Van's Aircraft revealed yesterday that they are developing a high-wing RV-15 kit for off-airport operations.
According to the company, the announcement made at Airventure 2021 at Oshkosh was done to keep the RV community informed of what was going on behind the company facade.
"We’re pretty excited that here at AirVenture, we’ve opened the curtain to the Van’s skunkworks, and let the community know that the RV-15 will be a high-wing, backcountry-capable, total-performance, all-metal airplane,” Van’s Aircraft Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Greg Hughes told the Experimental Aircraft Association.
“There’s been a lot of talk over the last couple years from the community–‘Here’s what we hope Van’s does; here’s what we think Van’s should do’–and we wanted to be able to share with our community what we’re doing and the direction we’re going in.”
Van's hasn't indicated any performance specifications or other details on the RV-15, but Hughes said the aircraft kit would be designed with input from customers and the aviation community where possible. He also said the company wouldn't be pressured into a timeline for the release.
“While the design is fairly well along its way, there’s still a few decisions that we might be able to make, and just hearing people’s input is very valuable to us,” he said.
“We still have design refinements that our engineering team is working on, and when you change one thing on an airplane, a lot of other things can change, so we don’t want to promise anything to the public.
"The Van’s engineering methodology is total performance, and takes the time that it takes to get it just right, so when people ask, ‘When is it going to be done?’ When it’s done.”
Van's Aircraft said they were excited for the potential of the RV-15 and its place in the market..
“I’m excited about it," Hughes said. "I certainly intend on building one myself."