FIrst FLights

Chalkie just completed another RV! Congrats! My first RV was an RV-6 23680 which I completed in early 2003 and then flew to OSH in celebration of the Centenary of Aviation in July / August 2003. 77 hours to OSH via northern route across North Atlantic. Return flight was St Johns – Santa Maria and […] Read More

Congratulations to Jim on his new RV-10! He writes: After just over 3 years and 2,700 hours of building – our dream airplane finally flew. With help from my grown adult children and most especially my wife, our RV-10 was complete. Building in isolation in a remote part of Canada made the build somewhat difficult […] Read More

Congratulations to Michael on his new RV-6! He writes: I had test pilot fly the plane. Had no problems, flew straight and true. Stalls were as advertised. I really enjoyed the flight, let off a lot of stress that had been building up over the last couple of months. I had a lot of friends […] Read More

John wrote in to let us know about the recent completion of his RV-12iS! He writes: Having never had a go at anything as complicated as this, I pulled the trigger and away we went! I found opening all the boxes and looking inside quite daunting and, to be honest, quite overwhelming. So I carried […] Read More

Congratulations to John and Chris. They write: After three years and nine months of work, our RV-9a was finally read to fly. With the weather forecast looking good, we gathered at Krugersdorp airfield on a cold winter’s morning. ZU-SRV was pulled out of the hangar and the pre-flight checks done. Then, in the capable hands of test-pilot […] Read More

Nice work Frank! He writes: I have been a pilot for most of my life and been flying for the airlines since 1996, at no time since my flying began did I ever think of owning my own airplane. Then one day out of the blue, I told my wife that I’d like to build […] Read More

Congratulations to Nathan! He writes: After 5 years of building my RV-7 took to the sky for the 1st time. It was a great day with a few friends coming out to watch. The plane flew flawlessly and I have now finished the 25hr testing phase. It’s been an awesome experience that has been challenging […] Read More

Tim wrote in to let us know about the first flight of his RV-7A: After more than 10 years of building, my project was ready for the first flight. Accompanied by my friend Harry van Altena, an experienced RV-7 owner as safety pilot, we performed the Maiden Flight at Lelystad Airport EHLE in The Netherlands […] Read More

Congratulations to Randy on his new RV-12iS! He writes: This was a family project. My youngest son helped with the wiring harnesses & avionics. My oldest son helped with the power-plant. My wife was the support, without which this dream could never have happened. The family involvement shows in the plane’s registration #N924SF … the […] Read More

Congratulations to Richard on his new RV-10! He writes: Happy to report the first flight of VH-XRK. Not quite 7 years in the making. A little more work than my first RV-7! Showplanes cowl. Garmin panel. Barrett Engine. It flies well. No issues to report. Looking forward to flying off the next 25h. Thanks so much to my […] Read More

Congratulations to Randy! He writes: After three years and four months N316KC took to the air. She flew flawlessly with only a few minor squawks. I could not be more happy. It is now time to get the forty hours flown off and prepare for Oshkosh. I have an awesome set of RV friends who […] Read More

Congratulations to Giovanni and Davide! They write: We started with the idea of taking 3-4 years to complete her but the pandemic has arrived and here we are with this beauty ready to ride the Alps and beyond… The first flight was without any hitches, I was impressed on the ground roll and the climb […] Read More

Congratulations Scott! First flight was Saturday April 30th at Brown Field in San Diego and lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes. The flight was totally uneventful with the exception of the stall warning buzzer not turning off after landing until I slowed to about 10 knots, couldn’t hear the controller in the tower until the […] Read More

Nice work David! He writes: After selling my Beech Musketeer and then 11 years and 1 month of building, finishing, electrical, and fretting every detail, N696RV finally flew tonight with me at the controls. Like most others, she flew hands off with no surprises, and no issues. Unfortunately, no pictures of the first flight but […] Read More

Congratulations Lewis! He writes: She is airborne and flying like an Eagle! I am so happy I got this kit done and ready for the first flight. I am very happy with the results. It took me 2.5 years to get done. The delay was due to PPL re-certification. First flight the weather was perfect! […] Read More

Congratulations Alan! First flight was successful. Test pilot John Tiplady with over 2000 RV-12 hours.

Congratulations Don! He writes: What an airplane! Bought a partially built kit at approx quick build stage and flew it for the first time Wednesday, May 11, 2022. I had a couple of little issues that I worked out. Running Barrett engine, 9/1 compression, cold air sump and Showplanes cowl, 292hp If you are building, […] Read More

After five years of building, my bird took flight on May 8, 2022 at Felts Field (KSFF). It performed perfectly, flying straight and true. I had to find a break in the severe weather for the flight, which had included two tornados and hailstorms in the previous 24 hours. Thanks to the Transition Training given […] Read More

Martin wrote in to let us know about his first flight in his RV-8. He writes: The first and second flights of my RV-8 occurred on Thursday, April 28, 2022 with test pilot David Carrick at the controls. The first flight was only five minutes; an unknown vibration occurred and David returned to the field. […] Read More