I think I owe an explanation to my clients regarding the recent introduction of the new RV-10 flap actuator by Vans Aircraft.
I became aware of the new Vans flap actuator last Friday when a thread appeared on VAF asking for wiring information on the new motor. Someone mentioned that they thought there was a possibility that PH Aviation was supplying the new actuators. We are not. As far as I can tell, Vans is acquiring them from the same supplier that I use, and it is basically the same actuator that we sell. The only difference that I see is that we machined a special endpiece that accepts the CM-4 rod-end bearing—the same one that Vans uses in their legacy flap motors on all the RVs, and the new Vans flap actuator uses the supplier’s stock setup, which is an endpiece with a ¼” lateral hole drilled through it. I am assuming that they have modified the brackets and the flap weldment to receive the new actuator.
I am a big fan of Vans Aircraft. I have built a number of their airplanes and worked on countless others of theirs. I am a supporter; I admire the company and their products. Like a lot of people, as I was building my RVs, I developed what I thought was a better mousetrap, and ended up making a few for other RV builders in the area, which eventually became a small hobby/business. When I developed the RV-10 Flap Actuator, I was fully aware that anyone could basically do the same thing, even Vans, and that someday they probably would. Honestly, I am delighted that Vans has come around to using this same flap actuator that I have been selling for years. Let’s face it, the old Vans flap motor had become a dinosaur and needed to be replaced! It was too expensive, did not stop at the ends of the stroke, and did not have an internal position feedback—not to mention the maintenance issues! I can honestly say that this is the best flap actuator available today for the job that it does. I am delighted that Vans now offers it.
When I heard the Vans announcement at Oshkosh last year about the RV-15 and the new flap actuator, I suspected that they might be on to the same actuator we use. We have had a tremendous response to it, and I knew Vans had probably become aware of its success. I even wrote Greg Hughes an email in support of it. I did not hear back, but I was not surprised because I know how busy those guys are. I’m not faulting them at all.
The new Vans actuator sells for $200—ours sells for $349. Obviously, Vans has a couple of things going for it: they can easily modify their production to accept the stock actuator setup with the hole in the end, which brings the cost way down. Plus, the economy of scale: they obviously are going to sell many more of these than we ever will. And I’m delighted that they are providing this improvement. It’s all about the success of the RV line of aircraft and I’m a supporter.
So where does that leave us in the picture? We enthusiastically support the new Vans flap actuator that appears to be standard in the new RV-10 kits now. They also have a retrofit option for older RV-10s. This is obviously going to be the best option for the RV-10 folks. We will continue to offer our version for as long as it remains useful for those single-digit (and RV-14) RVers that might want to retrofit with the new actuator but don’t necessarily want to modify their flap weldment. In other words, our version will continue to use the rod-end bearing so that it will match up with your current flap weldment.
Like I said, this is more a hobby than a business for me so where it goes from here is not a major concern of mine. I do want to continue to support my customers where I can. I really have had a good time doing this and want to thank my many customers for their support over the years.
So, if you took the time to read through to this point, thanks! And sorry for the longwinded explanation, but I do think I owed it to my customers.
I became aware of the new Vans flap actuator last Friday when a thread appeared on VAF asking for wiring information on the new motor. Someone mentioned that they thought there was a possibility that PH Aviation was supplying the new actuators. We are not. As far as I can tell, Vans is acquiring them from the same supplier that I use, and it is basically the same actuator that we sell. The only difference that I see is that we machined a special endpiece that accepts the CM-4 rod-end bearing—the same one that Vans uses in their legacy flap motors on all the RVs, and the new Vans flap actuator uses the supplier’s stock setup, which is an endpiece with a ¼” lateral hole drilled through it. I am assuming that they have modified the brackets and the flap weldment to receive the new actuator.
I am a big fan of Vans Aircraft. I have built a number of their airplanes and worked on countless others of theirs. I am a supporter; I admire the company and their products. Like a lot of people, as I was building my RVs, I developed what I thought was a better mousetrap, and ended up making a few for other RV builders in the area, which eventually became a small hobby/business. When I developed the RV-10 Flap Actuator, I was fully aware that anyone could basically do the same thing, even Vans, and that someday they probably would. Honestly, I am delighted that Vans has come around to using this same flap actuator that I have been selling for years. Let’s face it, the old Vans flap motor had become a dinosaur and needed to be replaced! It was too expensive, did not stop at the ends of the stroke, and did not have an internal position feedback—not to mention the maintenance issues! I can honestly say that this is the best flap actuator available today for the job that it does. I am delighted that Vans now offers it.
When I heard the Vans announcement at Oshkosh last year about the RV-15 and the new flap actuator, I suspected that they might be on to the same actuator we use. We have had a tremendous response to it, and I knew Vans had probably become aware of its success. I even wrote Greg Hughes an email in support of it. I did not hear back, but I was not surprised because I know how busy those guys are. I’m not faulting them at all.
The new Vans actuator sells for $200—ours sells for $349. Obviously, Vans has a couple of things going for it: they can easily modify their production to accept the stock actuator setup with the hole in the end, which brings the cost way down. Plus, the economy of scale: they obviously are going to sell many more of these than we ever will. And I’m delighted that they are providing this improvement. It’s all about the success of the RV line of aircraft and I’m a supporter.
So where does that leave us in the picture? We enthusiastically support the new Vans flap actuator that appears to be standard in the new RV-10 kits now. They also have a retrofit option for older RV-10s. This is obviously going to be the best option for the RV-10 folks. We will continue to offer our version for as long as it remains useful for those single-digit (and RV-14) RVers that might want to retrofit with the new actuator but don’t necessarily want to modify their flap weldment. In other words, our version will continue to use the rod-end bearing so that it will match up with your current flap weldment.
Like I said, this is more a hobby than a business for me so where it goes from here is not a major concern of mine. I do want to continue to support my customers where I can. I really have had a good time doing this and want to thank my many customers for their support over the years.
So, if you took the time to read through to this point, thanks! And sorry for the longwinded explanation, but I do think I owed it to my customers.