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Looking for partners in the Seattle/KAWO area to co-own ''the other RV-1''. Cheap!

AirShowFan

Well Known Member
Patron
Hey everyone.

First of all, let me say that I am relatively inexperienced in these forums. I am trying my best to follow the rules and conventions, but I might not succeed. If that is the case, then I apologize, and I hope that you guys can help to guide me on how to do this properly.

Cutting to the chase: A friend of mine and I have contacted an owner who wants to sell his RV. My friend and I are now looking for one or two additional partners so that we could all buy and own this RV. If we find one more person, the cost would be about $6K/person. Two more people (group of 4), the cost would be about $4K/person. Because I am the one who is trying to "make this happen", I am willing to take slightly more than my share of the costs. But I can't do it on my own, and if we don't find anyone else to help us, it probably won't happen.

The RV in question is "the other RV-1", N1583. It has been discussed before on this website, such as here and here and here. It was apparently built with some help from Van himself. It is currently airworthy and for sale.

It is the oldest flying RV, and the only RV-1 other than Van's original prototype (which currently sits in the EAA museum in OSH, as you know). This is a really historic airplane (and I, for one, think it would be cool if it were re-painted to match the look of Van's airplane).

Would anyone in the Seattle/Arlington area be interested in co-owning a piece of homebuilt history?

Please email me at [email protected] (my public email address) if you're interested.

Below are the specs, in a "VAF Classifieds" format:

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Model: RV-1

Location: Airplane currently at 77S in Oregon. Once partnership is formed and the airplane is purchased, it would be in a Seattle-area airport, ideally (but not necessarily) north of town, such as KPAE or KAWO.

Asking Price: Probably around $4000 for 25% ownership, $6000 for 33% ownership. Negotiable. Let's talk.

VFR only
Slider canopy
Recent restoration
247 hours on airframe since restoration

418 hours on engine since restoration
O-290G engine
140 HP
~4 gph fuel burn
 
This sounds like a pretty cool idea! I wish you good luck on the project, and will add only one small correction. Technically, "THE" RV-1 is still a flying aircraft - although it has been donated to the EAA museum, the EAA promised Van that they would keep it in flying condition for him.
 
If you need someone to assist by ferrying it to the new location, let me know as I'm only 80 miles from it... :)
 
Technically, you could build your own, brand new, RV-1. There are lots of Playboy's out there pretty cheap(or you could build it) and the prototype plans to build the wing are available. However, doing it for the asking price of this airplane is probably not happening and it would be a bunch of work. The price seems reasonable but for some reason, it has been on the market for some time.
They fly well for what they are and maybe this one will land better without a bent landing gear leg like the other RV-1. :eek:
I enjoyed the short time I flew the original.
I hope you are successful and it can stay in the NW.
 
That is true, Jon. However, like you pointed out, building a "replica" would cost more than buying this one. And it would be a ton more work. I don't have the time to build a kitplane right now (I bought my RV-6 from its builder), way too many activities in my life: graduate school (UW), full-time job (Boeing), tons of exercise (marathon training), social life, trying to write a book (capturing all the info in a college course I created and taught about the history of aviation technology), etc etc. And when I do build one, I'm going to want something bigger (and hopefully easier to build) than a Stits/RV-1.

Indeed, I do wonder why this one has been on the market for so long. Some emails I have received indicate that it almost sold a couple of times and the sales fell through at the last minute. This leads me to believe that while the airplane is technically airworthy, it has some issues. That's pretty much ok by me, since it would not be flown a lot, probably just shown off at fly-ins and other events a few times a year. I think I see this airplane as a cool historical artifact/"collectible" more so than as a flying machine...
 
I think I see this airplane as a cool historical artifact/"collectible" more so than as a flying machine...

Ya, it would be pretty cool to own an RV-1, but building one wouldn't be a "replica" anymore than the one for sale is, or isn't. So, I guess it's historical significance as the only other one known to have been built from Van's plans (assuming that is true) holds, until someone else builds one. Certainly open to ones interpretation. Is there only one true RV-1? Makes one ponder....
I still like your idea and do hope you can pull it together. Good luck.
 
Right, that's why I put "replica" in quotes: A newly-built RV-1 would not be any less of a true RV-1 than this airplane ;)

If you really want to get philosophical, you could ask yourself "Is a white horse still a horse?". But if you want to be practical (as most of us probably do, most of the time), then it's enough to note that a newly-built RV-1 would probably have more in common with the "original" RV-1s than each newly-built 747-8 has in common with the original 747-100 prototype.

(An RV-1 built with modern materials in the fuselage, the latest RV-3 wing, a glass cockpit, and a fancy new digitally-controlled fuel-injected engine with inverted oil and fuel... would compare with the original RV-1 as a new 747-8 compares with the 747-100).
 
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