A photo tour shows how things have changed in RV Land. Photography by Robert Goyer.
Neatly organized cowls, fairings and door skins await shipment.** Van’s manufactures almost all their own aluminum parts. Stacks of wing ribs are arranged in bundles.**** All the small bits are milled and drilled in-house.**** Engine mounts for the different models are welded and powder-coated.**Gear leg fairings – think of them as horsepower without fuel.** Engine mounts for the different models are welded and powder-coated.**** The West Wing houses engines, QuickBuild kist and stacks of crates ready to ship.**** A day’s shipping, courtesy of Van’s crate builders and packers.**** Van’s offers new Lycoming engines at OEM rates.**RV-12 center-sections ready to go.Back from the assembly center in the Philippines, QuickBuild kits are stored in roll-around racks.** Cabin tops for the RV-10 are one-piece composite units.**QuickBuild wings ready to ship.An RV-14 wing spar is riveted together.Van’s spar riveting machine was built in WW2. Seventy years later, it’s still doing exactly what it was designed to do.Rivets…lots and lots of rivets.** Aluminum sheets are coated in plastic to protect the surface during manufacture and shipping.**** Van’s uses a computer controlled tubing bender to make exhaust systems and canopy frames**The Farnham roller – another wartime tool resurrected and reconditioned by Van’s – makes accurate conical bends.Ain’t no computer in this baby – big pushbuttons, electric jackscrews and knobs run the show.Three CNC punch presses are at the heart of Van’s operation.** Hundreds of die sets punch holes of all sizes and dimensions.**** Hundreds of die sets punch holes of all sizes and dimensions.**** Hundreds of die sets punch holes of all sizes and dimensions.**** Hundreds of die sets punch holes of all sizes and dimensions.**Every scrap of steel and aluminum remnant is recycled.Every scrap of steel and aluminum remnant is recycled.** An Aero Lift helps store the demo fleet.****What’s the secret to Van’s remarkable success in turning out winning kit designs? The secret is that there aren’t really any secrets at all: It’s all about making great flying airplanes, creating kits that are easy and straightforward to build, and putting that package together at a price that makes customers out of potential customers. Ease of building is a critical component to Van’s recipe, and there is a secret here. Van’s kits are easier than ever to build. Here’s how they do it, and without any spoilers, it’s a blend of cutting-edge and antique technologies blended to make the best selling kits in the world. **
