[jbDC9]

I'm curious... roughly when was it that RVs really took off in popularity?

The reason I ask is this; I was thumbing thru my brother's stash of old magazines, Air Progress and Plane & Pilot from '81 thru the late '80s/early '90s, plus Flying from '81 thru the present... and I noticed a distinct lack of RVs. No pilot reports, no Van's ads in the back of the magazines. I found one reference to RV-3s being present at OSH '85. That's it. There are lots of ads and pireps of everything else... Glasairs, Lancairs, T-18s, Long Ezes, Mustang I & IIs, KR-2s, Quickie/Q200s, Sonerais, Monis, Barracudas, SX-300s, Prescott Pushers, Bede 4/5s, ultralights, etc.

So how is it that all these other planes with more media coverage are virtually extinct while the unknown (at the time) RV has boomed? Did the RV start getting some press in the '90s that I missed? I'd flip thru the '90s Flying issues, but they prefer to blather on about King Airs and Learjets and such. Funny thing about those old magazines is all the advertising for the latest and greatest gee-whiz avionics... stuff that is now hopelessly outdated and suitable for use as a boat anchor.

John
8QB

 

[sprucemoose]

Until very recently (last five years or so) Van's advertised very little in magazines. They typically had a small text ad in the back, but the full page, color ads you see today only came about 5 years ago. And, IIRC, by the turn of the century, the Van's Hobbs meter was around 2,000, so they had gotten popular by then. Is it possible that magazines don't write favorable (or any?) reviews on designs which don't contribute to their advertising revenues?

 

[Mel]

The -3 was always popular, but as a single place, the market was minimal. When the -4 came out, there was a jump. But the biggest jump was probably in the mid-late '80s when the -6 was announced. Being only sloooow build until the early '90s, these first -6s didn't start showing up in big numbers until the mid '90s. Ann & I started two -6s in March of '89 and had them flying in March of '93. At that time the -6 really attracted a crowd anywhere we went.
Now it's just another RV. Ho-Hum.
Mel...DAR

 

[Tom Maxwell]

Simple - A better mouse trap.

As the saying goes, build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door. That is what has happened with the RV. Watch the Van's video and you will see that once people started flying his planes, there first question was, "How do I get one of these." Good ole demand-pull economics. Like so many other products in capitalism's history, the percieved value of the RV has leap-frogged it past the competitors. Of course Van's continual improvements in the product has helped a great deal as well. After comparing all of the costs, performances, and qualities of all available products, it is just very difficult for the typical builder to come to a conclusion other than an RV. Van's calls this "Total Performance," most of us dub it, "A no brainer."

 

[sf3543]

I echo what Mel said. When I completed my -6 in early 1997, it was a hit where ever I went and that lasted for about 2 or 3 years. After that, RVs became numerous enough that people didn't take as much notice as they once did. Now, every fly in I go to seems to have turned into an RV fly in. Except for OSH, it seems as though most of the planes at the fly ins are RVs. (Not to mention those that are based on RVs, such the rockets and Bohannons Fly'in Tiger.)
Also, seems that resale values for RVs are much higher than most other kit planes, although I wonder how fuel prices, now and in the future, will affect resasle.

 

[rvpilot]

The Early Days!

Van at SNF with the -4. Think it was 1984, not real sure. Boy, Things have really changed!!

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Saw the plane again at Osh 2004, really pretty neat!
Bill Waters

 

[Bob Axsom]

Van is the Man

Some day they may make a movie about the life of Richard Vangrunsven and I don't mean one to sell RV's. He is unique and he alone is the reason RV's are a success. On May 12 1990 I saw my first RV at EAA Chapter 723's 10th annual fly-in at Camarillo, California. I knew that I would be 65 in a little over 10 years and If I wanted to keep flying I would have to build a plane that the FAA would allow me to maintain myself. I originally looked at the Lancair 235 but was leaning heavily toward a Lancair 320 (the red one was getting all the attention back then). Lance Neibauer was there telling about a plane the company was building that they intended to take to Oshkosh that year with a Continental 550 engine (they did it). Questair Venture N62V was there. A Glassair III (N301MJ) was there. Also there was this very racey looking red & Orange airplane that I just assumed from a distance was a Formula 1 racer. The next day I saw that it was a trophy winner and upon closer checking found that it was called an RV-4.

Once exposed the RV fell into my pot of options and as I studied deeper and deeper into the airplanes it seemed that the RV-6 was the wise option. It took me over 6 years to finalize that decision and get a line of credit loan on our home to finance it. I have never regreted the choice. Van never seems to have wavered from his objective and he never really depended on anyone else or advertizing to achieve it. He is still an enigma to me but there is no question in my mind that he alone is the reason for the outstanding designs, conservative exposure and the company's success. Obviously builders were aware of Van's designs and it was not his intent to create a market he could compete for - so no advertising was needed. Now that the business has evolved to the point where very expensive facilities, machines and personnel on multiple continents are involved advertizing is needed to reach enough potential customers to sustain it. I would not at all be surprized if the RV-12 light sport plane eventually draws Van's Aircraft into four place certified aircraft production (RV-10 derivative) - I hope not but the trend is clear to me. I suspect Van will not at all be anxious to go there.

Bob Axsom

 

[gmcjetpilot]

RV-3 to RV-10 and overnight success

Van's goes back of course to the RV-3 , 1972

http://www.airventuremuseum.org/collection/aircraft/VanGrunsven RV-3 Prototype.asp

RV-4 came about in 1979 and the RV-6 around 1985. I found out about the RV thru a friend and copied the first info flyer for the new RV-6.

I flew down to Van?s house for a pre arranged flight on a Sunday in 1986 at his house (on a grass strip). Needless to say I took the $30,000 ride and became a builder and started my first kit, a RV-6. I was blown away with the handling, view and performance.

At that time Van was working out the shop behind his house. He moved to warehouse in North Plans, OR just a few miles from his home years later.

The advent of the RV-6A "A" model got more builders for the "modern pilot" as van put it. This opened up a whole new market.

Than the RV-8, in 1995 (RV-8A in '98) and pre-punch kits came along and opened up more builders.

Another move to their current location to increase production to Aurora OR in 2000. The addition of RV-7/A and RV-9/A and RV-10 is well, how shall we say is history.

The combo of new models, pre punched kits where a big push thru the late 80's and 90's. (For those who are new you had to lay out every hole, drill the gear leg holes and many parts that are now cut. punched or formed required builder's to complete)

Van was never into advertising. In fact in the 80's many planes have come and gone where advertised with wild claims of fantastic performance. Unfortunately many where pipe dreams on paper only. Many lost there money on these kits.

Van started to flourish because of the reputation for true performance and great handling. The fact that Van's kits have always been a bargain. you could get a kit for less than $10,000 while glasair where selling kits at 4 times that.

To answer your question I think it has been a 25 year overnight success.

Go to any major fly-in's and the RV's are one of if not the most numerious models.

George

 

[rvpilot]

Early -4 Info Sheet

Here's the backside of the order form I recieved when I requested information. I think it was sometime after SNF, 1984. The -6 was still in the works at the time, I got put on the list for it!

I still have the info pack! Anybody want to place an order at these prices?!!
Bill Waters

 

[John_RV4]

It's all in the kit....

I think the key to their success was in the kits moreso than the planes themselves. The Thorps, Mustang II's etc. were always comparable airplanes but they simply didn't have the kit behind them that Van developed. I often think that designing the planes was the easy part. Developing the kits and building the company with all of the "boring" work associated with that was the hard part (IMHO).

Quick story: About 1990 I (and some friends) were pulling our hair out trying to manage a Cherokee. AVemco had an advertisement in AOPA Pilot with a picture of an RV4 built by (I believe) Dick Creswell. That airplane looked so simple and honest that it just looked like it might be the solution. I thought: "Nah, those homebuilts all cruise at 150kts and stall at 135" .

Who knew......

John