Big, brawny, agile

As the world’s most successful kit aircraft company’s first high-wing design, and its first utility model made for backcountry flying, Van’s engineers need to get this one just right. The RV–15 has to “fly like an RV” because handling qualities have been paramount at Van’s Aircraft since its 1973 founding—yet it also must bring new capabilities to distinguish itself in a highly competitive niche market.

Company founder Dick VanGrunsven coined the term “total performance” to describe his versatile designs that deliver enviable marks across a broad range of sometimes conflicting categories including speed, range, economy, and mechanical simplicity. VanGrunsven, 85, didn’t design the RV–15, yet it’s meant to bring his total performance philosophy to backcountry flying, which has traditionally focused on extreme short- and rough-field takeoffs and landings.

At an altitude of 5,500 feet and a high-cruise power setting of 24 manifold inches and 2,400 rpm, the RV–15 travels toward Mount Hood on this golden evening at about 140 knots true airspeed.

“That’s pretty good speed for an airplane in this category,” says Brian Hickman, a Van’s Aircraft designer and test pilot who’s played a central role in RV–15 development and is pilot in command for this flight. “The top speed will improve even more when we add streamlined struts and fairings and make other aerodynamic improvements.

“Backcountry pilots like to talk about the airstrips their specialized airplanes can get into,” Hickman says. “Well, the RV–15 can get you to those airstrips with its cross-country capabilities—and then it’ll get you in and out of them.”

Extremely gratifying

The RV–15 represents a major change for Van’s Aircraft, and it comes at a time when general aviation itself is undergoing dramatic transformations under the recently approved regulations governing sport pilots and light-sport category aircraft.

The two-seat RV–15, for example, will be eligible to be flown by sport pilots because of its sub-59-knot clean stall speed (V_S1). Van’s began selling RV–15 wing kits to amateur builders in July, and the rest of the airplane is expected to be delivered to them throughout 2026. (Total kit price: $86,000.)

Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rules are scheduled to go into full effect in 2026, and they could allow Van’s and other manufacturers to produce new aircraft under industry consensus standards that are far less costly to comply with than FAA certification. Van’s Aircraft officials haven’t said whether they intend to produce finished RV–15s or other models as light-sport category aircraft. The company currently builds RV–12s at its Oregon plant as complete special light sport aircraft.

The RV–15 has also undergone multiple changes since its 2022 public unveiling. The final wing has about three feet less span and holds more fuel (60 usable gallons total) in a pair of integral tanks; the original stabilator has been replaced with a traditional horizontal stabilizer/elevator, and the manual flap handle has moved from the ceiling to the floor.

Van’s Aircraft engineers closely studied other utility aircraft, particularly Cessna 180/185s and Piper PA–18 Super Cubs, and frequently compare the RV–15 to them. The RV–15’s cabin, for example, is 6 inches wider than that of a Cessna 180 and has nearly twice as much baggage volume (44 cubic feet) as a modified Super Cub with an extended baggage option (26 cubic feet).

Van’s itself has gone through unprecedented upheaval while the RV–15 has been under development. A surge in kit aircraft orders during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in quality control failures that led to delays, recalls, refunds, and a cash-flow crisis. Van’s sought bankruptcy court protection in 2023 and exited about six months later after slashing payments to creditors and raising prices.

Van’s Aircraft officials won’t say how many RV–15 wing kits have been sold so far.

“All I’ll say is that we’re very pleased with the response,” said Mikael Via, Van’s Aircraft chief executive. “Our community has been through a lot, and they’ve stuck with us. That’s extremely gratifying, and that’s what’s enabling us to move ahead.”

Flying the 15

For a two-seat aircraft, the RV–15 is big, wide, and tall atop 26-inch tundra tires.

At 5 feet 8 inches, I’m short enough to walk under the wing without hitting my head. Fowler flaps cover more than two-thirds of the wingspan, and the flaps extend to a steep 50 degrees when fully lowered.

The tops of the wings and flaps are dotted with razor-like vortex generators that keep airflow attached at high angles of attack. That’s vital to settling the argument that takes place between the flaps and horizontal tail in the landing configuration. Full flaps create a powerful nose-up pitching moment while the broad horizontal stabilizer and elevator forcefully resist. VGs prevent disturbed air coming off the wings from buffeting the horizontal tail, and that lets the pilot control the airplane’s pitch attitude normally through elevator and trim.

The main landing gear appears externally unremarkable even though it’s the RV–15’s most innovative feature. Inside the fuselage, under the floorboards, a set of nitrogen shock absorbers cushion landing impact and eliminate rebounds. A pneumatic tailwheel has its own undisguised shock absorber.

Two Lexan side doors are hinged at the front. Hickman offers me either seat, and I choose the right. The choice is irrelevant to me in airplanes equipped with side sticks or yokes—but if there’s a floor-mounted stick, the fundamental forces of nature demand it be in my right hand.

Startup is normal for a fuel-injected Lycoming, and the 210-horsepower engine is smoother than other four-cylinder engines. A relatively low glareshield provides good forward visibility, and the view out the side doors is expansive. Taxiing is positive with a steerable tailwheel and the usual rudder/toe-brake ankle flex.

Runup is standard, and the moderately loaded RV–15 is soon cleared for takeoff on Runway 35 at Aurora State Airport. Acceleration is rapid despite an 80-something-degree-Fahrenheit summer day, and directional control is excellent with an authoritative rudder. I hold a tail-low attitude, and the RV–15 lifts off in about seven seconds after a 500-foot takeoff roll with flaps up. The airplane accelerates to 80 knots indicated in a 10-degree nose-up attitude and climbs at 1,500 feet per minute.

Pitch and roll forces are moderate and beautifully balanced, and my first surprise is how crisply the airplane responds. Pushrod elevator and aileron actuation means no slop, and anyone who’s flown an RV will recognize the family resemblance.

In the practice area, I go through a series of orientation maneuvers that include steep turns, lazy eights, slow flight, and stalls through the full range of flap positions. The RV–15 makes it all stress free with obedient handling, benign stalls, and rock-solid slow flight.

The RV–15 is surprisingly resistant to slowing down to approach speed, particularly when equipped with regular tires. Flaps can be deployed at 90 knots or slower, but decelerating takes time, even with the wide-chord, constant-speed Hartzell propeller. Deploying the first two notches of flaps is easy with only a light to moderate pull on the long, floor-mounted handle. The third notch requires a firm tug. And the fourth requires a hard yank at airspeeds above 75 knots. Lower speeds are easier and 60 knots or less is a cinch.

Hickman recommends a 55-knot final approach speed slowing to 50 over the airport fence. For short-field landings, he aims for 45 knots over the runway threshold. Aileron authority remains quick and precise throughout the full range of speeds and flap settings.

There’s no tendency to develop excessive sink rates even with full flaps, and go-arounds and balked landings produce immediate climbs even with flaps fully down. Pitch trim is electric and controlled via a toggle switch atop the control stick. There’s no trim wheel, and elevator trim forces are easily manageable—even during go-arounds—with one hand on the stick.

The RV–15 can do wheel or three-point landings at any flap setting. Unlike Cessna 185s, L–19 Bird Dogs, and other heavy tailwheel airplanes with big flaps, the RV–15 doesn’t develop excessive sink rates at low or even idle engine power.

“I’ve explored every corner of the flight envelope,” Hickman says, “and the airplane never puts me in positions that are at all scary. It inspires confidence.”

Even cross-controlled and accelerated stalls are instantly recoverable by lowering the angle of attack, and the RV–15’s most impressive trait is how reluctant the wing is to stall under just about any condition. Minimum-radius “canyon turns” require shockingly little real estate.

Unlike its RV siblings, the RV–15 does have noticeable adverse yaw, so timely rudder pressure is needed to coordinate turns.

“There’s no free lunch,” says Rian Johnson, Van’s chief engineer. “We could get rid of the adverse yaw but that would mean less roll authority. We want lots of roll authority because this airplane is going to fly in challenging conditions.”

Johnson recalls encountering low-level rotor weather when landing a Cessna 182 Skylane and struggling to keep the airplane upright.

“Roll authority is a safety issue,” he said. “Pilots are going to need it in extreme crosswinds or maneuvering in box canyons. Maneuverability matters.”

During an evening photo flight next to a Van’s Aircraft RV–10, following AOPA Senior Photographer David Tulis’s and AOPA Videographer Brianna Cabassa’s directions required making subtle yet nearly constant corrections. Despite its bulldog appearance, the RV–15 moves with subtle precision.

“It flies a lot smaller than it is,” Hickman says.

More and better

Among the sleek, low-wing designs at the Van’s Aircraft hangar at Aurora State Airport, the RV–15 stands apart. It seems like a big, brawny, misfit. Yet flying the RV–15 reveals that, somehow, it’s been imbued with the same “total performance” DNA as other RVs. And it’s about to bring that hard-won versatility to a new, highly specialized, and uniquely demanding aviation niche. 

The RV–15 has had a difficult birth, and it’s been delayed by factors that have nothing to do with the merits of the aircraft itself. Yet it arrives at a promising post-MOSAIC moment that seems full of possibilities.

If Van’s Aircraft decides to expand its factory-built offerings beyond the RV–12, the RV–15 could be built and sold as a finished airplane with a special airworthiness certificate as a light-sport category aircraft beginning in July 2026. Or it could become an experimental light sport aircraft prior to July 24, 2026, in which the factory assembles the majority of the airplane. Or both.

Van’s officials already are planning a nosewheel RV–15 that would make it a direct competitor for the CubCrafters norm-breaking NXCub. And it’s easy to imagine the RV–15 being fitted with a smaller, more economical engine for the training market.

With a fleet of aircraft that fit under the MOSAIC definition, a streamlined new path to certification, and having recently shed costs during its trip through bankruptcy court, privately owned Van’s Aircraft seems more desirable to investors than ever.

More than 11,000 Van’s Aircraft kits have been completed and flown to date, and that number is rising rapidly with many thousands of experimental-category kits still under construction. Yet the future of the world’s largest kit aircraft manufacturer could look quite a bit different than its past—and airplanes like a shape-shifting RV–15 that comes of age under MOSAIC will lead the way.

Traditional kit aircraft builders will still be able to build and fly under experimental/amateur-built rules. Those seeking more complete kits can get E-LSA versions that go together faster with greater uniformity. And those who want finished aircraft can buy them at presumably lower prices than traditional FAA standard-category airplanes.

“MOSAIC is going to be beneficial across the board,” said VanGrunsven. “People who have the skills and time to build will be able to get superior kits. Those who don’t have the skills or the time but do have disposable income can buy new airplanes at a lower cost than those now being produced.

“We’ve got the opportunity to provide more and better options than ever.”

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