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Van's Air Force

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Who's In?

Are you building an RV-15?

  • Yep

    Votes: 62 21.5%
  • Nope

    Votes: 139 48.3%
  • Maybe

    Votes: 87 30.2%

  • Total voters
    288
Looking for a high wing to replace my RV6 but no time to build, cost of the RV15 used when any available $150K+.

At least ...

Kits ... probably around $55
Engine ... $50
Avionics ... $35
Paint ... $25
Prop ... $8 (or $12-$17 for composite)

If it turns out as good as a lot of us expect, they will sell for north of $250, just like the 14, until there is sufficient supply to meet the demand.
 
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I'm firmly in the "maybe" camp. I'm finishing rebuilding my Maule M4-220C, and have an RV-4 project on the way. I feel like the two airplanes will compliment each other pretty nicely, but the -15 could be a good blending of the two with only having to insure one plane.

It likely will come down to the numbers- the -15 is about 15 knots faster in cruise than the Maule, for I assume a similar fuel burn, but I suspect the Maule may perform better at gross (speculation, for sure). I get four seats and unbeatable baggage access with the Maule, too.

I am for sure looking forward to seeing the final numbers for the -15 though, and think it will be a great, highly sought after kit when it's ready.
 
I'm firmly in the "maybe" camp.

I'd say this as well. It'll depend on a number of factors, but:

1. I still have an RV-10 to finish--my main mission is travel.
2. Out here in the eastern US, there aren't many places where a backcountry plane makes sense
3. I'd like to have one for sightseeing, etc., but the lack of destinations for a backcountry airplane here make something like an RV-8 a more interesting option for just banging around the sky.
 
Is there another kit with similar specs I can build?

Maybe you mean something like the 170, I have no interest in flying dinosaurs ... and I love building ...

Lots of kits are out there. To name but two, the Rans S21 and Glasair Sportsman - neither are flying dinosaurs.
 
North Texas Builders

Heck, between myself, Doug R, and the initial kits Jay Pratt plans to order? We can probably have a dedicated delivery truck: from Oregon to North Texas :D
 
Here's why I'm interested:
We own a Cessna 180. It's 65 years old. It has been well cared-for, but stuff wears out. Parts are increasingly A) difficult to source, and B) prohibitively expensive. This is true across the "vintage" Standard Certificated fleet. Qualified and interested GA shops are starting to be an issue, as well. It has a useful load of 1000 lbs. To validate Scott's comments, we take the back seat out of it in order to take it places like OSH with all our "stuff". Can't fit our mountain bikes in it very well, and we've tried. I can count on two hands the number of times we've had more than 2 people in it in the last 4 years. Having the back seat is nice, but not essential to our use.

We built an RV-7. Truly love it, with three notable exceptions: it is sometimes difficult for the non-yoga crowd to get into and out of easily, baggage volume is limited, and the seats are fixed once you're sitting in them. The last two things make long cross country/camping trips fatiguing and sometimes a logistical challenge. But she goes fast, so that's a mitigating factor.

The RV has a full dual 10" screen IFR capable Garmin G3X system that we wired ourselves. Having a certified shop put in just two G5's and a 375 in the Cessna cost us almost as much as purchasing all of the the boxes for the RV. Having the shop put LITERALLY the same autopilot system in the Cessna but "certified" would be about 4 times what it cost us to equip the RV. We had looked at an S-21 as a replacement for the Cessna but were put off by the low service ceiling and speeds on the Titan equipped model (not a problem in the flat lands but kind of an issue for anything more than 50 miles West of my house) and the small baggage compartment. Knowing it wasn't backcountry capable but at least had more space and better entry and egress, and oh, those sliding seats(!) we were three months into an RV-10 build when the -15 was announced. D'oh!

So if Van's can offer similar enough airframe and mission profiles to the 180 with the advantages of the E-AB world and ease of their kits and quality of the RV aircraft characteristics, we're in. It would be enough of the best of both worlds. I'm okay if it doesn't fly as fast as a Lancair or doesn't hold 100 gallons of fuel, or make me an espresso in flight :-D
 
Echoing what 543TB and rvbuilder2002 said: a plane with a pretty good speed ratio, including ~140kts cruise and ~400ft landing roll, can get the dogs and the camping gear into it for longer trips and a couple jump seats for the rare times we do sightseeing missions with friends or nieces/nephews, and parts and avionics that are available and don't cost as much as the plane. I'm so in...

I wrote out what my wants and needs were and it was 13 long-winded items. The only things the -15 didn't cover were light aerobatics and towing at the glider club (someone at the club has a cub that can do those 2 things, but it can't do most other, higher priority things like 140kts with room for gear, the dogs, and the wife....). I've been looking for about 3 years to buy a certified plane that covers at least ~75% of my list and a) they usually only cover ~50%, b) they rarely last on the market long enough to make a phone call, c) they're usually rust-buckets, and d) if they make it thru some combination of a, b, and/or c, they've got an asking price of $200-$300k (and that includes a few of the experimentals, too), or need enough mods or updates to compete with the RV-15 that they'll end up costing that much.

Sooo... given the expected/planned specs, the guesstimated build costs, and the value of not having to deal with an ad that ends "price firm, serious offers only. I know what I've got", I'd buy Greg that goofy Presso machine for his birthday if I thought it would help my placement on the not-yet-formed waitlist.
 
I’m picking them up

Heck, between myself, Doug R, and the initial kits Jay Pratt plans to order? We can probably have a dedicated delivery truck: from Oregon to North Texas :D
That would be me,,,, no probably about it
If we can get 4 or 6 kits in a rider box truck,,, I’ll pick them up and bring ‘em home.
 
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…time left on earth..

I get that! Getting old and want to enjoy using things. Hopefully they will have a very quick build option!
 
I haven't decided to build since I am still building my 8. But I reserved my N-number specifically for the RV15 because all the short numbers are almost gone. I would love to build the RV16 speed machine that we discussed a while back.
 
My other half works as a flight attendant for SWA. Of course, we get free flight benefits as a result of her job. I have yet to use the free flight privilege. But once I even sniff the fact that the ordering window will officially open? I may fly from Dallas to Oregon, and hand them my check :D

Since I wasn't able to make OSH this year, my rationale is that I can also try to look at the prototype at that time :)

I can hardly wait!!!!
 
How big

I didn't get a chance to see the plane in person, but when Greg from Vans stands next to it, it looks BIG. Not sure if that is an optical illusion or not.

I think I will wait to see the real RV15 in person before ordering. If it is as big as it seems, it may be too big for me.
 
I may fly from Dallas to Oregon, and hand them my check :D

Since I wasn't able to make OSH this year, my rationale is that I can also try to look at the prototype at that time :)

I can hardly wait!!!!

We're here. Let us know when you plan to head this way. :)

I didn't get a chance to see the plane in person, but when Greg from Vans stands next to it, it looks BIG. Not sure if that is an optical illusion or not.

I think I will wait to see the real RV15 in person before ordering. If it is as big as it seems, it may be too big for me.

Or maybe I'm just really short? "I make this airplane look huge!" haha. Actually, I'm a supremely average 5'10" on a good day. Funny though - at first everyone was saying the RV-15 looked tiny in the early photos and videos, and now people say it looks big (at OSH people were frequently saying "Oh it's bigger than I thought!"). When it stands on the 26-inch Alaska Bushwheels it does stand taller, for sure. The airplane is fairly similar in size to a Cessna 170.
 
No backcountry here in Western Europe. Off-airport landing immediately triggers "911" calls and police investigations here. No float flying either, as each individual flight would need to be requested 3 months in advance. No thank you.

So the '15 makes a lot less sense here. Plus I am a low-wing guy. So I'll stick to rebuilding and modding my '3. Love the Vans initiative though!
 
This answer makes Good case for being very thankful for the many FREEDOMS
WE HERE IN USA THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED !
 
I’ve thought about building a kit plane for over 20 years. I think this might be the right time and the right plane.

I got my Private Pilot Cert in 1984. I few for several years and fell out of it due to work and life circumstances not being ideal to keep it up. I’m now at a place where I can finally get back into it, and I’m stoked.
 
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