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Recognition of first flights.........

rvbuilder2002

Legacy Member
Mentor
So the Hobbs Meter an Van's Aircraft has now hit 9901.
Based on a lot of years of experience, it is well known that a lot of first flights never get reported to Van's (a casual conversation with a builder order oil filters for a project that wasn't ever registered as flying, etc.), so we know the actual number is higher than that.

The hope is to hit the unprecedented 10,000 mark by Airventure 2018.
It would be even cooler if it could be done before the end of this year (though that might be a stretch).

This post is a plea for anyone that has completed the build of an RV and done the first flight, but doesn't recall whether they ever notified Van's, to please do so.

It is a simple process and the instructions are listed on the page at the link posted above.
It doesn't even require anything of great detail (though we enjoy reading the stories that people provide). Just name, customer #, and approx. date of the first flight is enough.

Thanks in advance.
 
I think you'll find the completions rate is greater than 1 per day as recorded on the Mothership Hobbs meter, so there should be no problem breaking 10K by years end.

Of course, whether or not the website is updated by December 31 is another story, IIRC, it was a week or more from when I emailed my first flight details to when the site was updated.
 
Scott,

Is the Van's list searchable so that we may find/check our original submission and update if necessary?

Bevan
 
Scott,

Is the Van's list searchable so that we may find/check our original submission and update if necessary?

Bevan

It is from within the office.
If you call or email someone could check the status based on customer #.
 
I think you'll find the completions rate is greater than 1 per day as recorded on the Mothership Hobbs meter, so there should be no problem breaking 10K by years end.

That is not a constant though out the entire year.
Completions tend to be heavier through the spring and summer.
 
I should have mentioned in my original post.

If you don't want info of your first flight publicized, you can add a "no publicity" request to your notification and it will not be posted to the web site.

We have already received info for a number of first flights that we weren't aware of.

Thank you, and keep them coming.
 
Why not make it easier for us to check. I don't know if one I bought with low time was ever reported, and there is no easy method to find out. We could also check on our friends aircraft as well that way.
 
Why not make it easier for us to check. I don't know if one I bought with low time was ever reported, and there is no easy method to find out. We could also check on our friends aircraft as well that way.

It could be just as easy as it was for you to make this post.....

Send an E-mail to [email protected]

In it write "I own RV-12 serial # XXXXXX, and I want to confirm for your records that it is flying"

Owners of other RV's could do the same. For people who aren't the original builder they just need to know the original customer # the airplane was built under (commonly used as the aircraft's serial number for registration purposes, but not always.
 
Scott,

I don't recall ever sending Van a report of a first flight. It was reported in Sport Aviation but did you get them all.

Is there a database where we can check if a first flight has been logged?
 
Scott,

I don't recall ever sending Van a report of a first flight. It was reported in Sport Aviation but did you get them all.

Is there a database where we can check if a first flight has been logged?

No, but if you think it may not be, just send in a note to that effect with the pertinent info (customer #, etc.) and someone will check.
 
I did that 10 days ago, and no response yet.

It could be just as easy as it was for you to make this post.....

Send an E-mail to [email protected]

In it write "I own RV-12 serial # XXXXXX, and I want to confirm for your records that it is flying"

Owners of other RV's could do the same. For people who aren't the original builder they just need to know the original customer # the airplane was built under (commonly used as the aircraft's serial number for registration purposes, but not always.
 
I have no idea if sn 461 or 576 were previously reported as done.

QUOTE=rvbuilder2002;1210670]Your are not likely to get one.
It is just info to update a database. Did you need to know whether yours was previously reported?[/QUOTE]
 
Scott,
I have been thinking about how you would be able to obtain the data you want.

One way to get the data you want is by providing some sort of incentive to folks. I know Van's aircraft is not one to spend money on fluff but hear me out.

Some exercise programs send you a T-shirt when you are complete with their training cycle. Some manufactures give you a sticker with their product. The exercise companies don?t issue the T-shirt unless you have completed the program and have proved results. Only those folks can own that shirt and it becomes a source of pride/achievement.

Why not create a T-shirt or a sticker or something else that can turn into the same sense of pride for us? A T-shirt (or sticker, etc.) that says ?I built a Van?s Aircraft? would be cool. Only those that report the build are given the T-shirt as a thank you for supporting our business (Van?s Aircraft) and a congratulations/good job. It will also serve as an advertising tool.

Another slogan for the shirt could be ?I built a Van?s Aircraft. How about you??

JlJC_i3AoV1JEMNNIuvzhMDZllSvmA_gxXcZypPrbf_0yGlekb8Vjy0CVph7pZac1I7knTh_FwNZ1E8YUym4z1KyywcpWTb6GH8Jsa2j2aJQUnDInJrtAFpOmGGowb3oIXLwrUeayFiQ0frS8uHgsJE5BFO4f6L3pqgnAuIpKVXuanOH3DTw4VMS5aCRhkYELzjevAqJG2nc5oMoqQLMC3trsiioNRLOM6QV4bfMKUU3IAj5XVFnv6ZOl_klGkJJ7a7XS3fNT89Dmyh8kpCQUS7XLTKEhpvOj_Z7abmmPzQWI_myDfEbuK0YQ8UrKooi7K3he1v0qbNMnW6ahmxNHnjUD5CW8IjdGKQnPkv--S8yrrP31Cr8RpCIa2OH2gtSLjBksVH7mOl5_64A8g23q7uB48zCMwolT0Xm5rgREfeTtJl2XTkms6rJsIZv9BVjbBdWU19IGGImYZvuwpTtuwc45pNhvqOi2AKbH7nm1IHVNGh2yqiWi_KNPQdpkXQUbyWuBQXTj1NY3I8E6abBHPEcdBHyn0JuT_rv0KY-pFHdw1xKLzKWyFLaS6u4KwqwThfEOCMkDaiP6Lj6w87bLPo6ntWFcqWPJA6ECSoIPQ=w683-h956-no


Vz8GdJ0lWCYWRiFvInjuUiiiea-p_aAK8aVkwWu7JhS7jp5fSY_FVGjjn7FBo483RNmFPS2ZBA7ACyPmEj09ZO5C2krpV7MyrMlX0NkR7nCFQGFot4g6_PwOfDWWDRvl5FTE5PZsqg20GHCZ-DsexoT7niPNSwJxiPoUCWcW89hLg211qtbTUqnNCDdIrlgBb4tXgFQqmoXcuqaoXrgEjIcQPZv2Ky8cVCdPgzfPZtdmhBNFYLoSWnCbaBCZecKE_i33Fub-9YMQsJ-uh4v4QykPoy4S2PWzo6hwSmJCn-kqmvqjYIMNj4tV5q9GFFg58VuaumafJNC4xkz6IW2fH37PruIIkGmJwwh7mrKUp2-USmO8S4JaCGsQy6GW65jpJ5Yui1znSkJtQejJARaBVxey2LhyX_W2vwN-oLmW3xT8iM-3SOBIboPX6vtZlgGEAYJLiRqCjhb3vJrygaAHeDA76oSuUZvUBox5gIRfqeVhymJku7nWiNtQ_uuTO10j8JLXovEKqw97mkvEqJbkrUPphZK5ar5sOx7DlhFydVkpUWg4jVVCTiNO7FkGdMROhCBw_Sfvfpq2vi9DHMuexLavEJVAlb6rM0YnU-xM1A=w680-h956-no
 
Scott,
I have been thinking about how you would be able to obtain the data you want.

One way to get the data you want is by providing some sort of incentive to folks. I know Van's aircraft is not one to spend money on fluff but hear me out.

...

IIRC, way back in the dark ages when only taildragger kits were sold, didn't Van send out a tailwheel fairing only after the plane had flown?
 
Not a bad idea Axel, but I am not sure anyone would go for that with all of the other complications that it would cause (should the 9922 up to this point get a free shirt also..... etc.)

Gil, I don't remember there being that policy, but I didn't get involved with RV's until 1988 so it might have been in place prior to that.
 
I expect this request to throttle down as the magic number gets close.

It would be a shame if an RV6A built and registered in 2004 to be the 10,000th completion.......:eek:
 
Just sent mine in - RV6a N53KT 1st flight July 8th 2017. 25 hr sign off done July 20th, Oshkosh bound July 21st.
 
I'm not in the "never reported" category but I will be getting my 9A project inspected in the next couple of weeks and the first flight shortly after. I'll shoot you all a note when she slips the surly bonds.
 
N245JM

I sent mine in 2 days ago. RV10, first flight May 29 2017!!
Got a reply from Mitch Lock too!.
Johan
 
Keep those first flight reports coming.........

A big Thank You to everyone that has stepped up and submitted first flight reports recently (many for airplanes that have been flying for a number of years now)

The HOBBS METER has now hit 9961 so we only have 39 to go to hit 10,000.
Since we did 60 since the beginning of October I think we could do this by the end of the year.

Keep those reports coming, and please don't hold out to try and be the 10,000th submitted.

I have a feeling that the office is going to shut off the meter somewhere near the end and the recognized 10,000th will be assigned to a first flight that in calendar time happens just before the announcement is made (not an RV-6 whose first flight was unreported from 2003).
 
Added another- the RV-9A I completed for a friend earlier this year.

Thanks Lars, but more info is needed.

Customer # and name currently registered to the account for the airplane at a minimum. N number would be nice.



A bit of interesting trivia.....

Last night I used the Wayback Machine to look at the earliest versions of the Vans Aircraft web site.

In May/1997 the hobbs meter was sitting at a count of 1618 RV's known to have had first flights.

So in the first 25 years of Van's Aircraft a bit over 1600 RV kits were completed.
In the next ~20 years, ~8400 RV kits have been completed.

Quite an exponential growth......
 
Just sent a notice for RV-4 N914RV, built in 1991 (s/n 2462). I'm the 2nd owner; no idea whether the builder sent a 1st flight notice.

Charlie
 
Thanks Lars, but more info is needed.

Customer # and name currently registered to the account for the airplane at a minimum. N number would be nice.

Ah. I did send an email to the webmaster with some info including N number (N249RV), though I didn't include the current owner's name (Grant Cassady) or the customer number (91672).
 
Getting close, but I won't make a 2017 cutoff .. maybe not 2018, but for sure she'll be flying by 2019. I'm sure I'll be 10k + 1. ;-)
 
Scott,

Any idea how many tail kits have been sold to date?

Bevan.

I have heard in the past that (if I remember correctly) there was somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 RV-6(A) empenage kits produced. If you add all of the other model counts to that (which I have no idea on the amounts) there is probably enough total emp. kits in circulation to complete an additional 15,000 airplanes above the nearly 10,000 we have flying now.
 
Any day now...

Plane is in the hangar waiting to go. Taxi testing completed last Saturday with no issues, tracked nice and straight. Just waiting for some decent weather here in Northern Illinois for the first flight!

Matt
 
First flight

Sent an update to the mothership over the weekend. First flight of my RV-9A project Saturday. A couple of minor (builder induced) avionics glitches, but the aircraft and powerplant performed flawlessly.

Dale
 
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