Van's Aircraft is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 kit aircraft

Homebuilt aircraft

Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch," from plans, or from assembly kits.-Overview:...

 manufacturer, founded by Richard "Van" VanGrunsven in 1973

1973 in aviation

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1973:- Events :*Don Taylor attempts round-the-world trip in his homebuilt Thorp T-18, ended by a spate of really bad weather between northern Japan and the Aleutian Islands. His next attempt in the summer of 1976 is successful.-January:* U.S...

.

Van's RV series of aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

, from the single seat RV-3

Van's Aircraft RV-3

-See also:-References:* * Armstrong, Kenneth, Choosing Your Homebuilt – The One You’ll Finish And Fly, Butterfield Press, Templeton CA 1993.* Bowers, Peter M, Guide to Homebuilts 9th Edition, TAB Books Blue Ridge Summit PA, 1984....

 to the latest RV-12

Van's Aircraft RV-12

-See also:-References:* * * * accessed 11 January 2007-External links:*...

, are all-aluminum, low-wing monoplane

Monoplane

A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...

s of monocoque

Monocoque

Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...

 construction. The RV series of airplanes has been extremely successful, with 6,933 flying as of 26 August 2010, making the series one of the most numerous of all homebuilt

Homebuilt

The term homebuilt is used to describe machines built outside of specialised workshops or factories. It can mean different things such as kit cars or homebuilt computers, but normally it pertains to homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes. Homebuilt aircraft or kit...

 aircraft. They feature responsive controls plus both good speed and fuel economy.

Van's factory is located at Aurora State Airport

Aurora State Airport

Aurora State Airport is a public airport located one mile northwest of the central business district of Aurora, a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is owned by the Oregon Department of Aviation.Although most U.S...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. This airport is the location of an annual fly-in for Van's aircraft owners.

Regulatory status

RVs are deemed Experimental - amateur-builts by the Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

 in the United States and are accepted under the corresponding category by the aviation authorities in many other countries, including the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 and Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. A modified version of the RV-6

Van's Aircraft RV-6

-See also:-References:*Lambert, Mark. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993-94. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Data Division, 1993. ISBN 0-7106-1066-1.***-External links:*...

 was sold to the Nigerian government as a kit-assembled military trainer.

The RV-12 is an experimental light-sport aircraft

Light-sport Aircraft

A Light-sport aircraft, also known as light sport aircraft or LSA, is a small aircraft that is simple to fly and which meets certain regulations set by a National aviation authority restricting weight and performance...

.

RV aircraft series

• RV-1: Single example of a Stits SA-3 Playboy modified with a 125 hp Lycoming engine and a custom wing
• RV-2: wooden flying wing sailplane prototype that was never completed
• RV-3
  Van's Aircraft RV-3
  -See also:-References:* * Armstrong, Kenneth, Choosing Your Homebuilt – The One You’ll Finish And Fly, Butterfield Press, Templeton CA 1993.* Bowers, Peter M, Guide to Homebuilts 9th Edition, TAB Books Blue Ridge Summit PA, 1984....
  
  : single seat
• RV-4
  Van's Aircraft RV-4
  -External links:*...
  
  : two seats, tandem, bubble canopy
  Bubble canopy
  A bubble canopy is a canopy made like a soap bubble, which attempts to provide 360° vision to the pilot.-History:Bubble canopies have been in use since World War II. The British had already developed the "Malcolm hood", which was a bulged canopy, but the British Miles M.20 was one of the first...
  
  
• RV-5: A small metal single seat prototype that was flown with a two-stroke engine
• RV-6
  Van's Aircraft RV-6
  -See also:-References:*Lambert, Mark. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993-94. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Data Division, 1993. ISBN 0-7106-1066-1.***-External links:*...
  
  : two seats, side-by-side
• RV-7
  Van's Aircraft RV-7
  -See also:-External links:*...
  
  : improved RV-6, with longer wingspan and larger rudder
• RV-8
  Van's Aircraft RV-8
  -See also:-External links:*...
  
  : improved RV-4, with larger cockpit
• RV-9
  Van's Aircraft RV-9
  -See also:...
  
  : two seats, side-by-side; larger wing and more docile handling qualities
• RV-10
  Van's Aircraft RV-10
  -See also:-References:* -External links:*...
  
  : four seats, tricycle gear only
• RV-11
  Van's Aircraft RV-11
  RV-11 is the Van's Aircraft designation for a proposed single-seat touring motor glider design similar in layout to the AMS Carat. The prototype RV-11 uses the wings of an HP-18 sailplane mated to a specially built fuselage.-See also:...
  
  : single seat, motorglider; under development
• RV-12
  Van's Aircraft RV-12
  -See also:-References:* * * * accessed 11 January 2007-External links:*...
  
  : two seats, side-by-side Light Sport Aircraft.