GEEZ!
Hey Fellas:
Does the phrase "Lighten up, Francis!" mean anything to ya? C'mon, the guy was only saying that the wing is not the best looking. The paint tricks mentioned on this thread seem to agree with that assessment.
While the visual opinion may or may not be applicable in your case, it is a very easy wing to build, especially if you don't want to go to the expen$e of setting up jigs to get the twist just so...
In addition, the square wing is far less expensive (parts commonality). A tapered wing would add probably 25-30% to the kit cost, which would have probably stopped the amazing production numbers of the Vans products before they ever got started.
As for performance (speed), have a look around. If the square wing was the best, it would be on every aircraft. It isn't. The RV wing DOES handle very well.
I think Van came up with an amazing combination, but every design is a compromise. Ease of assembly was apparently fairly high on the list, and a tapered wing simply does not fit into that line of thinking.
Mr Travalab may or may not pick an RV as his project, but some of you fellas are not what I would call a good welcoming committee. I wonder if that might skew his thoughts AWAY from the well-proven design you all seem to think he should have?
Personally, I don't care if he decides on a Breezy or a Pietenpol, or a full scale P-38 - he's building what he wants, and I'm OK with that. Now, if he wants to put swept wings and retracts on his Breezy, I might recommend re-thinking his original choice....
Carry on!
Mark