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Alan Tolle

Alan's Blue and White RV-6 was what I had posted on the wall in my garage as I built my -6. I never met him but he truly inspired me. Godspeed.
 
Great article.

Alan should be in the "RV Hall of Fame"!

Why don't we have one of those?

People like Alan and several others really do contribute at a high rate and these builders are superstars of our "Sport"!
 
We were fortunate to have been in the early group of Rvators and had the pleasure of being informed and entertained by Allen on numerous occasions. His exhaust system hung on my RV4 until two years ago when after many hours and years of faithful service it simply could not be welded anymore as several cracks appeared. It now occupies a place in my parts shed and I'm glad I kept a piece of history that Allen helped create.

May your flight West be peaceful Allen.

Hans and Mary Miesler
 
I met Allan Tolle at the 1985 Dayton Airshow. He had just finished the first RV-6A kit in six months while working as a full time college professor.

I asked him what his secret was in accomplishing such a fast build. He gave much credit to his wife who deburred and dimpled the holes he drilled in the prior evenings. He also said that he never begins a project until he has ALL the parts from "spinner to tailwheel" on hand and organized. Great tip!

Allan was a very personable and enthusiastic aviator and the reason I purchased the plans for my RV that same week. He was a great ambassador!
 
Back before I became an aircraft owner and was still a tire-kicker, Alan spent a lot of time on the phone, educating me -- and that continued long after I bought my first airplane, an RV-4. Ever since then, I've always had time for tire-kickers who were new to the game.

RIP, Alan!
 
I met Allan Tolle at an EAA meeting where he gave an RV talk and at many Fly-Ins. One thing I remember Allan saying and I quote him often is about RVs being second to most airplanes. "Comparing Horsepower to horsepower, the RV may not be as fast a the 'fast glass' airplanes but the RV is second. On a typically cross-country flight, the 'fast glass' airplane may be touching down when the RV enters the pattern. When it comes to aerobatics, horsepower to horsepower, the Pitts may be better but the RV is second. When it comes to short field capability, the 'Super Cub' may be better but horsepower to horsepower, the RV is second."

My understand of his talk is that Van's "Total Performance" airplane made compromises so it may not be first in anything but it does a LOT of things very well. The ability to do a lot of things well is why Allen Tolle's sold me on Van's RV series of airplanes.

Allen Tolle help spread the word about Van's Aircraft to a very large number of people and I will miss him.
 
At work we have Alan's RV-4 which was N19AT (his c/n 3). This was the first RV of any type to be put on the UK register in 1989.

The aircraft was badly damaged after an engine failure on take off last year but will be repaired and then will perform as a company (and friend's!) hack.
 
I met Allen in 1985 when I flew my RV-4 to Vans homecoming at Sunset airport in North Plains Or. He was indeed an ambassador for Van, and was the MC at many RV gatherings. In those days many of the builders looked up to him as one of the most articulate builders. I called him the "grand puba" of the RV crowd. He always had a smile on his face and treated everyone as his best friend. It was about that time that I decided to get into the exhaust business as the systems available then had some problems. The rest is history and I saw Allen at a homecoming in Aurora many years later. We had a great conversation at the banquet and he told me that his interests had changed but his friends in the RV world, would always be friends. Rest in peace Allen, you did a fantastic job promoting the RVs for Vans Aircraft. Larry Vetterman
 
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