RV-3 ranked in top 30 airplanes of all time

[GalinHdz]

FWIW: I don't know if this was already posted but Esquire magazine has the RV-3 as one of the 30 most important airplanes of all time. I don't agree with some of the selections but it is still an interesting and very select group of airplanes.



"By quitting his day job to build an airplane of his own design in the garage behind his house, Richard VanGrunsven quietly began the most successful aircraft kit-building company in history.

His first attempt at aircraft design was a modified Sitts Playboy which he affectionately label RV-1. Hitting a plateau on performance, he tried a clean sheet design, but the RV-2 never reached completion. Still yearning for a fast and affordable aerobatic platform that could operate from very short runways, he headed back to the drawing board and created the RV-3. Able to reach 200 mph with only 150 horsepower, the single-seat taildragger was an instant success.

VanGrunsven continued to build a line of successful kit aircraft based on this original RV-3 for four decades, and the business eventually outgrew two facilities. Now, each year the number of aircraft built that were designed by VanGrunsven outnumbers the combined production of all commercial general aviation companies. More than 8,500 DIYers have completed and flown their RVs, with many more to come."

http://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/g23...s-of-all-time/

[moll780]

Originally Posted by GalinHdz

FWIW: I don't know if this was already posted but Esquire magazine has the RV-3 as one of the 30 most important airplanes of all time. I don't agree with some of the selections but it is still an interesting and very select group of airplanes.

"By quitting his day job to build an airplane of his own design in the garage behind his house, Richard VanGrunsven quietly began the most successful aircraft kit-building company in history.

His first attempt at aircraft design was a modified Sitts Playboy which he affectionately label RV-1. Hitting a plateau on performance, he tried a clean sheet design, but the RV-2 never reached completion. Still yearning for a fast and affordable aerobatic platform that could operate from very short runways, he headed back to the drawing board and created the RV-3. Able to reach 200 mph with only 150 horsepower, the single-seat taildragger was an instant success.

VanGrunsven continued to build a line of successful kit aircraft based on this original RV-3 for four decades, and the business eventually outgrew two facilities. Now, each year the number of aircraft built that were designed by VanGrunsven outnumbers the combined production of all commercial general aviation companies. More than 8,500 DIYers have completed and flown their RVs, with many more to come."

http://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/g23...s-of-all-time/

"outnumbers the combined production of all commercial general aviation companies. "
clearly not true. 43k cessna 172's have been built. Am I wrong or is the cessna not a commercial built GA aircraft?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_172

[David Paule]

And there's an untouched RV-3B kit for sale in the Classifieds that has a great price.

(Not mine, but the sister ship to it.)

Dave

[ChiefPilot]

Originally Posted by moll780

"outnumbers the combined production of all commercial general aviation companies. "
clearly not true. 43k cessna 172's have been built. Am I wrong or is the cessna not a commercial built GA aircraft?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_172

I think the context suggests a yearly total comparison, not a comparison across all time.

[David-aviator]

The RV-3 belongs on the list as does the F-86. The rest are just ho-hum.

[Chkaharyer99]

Originally Posted by GalinHdz

FWIW:

Beautiful RV-3. Way to represent Vans.

[Captain_John]

Originally Posted by ChiefPilot

I think the context suggests a yearly total comparison, not a comparison across all time.

Yes, annual production numbers.

Seems to me that I have heard a few times before that our annual production numbers exceed the store-bought jobs.

CJ

[GalinHdz]

Originally Posted by moll780

"outnumbers the combined production of all commercial general aviation companies. "
clearly not true. 43k cessna 172's have been built. Am I wrong or is the cessna not a commercial built GA aircraft?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_172

You forgot the first part of the statement which reads: "Now, each year the number of aircraft built that were designed by VanGrunsven outnumbers the combined production of all commercial general aviation companies." And this has been true for the past few years.

The all time most built aircraft is also on the top 30 list to which they state: "More Cessna 172 Skyhawks have been sold than any other aircraft, period."

[jrs14855]

First production year for Cessna 172 was 1956.Derived from Cessna 170 first built in 1948.

[IFlySlow]

Odd....the "Airbus A320" they show is actually a 737 variant (-800?). And to keep the thread relevant, isn't the RV-3 "the plane that launched 9,243 backyard builders (to date)"? Well, much more than that really, since some aren't completed...