Van’s founder, chief designer and visionary, Dick Van Grunsven, has guided the company for 40 years. Here he chats while leaning on the RV-12 he personally built.The RV-14 has a tilt-up canopy, giving occupants an amazing, nearly unobstructed view of the world outside. The downside: It can’t be opened inflight.A few things are central to the RV DNA, including the use of a stick.Avionics maintenance is easy, as access to the back of the stack is wide open. The electronic ignition in the IO-390 features on/off switches instead of magnetos.The canopy can be detached with the candy cane in an emergency or for main-tenance.The IO-390 is a four-cylinder opposed engine based on the IO-360. It puts out 210 horses, which is a lot of oomph for a barely-2,000-pound airplane.**A huge baggage area behind the seats helps make the RV-14 a true traveling machine. **For more on the RV-14, check out our full-length feature here.
