The much-anticipated RV-15 developmental model arrived at AirVenture this afternoon along with three older siblings—the RV-12, RV-14, and RV-14A. You can see them in front of the Van’s Aircraft tent in the homebuilt-vendors outdoor area. The partial arrival by Van’s staff and airplanes is two days earlier than usual—perhaps to beat the predicted weekend storms.
The RV-15 has been at the last two shows, but it is definitely still a work in progress. It has many changes since last year, with more anticipated for the future. Van’s still has a ways to go before it decides the design is ready for kit production.
We chatted with the Van’s team and checked out the new vinyl wrap design. It was fun to watch them test the actual volume of the cargo area by loading storage boxes into the back of the airplane. The result—six large (approximately 27-gallon) boxes and one small (approximately 17-gallon) one—showed an impressive volume.
The aircraft will be at the show all week, so be sure to take a look. It has been an interesting process to watch the careful development of this bush plane that is so different from all other RVs.
