Your company is a class act. Those of us who are waiting appreciate you keeping us in the loop. This is the reason why so many people have placed their trust not just in the company, but you as individuals.

Thank you for the update. I am almost done with my 14 Empennage kit and waiting for QB wings, QB Fuselage and Finishing kit. I finally pulled the trigger after decades of lusting after an RV…. Having a blast, wish I had done this before the Pandemic boost!

Thanks for the video - for those of you building or waiting on parts - I can confirm it's worth the effort and the wait! I really love my RV-8 with IO-360/hartzell/GRT👍

I have been building my RV8 for the last four years and I am on the final stretch to get if flying. I can attest that Vans customer support is top notch. All of my questions were answered quickly. Every time I have a question about my kit, builder support is just a phone call away. This is why Vans has such a loyal following and why there are more Vans kit airplanes flying today than all of other kit airplanes combines. Thanks for the update.

Great message guys. As someone who is just starting the process to determine if this is something I want to do I appreciate the clear information coming out from leadership.

Thanks for the update. Keep them coming.

Thanks for the update , I’ve got a 7 QB on order , not really stressed as I’m in the test flying stage of my 12IS I’ve just competed . Miss my 7 that I completed 10 years ago so time to replace it. Glad to hear Vans is growing and sorting the issues in supply .

Great update. Thanks for all that you guys do

Great update. Amazing work on expanding production and increasing efficiency! I bugged you just a few days too early about my kit unfortunately but I will be patient!

Thank you for the update. Keep on keeping on!

All my regards to you at Van's. You're doing a fantastic job.

No RV-15 post credits teaser?! But I stayed all the way until the end!

Thanks for the update, gentlemen!! Can't wait to get my 14A.

Very open en detailed. Nice job!

Glad to hear some businesses are doing well and expanding. Great group of people dealing with contemporary problems.

Great up-date on the status of customer orders. Looking forward to the next update..

Congratulations on your success! Huge order portfolio for 2021…wow..amazing!

Thank you for the update!

No hurry on my 10 fuse and finish, got the order in knowing the delays you had. Get people their empenege and wing kits so they have something to do fir 2 years. You guys rock. Keep it up. There are going to be more RV than Cessna’s soon.

I had only read about Van's aircraft until starting my new job in March. Since then I've done three annuals on RVs and ended up installing 406 ELTs in two of them. I've been an A&P for almost 30 years, and I was impressed by the design and strength of such simple aircraft. Makes me wish the big name makers had simpler designs, it would make inspections easier and faster.

As a Long time Fan, Once Second Builder of an Old RV-3 Kit (Below Serial #250!), This is all Excellent News! As an aside, I, Personally, in 1987, worked part-time for a period with a Freight Forwarding Company, between working for Leavens Aviation (Alas - they are - or Seem to be - "No More") and working at MDCAN (McDonnell Douglas Canada), and was tasked with loading Pallets, from a moving Belt Feed. It Appears that previous staff, serving my "route" did not do as well a Job as I did, in managing the Pallet Stack, and in Bundling the Pallets for a Secure Transit, and one day, the boss called me in, to ask - "What are you doing that is different?" I found out that Truck Drivers Noticed they were not having Pallets split apart on my run, and they came in asking "Who's the New Guy?" Apparently, Stacking Logic of Pallets is not something all workers "Grasp!" Nor was the Process of Securing the Boxes on Pallets! My Technique, seemed to be a "Full Step Above" Previous Workers - at least on the Line or Route I served! So - from that small "Experience" (Maybe about 3-4 Months tops) I can Grasp that not all "Shippers" may have the "Best Handling of Freight" due to various elements, of Staff, and Training, or Education, and Logic, in handling of Shipping. Previous to working at Leaven's Aviation, I worked at "Wardair" - and one day - we had a Plane in the Hangar, that somebody stuck a Forklift Tine into the Baggage Door Frame, causing some big damage, a delayed Departure from another airport, and a quick fix leading to a late arrival into Toronto, Pearson Airport (Ontario, Canada), our Home Base! So, I can see that equipment operators, are not always "at the Top of Their Game" in managing a Forklift, at least, and no doubt, other equipment, as well, that could cause damage even to a Wooden Crate!

Well done update guys. I can’t imagine the logistics nightmare it takes to do what you do.

Thanks very much for this video. I really appreciate how open you are and very glad to see you are doing so well. I really hope that at some point you will consider working on carbon composite version of some of your aircraft or at least provide composite components as an option. Thanks again

Great video Greg. I think this will work. Wish you all the best of luck and hope to someday build one myself.

I'm just getting started in my PPL, but I've already decided that I will own a Vans eventually. You guys are such a standup operation, and I've heard it argued that you've singlehandedly saved GA for working stiffs like me. Thank you.

Great Customer support to keep them informed about what is going on. I love to build my RV-10 here in Germany. Like me some of the builders have chosen to use Control Approach rudder pedals and can send the not needed stock pedals back to you, if it helps…

Regarding the crate quality upon arrival at the customer, I would recommend using either glue or L-Brackets to secure the sides on the bottom plywood.

Excellent comprehensive explanation of the currrent situation and the methods being taken to expand the enterprise and improve production. Very impressive presentation. Given the cost, complexity, time, and logistical issues associated with off-shore manufacturing/assembly of kit components, is there any way that at least some of those efforts could be done in the states?

We tried to order Aeroshell 6 at work yesterday, lead time is a year and half. It's an interesting world now.

Building one of your Designs is a personal dream of mine. It’s gonna be years until I can afford either a RV4 or RV8, but I can’t wait to get started.

18 months... It only took you 18 months to 100% reverse course on the laser cut parts. I hope there's something we can do with all of this wasted aluminum.

Maybe it is time to move the quick build process to move back to North America. The cheap labour offshore advantage is being eaten up by shipping cost and logistical timing issues. By investing in automation the labour component of the kit price will be minimized.

Pretty interesting listening to these guys and knowing what we know today. I would hope both these individuals are in a soup line right now.

Thanks. I hope you are planning and executing for 10x further growth.

Hi Rian and Greg. I really appreciate this status presentation format. Please talk about the Garmin Servo Problem in your next update. Best Regards, Joe

Great update. Is there any way you could build the quick build kits in North America for a comparable price to offshore costa?

Glad I finished my 6A in '98 and bought my Lycoming just before management people had to build engines due to a strike. Runs like a top.

You will see it through- you are taking the longer view- many do not. Great aeroplanes. Can you pop an RV10 in the post please.

Really excited to hear any news of the RV-15. Im holding off purchasing a 4 place high wing kit until i see what VANS does.

This is probably far far beyond any immediate plans at Van's Aircraft, but what do you think about a very fast dedicated commuter aircraft like Questair Venture? I approached you at Oshkosh probably 4-5 years ago wanting to talk about a very fast aircraft and it's still a dream of mine. I am aerospace engineer (Cessna/Boeing) currently flying a Pitts. My Dad has an RV-8 and loves it.

The problems you have seem to be the world we live in. Thanks for explaining.

Maybe you could open another factory closer to the midwest/east coast, even if that factory doesn't do the entire kit. Could save on shipping...

I'll bet in a couple of years there will be plenty of partially built kits available from those that were so enthusiastic to start in 2021.

Thank you for the updates. Please get those RV10 wings out, if I spend any more time inside the house my wife is gonna kill me!

my high school class is building the rv-12rn

Providing information that rudder peddles etc. may be on back order could be helpful to builders that are considering after market ones. I have deleted them from my RV-10 QB and have controlled approach ones already in hand. A list of items that may be on back order for kits would be helpful.

Bravo.

Still no info on the 15, “announced” last year in Wisconsin. I predict that in 2-3 years you’ll be able to pick up a half-built RV at a significant discount as many of today’s buyers realize the complexity of the project and decide to Trevor Jacob on to something else.

SO Vans Aircraft QUICK BUILD IS BACK IN THE PHILIPPINES AND A (NEW) FACILITY IN BRAZIL???

After you factor in the problems with shipping and the costs involved...you tell this cannot be done in this country?

What, no RV-15 news?😢

Figure out who you need to "incentivize" and those shipments will flow smoothly:) We were in Brazil during the Olympics and it was a mess getting stuff in and out.

So, why are you not building QB kits in the USA??? I can’t believe we don’t have enough skilled people in the USA and I would think the extra labor costs here would be less than waiting months extra for shipping processed materials thousands of miles to be assembled and shipped back.

Will Van's ever consider building the QuickBuilds here locally either in Aurora, OR or elsewhere here in the United States?

Would be good to have some kind of training / recommendations on how to work with laser cut parts instead of punched parts. How to finish parts, different debur techniques? Is it the same process of pressed parts?

it sounds like this is a good problem to have from a company stand point, they can't build them fast enough to meet the demands of their costumers... I guess if you have to have problems, there are far worse ones to have!

Rodney Cichon; is there at any time your company can come up with a yoke instead of a stick control in the low wing aircraft

It’s clear to me that VAN’s is experiencing classic mfg company growth pains. Discussions about spreadsheets, etc begs the question whether or not a significant upgrade in operations staff, tools, and ERP logistics software is warranted. I have been considering a RV10 but have bee dismayed by the last year. So many changes in chaos contributes to quality variation.

Are you guys possibly making "standard kit" lead time worse by trying to improve "quick build" delivery time? My Wing kit is way behind schedule and no visibility given on possible delivery date.

4000 kits sold in 2021. Is a kit a complete aircraft or a sub-kit of a complete aircraft? Looks like the RV-10 and RV-14 both are made up of four sub-kits.

if you ask me sounds like Van's needs come compeition in the market place ,. IF i had money i would open a company in texus and partner up with some building in mexico ,. compeition is only going to be better for the kit builder they are really going to be able to do whatever they want and the consomer isn't going to stop it

Should try QB assembly in the USA. Cut down on these problems.

It would help to have a play-by-play explanation/understanding of the order/out-for-delivery process. The term "crating" is in-house for you, but I have no idea what it means. Does it mean that Van's has all the components for my order, and they're being put into a crate for shipping? Or, does it mean my order has been assigned a physical crate, and the components are being put into it as parts become available? Online, I see that my RV-14 empennage kit (ordered 18May21) went to crating status 17Jan-28Jan. No email of status, happened to stumble across your Kit Status link. An explanation of the "crating" process would help.

Why not utilize a domestic quick builder? No customs when you have someone from Pennsylvania or South Carolina or Texas, etc. do the work.

Love to have a 14...

Why aren’t you producing quick builds in the US, locally?

I am in the electronics manufacturing business here in the US and these are all the same sort of things we are dealing with. I am not sure if this is more a consequence of people being unavailable due to sickness and lockdown causing supply issues, or the let’s call it economic policy re arrangement of the game board of the economy. I’m trying to keep that statement family friendly. 🤣 good luck.

It's amazing how the strictly aviation portion of the business is shrinking in comparison with the details of running the business...

As a matter of interest, any reason you haven't considered a Quick Build facility in South Africa? We have a reasonably cheap, skilled workforce and all speak "American" 😉 Also have a BIG Vans RV following here in South Africa. It sounds like Vans desperately needs more of these facilities.

As we have seen before in many industries, unfortunately when you outsource things to be built in other countries the quality drops. The problem with Van's is the CNC machines and the tolerances caused a major problem of which you don't want to have when you are flying. I truly hope someone will step up and infuse some serious cash into Van's as it would be a real shame to lose the company and those great aircraft. ** how about increasing manpower here in the states ?? **

build them in the US you wont have that shipping issue.

What are the chances that Van's ever offers a 6-place aircraft kit? The Cherokee 6 fleet is getting old.

Not a word of quick building kits here

im in logistics i reach out to see if you need help we move weekly from taiwan to usa and other origin location.

How about an updated RV-8 with a longer fuselage? Bigger engine and more baggage. The canopy needs to be better. A cracked canopy is no fun. Especially if there is no discernible reason to the crack. SUPER 8

The laser-cutting part didn't age well ...

Is there not anyone in the US that can build these kits?

THE TESLA OF KIT AIRPLANES.

What about making smaller kits? Instead of an empennage kits, why not an empennage A, empennage B, empennage C kits?

What's wrong with "MADE IN AMERICA' ?

the whole JIT business model is now broken, time to shorten those supply chains and bring production back to the north American continent

Hopefully those ETA's can lower from 12 months (which is honestly un-realistic to expect a customer to wait) to something that is realistic.

Why aren’t you doing quick builds in the USA? $23,000 for shipping then another $3600 for trucking? Seems like a no brainer

15?....

Now try and create a cheaper craft for the avg pilots that can own. I know very challenging.....

So uh… RV15???? Still at 7 minutes into the video :)

Oof

Difficult job they are doing, and I'm sure they are working hard to be good to customers like myself. By the way, am I the only guy who thinks Rian looks like Leonard Nimoy..? If you can't trust Spock, who can you trust...? It's only logical......

Make all of it in the UNITED STATES of America. Put our young people to work.

Do not remove surcharge. Companies need to start charging for this inflation. Or it will never go away. Besides that. Everyone who owns a airplane is making 10 of thousands on each plane. Stop being nice and pass along all surcharges!!!!! Billions of dollars are flooding aviation industry. You need to make money while you still can!!!

Who cars about all of this BS. Let’s see that high wing!