Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, marks the start of a very special journey for the airplane that spawned a homebuilding revolution. A group called Friends of the RV-1 has finished restoring Richard VanGrunsven’s original RV-1 – the progenitor of the entire Van’s Aircraft line from the RV-3 through the RV-12 – and now plans to fly the airplane across the USA and parts of Canada, stopping at dozens of airports as Van’s fans are given the chance to see the historic airplane up close and personal.
The first stop on the tour is Sun ‘n Fun, where the yellow-and-white RV-1, N5827N, was proudly displayed throughout the week. Next on the tour is Spruce Creek Airport in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Saturday, March 31. After that there are 20 more stops planned before the RV-1 arrives in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for EAA AirVenture on July 23. There will also be several impromptu stops along the way as the RV-1, flown by a rotating team of volunteer pilots, stops for fuel. Van himself may even fly it.
