Luther and I was hooked. My empennage kit arrived within a month and I was out of the starting gate.
Who would have ever thought that 30 years hence I'd be spending my retirement years working (working?) for the company that has meant so much to all of us in the VAF family. |
When I was 14, a copy of Jane's Pocket Book of Home-Built Aircraft found its way into my hands. On page 241, between the Turner T-40 and the Volmer VJ-22 Sportsman was a picture and write up of the Van's RV-3. The aesthetics of it grabbed me right away. I thought it was a beautiful aircraft. It planted a seed that is finally starting to bloom into my RV-8.
|
Probably Oshkosh
I remember a flight demonstration team of RV3s at Oshkosh in the early,, middle,,, 1980s. Back then I lived on a sail boat in The BVI, and later in French St Martin.
No place to build.. When I turned 50, I moved to Dallas and was able to start building a RV6. These sure are fun airplanes. |
Pat Hatch hooked me
About 1991 or so, my day job was in the maintenance hanger for Piedmont Airlines in Winston-Salem, and next door to us was RJ Reynolds Hangar...In that Hangar was Pat Hatch's -4, and eventually Jim Star's -4, and Tom ****'s -6. After Pat gave me a ride in his -4, I was hooked. I started my build in 1993, and have been a devoted RV owner ever since.. Thanks Pat!!
|
Early 80's
Came to the US in the late 70's and learnt to fly and wanted to build a plane, got a copy of the original VHS tape showing Van flying the RV-3 and decided that was the plane. Finally started building in 2003.
Still have the VHS tape somewhere (but no player):D:D |
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:08 AM. |