Vans RV-6 Hits A Milestone

[Geico266]

The Van-O-Meter just ticked off 2,500 flying RV-6s. Making it the most successful home built aircraft in history by a mile. Very fun to fly, a little quick on the roll rate makes it great for sport aerobatics or CC. The -6 is a fine bird.

http://vansaircraft.com/public/first-flights.htm

 

[ChrisK]

I thought this was going to be about a collision resulting from an overrun.



"No one was injured, and no flight plan was filed."

 

[Ted]

A friend of mine here who's building a -9 says that RVs account for half of new aircraft sales, beating Cirrus/Beech/Cessna combined. Interesting stat.

 

[EdFred]

A friend of mine here who's building a -9 says that RVs account for half of new aircraft sales, beating Cirrus/Beech/Cessna combined. Interesting stat.

There's a lot of gym memberships bought in the first month of the new year as well. How many are still being used in December?

 

[Ted]

There's a lot of gym memberships bought in the first month of the new year as well. How many are still being used in December?

Right, a kit will take about 5-10 years to be turned into an airplane. It is an interesting number, though - certainly experimental is growing, and Vans is popular there.

I'm still waiting for an experimental variant of a 310.

 

[Geico266]

Right, a kit will take about 5-10 years to be turned into an airplane. It is an interesting number, though - certainly experimental is growing, and Vans is popular there.

I'm still waiting for an experimental variant of a 310.

The stats are for flying airplanes, not kits sold.

Average build is under 2 years. A -12 is 700 hours, 8 -12 months. Retired guys knock out a -10 in 18 months.

Start saving your money!

 

[kyleb]

Average build is under 2 years.

Where does that stat come from?

I know dozens of builders with finished, flying airplanes. I can count the number of 2 year builds on the fingers of one hand.

Even an RV-12 at a 700 hour build is an hour a day for two years. That's a lot of time to carve out of most people's life.

 

[N801BH]

Right, a kit will take about 5-10 years to be turned into an airplane. It is an interesting number, though - certainly experimental is growing, and Vans is popular there.

I'm still waiting for an experimental variant of a 310.

And I have just the motors for it too...

 

[Ted]

And I have just the motors for it too...

I would've put a pair of those in the 310 this round if there was such thing as "owner experimental."

Although we would've made a few upgrades.

 

[Geico266]

Where does that stat come from?

I know dozens of builders with finished, flying airplanes. I can count the number of 2 year builds on the fingers of one hand.

Even an RV-12 at a 700 hour build is an hour a day for two years. That's a lot of time to carve out of most people's life.

You need to expand your circle of friends.

Obviously, it depends on how much time you can dedicate to the project, how much work you farm out, panel, paint, QB, ect. We can argue about it all day, but clearly the majority of RV builds are in the range of 1.5 - 5 year range.

Does that correction make you happy?

 

[Jay Honeck]

I am incredibly impressed with the homebuilt community in general, and Vans in particular.

The enthusiasm and ingenuity shown by these builder/pilots is remarkable. The excitement and sheer joy they find in flying reminds me of the way GA used to be twenty years ago.

As the only growing and healthy part of the general aviation community, I tip my hat to their success, and look forward to the day when I can join their ranks.

 

[LDJones]

You need to expand your circle of friends.

Obviously, it depends on how much time you can dedicate to the project, how much work you farm out, panel, paint, QB, ect. We can argue about it all day, but clearly the majority of RV builds are in the range of 1.5 - 5 year range.

Does that correction make you happy?

The super long build times were not unusual with the early kits but Van has dramatically reduced that with ever more complete kits. I've heard the newest ones are just about ready to rivet together.

 

[Geico266]

The super long build times were not unusual with the early kits but Van has dramatically reduced that with ever more complete kits. I've heard the newest ones are just about ready to rivet together.

It all depends on the dedication, skill set, and motivation of the builder. Trust me, if you don't open the crates it will never put itself together.

The building process is amazing. There are highs and lows that you just can't imagine. Nothing goes exactly as planned. Portions of the build you think should be easy are hard, and other items you have heard about that the devil himself invented ( fiberglass, and fuel tank sealant) turn out to be a very enjoyable, easy part of the build.

Whether it takes 1 year or 20, the goal is building a flying airplane. When you complete that goal the personal satisfaction is beyond words. When you fly that bird to OSH and "put it on the line" the sense of accomplishment and pride of having completed the project makes all the lows disappear.

 

[Todd Copeland]

Having built a Glastar, and now building a Glasair III I can say it is all of the things people describe above. My Glastar was a three year build. However, another builder had done some of the work as I bought it from someone who gave up. My Glasair III I bought the same way and I am in my third year now and will likely finish in the next twelve months. I have many RV friends and agree they are very buildable, much more so than a Glasair.
I think one of the biggest obstacles for builders is that they go into building to get a cheap airplane, not because they want to build. If the end result is the only goal, then you are likely to have a kit that does not get built. If however you want a project it is very rewarding and you end up with a great airplane in many cases and a source of pride every time you fly in an airplane that performs much better than most certified planes. In the end, if you have identified a kitplane that is your ideal plane but don't have a burning desire to build, then you should buy someone else's already finished kitplane!

 

[Ted]

Good feedback on building.

One of my bosses back at the gray paint company was (and still is) building. He started off doing an RV slow build and is now on a Rans S-7. He's probably about 6 years into his build on the Rans, I think it'll be a 10 year project. He's also probably spent as much time and money on building multiple shops and general infrastructure to support the build as he's spent building.

We were talking about the merits of building vs buying. I pointed out that for what he's put in, he'd be way better off buying something, and he agreed. He admitted though that building is really more interesting to him, and so that's why he likes it.

I'm seeing similar from another friend of mine who's finishing up a -9 now. He has concerns that he won't fly it much, but likes building so he thins after it's done he might sell it and build a -10, which is really better suited for his family anyway. He loves the building process.

I've been too busy flying to have time to build, and only now am I having much time to tinker and do some owner-assisted work at all. When our baby gets older, I'd be all for building a plane if he finds it interesting. Except I'd probably build an experimental Twin Cessna.

 

[N801BH]

Agreed to the last three posts.... Knowing I have handled all 14,210 rivets in my plane, knowing I have assembled hundreds of componants, all the electrical, fuel, paint, landing gear, and top of the list is to create a safe, powerful and obviously a truly one of a kind firewall forward package is the ultimate satisfaction in my eyes.... The feeling one gets when the complete package comes together and it actually flys is probably the greatest feeling in the world..... IMHO....

It is not the destination... it is the journey..


Ben.

 

[EdFred]

Yeah, but you can't journey very far when the kit is still in pieces on the shop floor.

 

[wabower]

I found one that I really like that somebody else had already built. Guy in Wichita built it, along with several others. Clyde something-or-other, can't remember his last name.

Having built a Glastar, and now building a Glasair III I can say it is all of the things people describe above. My Glastar was a three year build. However, another builder had done some of the work as I bought it from someone who gave up. My Glasair III I bought the same way and I am in my third year now and will likely finish in the next twelve months. I have many RV friends and agree they are very buildable, much more so than a Glasair.
I think one of the biggest obstacles for builders is that they go into building to get a cheap airplane, not because they want to build. If the end result is the only goal, then you are likely to have a kit that does not get built. If however you want a project it is very rewarding and you end up with a great airplane in many cases and a source of pride every time you fly in an airplane that performs much better than most certified planes. In the end, if you have identified a kitplane that is your ideal plane but don't have a burning desire to build, then you should buy someone else's already finished kitplane!

 

[LDJones]

I found one that I really like that somebody else had already built. Guy in Wichita built it, along with several others. Clyde something-or-other, can't remember his last name.

I hear he's got quite a shop there in Wichita! :wink2:

 

[CJones]

Having built a Glastar, and now building a Glasair III I can say it is all of the things people describe above. My Glastar was a three year build. However, another builder had done some of the work as I bought it from someone who gave up. My Glasair III I bought the same way and I am in my third year now and will likely finish in the next twelve months. I have many RV friends and agree they are very buildable, much more so than a Glasair.
I think one of the biggest obstacles for builders is that they go into building to get a cheap airplane, not because they want to build. If the end result is the only goal, then you are likely to have a kit that does not get built. If however you want a project it is very rewarding and you end up with a great airplane in many cases and a source of pride every time you fly in an airplane that performs much better than most certified planes. In the end, if you have identified a kitplane that is your ideal plane but don't have a burning desire to build, then you should buy someone else's already finished kitplane!

Very well said.

Dad and I started building the -7A because he was a former farmer now stuck in an office all day and wanted to do something productive with his hands again. So we built the -7A slow-build in about 2.5 years. A couple years and several hundred hours on the -7A later, he decided he would do a -10. A few years later, he had a 'fleet' of two RVs, which worked out very well for me.

Now we're kicking around the idea of a low and slow tube-and-fabric type of build just for the heck of it. "Homebuilding", for us, at least, is much more about the build process than anything else. (Of course, having a 4-seat 165 KTAS @13GPH, glass panel cross-country machine at the end of the build isn't bad, either. )

 

[steingar]

Chris, I can't tell you how cool your story is. I can't even think of one thing I ever did with my old man.

 

[Ted]

Chris, I can't tell you how cool your story is. I can't even think of one thing I ever did with my old man.

I had lunch with my old man twice, dinner once.