RV-1 Photos - Work Day #13 - Wings

The RV-1 Spreads its Wings ? Preparing for (another) Flight

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Work Day #13 report ? The propeller was due to arrive Friday morning, but the freight company now says Wednesday. Saturday?s schedule was devoted to hanging the wings, but at 9am Jay and I realized that we were the only ones there ? and it?s a job that really needs four people. ?Do you hear that?, I asked Jay. ?I think we have company?. The timing was perfect because we had just completed cleaning and inspecting all the wing attachment hardware and had moved the wings into position. When Jay opened the door to greet the new arrival, he saw Bruce ?Boomer? Pauley parking ?Miss Marie? into a nearby slot. But who is that with Bruce?? a new face to RV-Central that neither of us recognized. After introductions we learned the new face was none other than Bob Keith (VAF SubwayBob) and that his trip to RV-Central today was his first ride ever in an ?RV?. Bob is a pilot, family man, future RV-7 builder, and an asset to the RV community. Great!? We now have the four volunteers we need to stab the wings into position. In the span of about an hour, the RV-1 once again had its wings, and once again, it stands proud and in full glory. Because the RV-1 arrived at RV-Central with its wings removed, very few of the volunteers who?ve been working for months now on the ?restoration? have ever seen the RV-1 with its wings attached. The new seat cushion donated by Oregon Aero arrived yesterday, so now is a great time stop by and fit yourself into the tiny cockpit! Airplane noises are optional.

Here?s Jay?s ?punch-list? to getting the RV-1 airborne. Complete the installation of wing attach hardware, connect flaps and ailerons, receive and install SD-8 alternator, receive and install seat and cushions, first run on engine, pick-up cowl, wheel pants, and canopy from GLO Custom, weigh the aircraft and complete W&B, complete condition inspection with Log entries, and the final step? put it all back together and GO FLY!!

A Tribute to Richard VanGrunsven - The homebuilt community and the generous vendors who support it are about to realize the fruits of their labor. To date there have been 50+ volunteers lay hands on the RV-1 during its 'restoration', countless others have supported the project with cash donations, and more than 25 vendors have donated parts, supplies, and/or services. I'm proud to be a small part in this worthwhile community project that pays tribute to Richard VanGrunsven. A rare opportunity and privilege indeed! /reb

P.S. If it's within your budget, we still need financial support to help pay for many items that were not donated and for direct expenses associated with the upcoming RV-1 'Tribute Tour' to AirVenture. Please help if you can - Go to the website and click the 'Donate' button.

Ernie!

Wow thanks Ernie for the kind words!! Great write up, and just in time. My wife was discussing divorce because she didn't believe I got all the way over to west Ft. Worth in only 20 minutes and worked on an airplane half of the day.
Now she KNOWS I have a mistress... the RV-7

As the ‘restoration’ of the RV-1 nears completion, mounting the wings gave me pause to reflect on the life of this little aircraft and its place in aviation history. The “RV” community, by its nature and personality, generally look no further than Richard VanGrunsven to credit 100% for its place in history. And while Mr. VanGrunsven absolutely deserves credit for his innovative design and engineering expertise, this particular aircraft also has deep roots in the early homebuilt community, and Mr. Ray Stitts in particular. Following is a chronological glimpse into the RV’1s history - 1952 through 2011.

Examining the RV-1’s origin, we find that The VanGrunsven RV-1 began life as a Stitts Playboy SA-3A s/n 8555, an aircraft designed by Mr. Ray Stitts in 1952. The SA-3A was Mr. Stitts third of what later became fifteen designs. The SA-3A was a very popular early design and is also credited as one of the aircraft responsible for starting the homebuilt aircraft movement in the United States. The early pioneers of homebuilt aircraft, Mr. Stitts, Mr. VanGrunsven, and many others, set the forms and poured the foundation for the homebuilt movement, and collectively, they all deserve our highest regards and respect.

Following is a brief ownership history of the Playboy/RV-1 – The aircraft was plans built by Mr. Raymond S. Beckendorf of Senator, Illinois, and received its Airworthy Certificate in 1952. Mr. Beckendorf sold the aircraft to Mr. Chester J. Klish of Oak Lawn, Illinois in 1960, and in 1963, Richard VanGrunsven and Joseph Chiodo (jointly) purchased the aircraft while they were stationed at Kiacheloe AFB in Michigan. It was 1964 when Mr. VanGrunsven, now back at his home in Forest Grove, Oregon, purchased sole interest in the aircraft. After conducting extensive airframe modifications to the Stitts Playboy, most notably a new cantilever wing design, in 1965 Mr. VanGrunsven re-registered the Playboy as a “VanGrunsven RV-1” and changed the serial number to 171. The success of his new RV-1 design and the ‘clean sheet’ design of its successor, the RV-3, were the early beginnings of what is now the very successful kit aircraft manufacturing company, Van’s Aircraft, Inc.

The RV-1’s journey continues – It’s now 1968, three years after Mr. VanGrunsven re-registered the Playboy as the VanGrunsven RV-1 – Mr. VanGrunsven sold his RV-1 to longtime friend, Mr. Richard Cavin of Dallas, Texas. When Van was asked why he sold the RV-1 he said, “there was no particular reason, other than Mr. Cavin was my friend and that he was somewhat persistent with offers to buy the aircraft”. [Update - I just learned that Mr. Cavin, deceased, was also a dear friend and mentor to our very own Mel Asberry] Mr. Cavin enjoyed the RV-1 for nine years and in 1977, sold it to Mr. John Kerns, also from Dallas, Texas. Mr. Kerns flew the RV-1 for seven years and in 1984, sold it to Mr. Jimmie Stevens, Sr., a resident of Houston, Texas. Mr. Stevens flew the RV-1 for five years and in 1989, sold it to Mr. Ted Filer of Mt. Belvieu, Texas. During the 22 years that Mr. Filer owned the RV-1, he regularly visited fly-ins and air shows across the country and the best guess is that has more hours in the RV-1 than any other pilot. Mr. Filer’s log book entries are sketchy at best, so this remains unconfirmed.

I hope you’ve found this glimpse into the RV-1’s history both interesting and meaningful. As we pay tribute to Richard VanGrunsven and his accomplishments, consider also that we’re paying tribute to a unique and special group of individuals - the pioneers of homebuilt aircraft. /reb

Thanks for that, a rich history indeed. Somewhere around 1989, I was rebuilding an old Piper Clipper, and Ray Stits still taught the covering classes at Sun N Fun. He taught me well, and was just a great guy all around