I wasn't too stoked about the new RV-15. Not because it isn't good enough! But because it obviously isn't an LSA. If it were an LSA, it'd be probably the second nicest all-metal LSA for backcountry flying.

Why only second? Because of this thing us LSA pilots are getting soon! You could argue the RV-15 is a better looking plane, but this has a cantilever wing, huge fowler flaps and slats. The cockpit looks super clean as well.

It has been in the works for a couple of years now, and I thought it was killed off during the pandemic. In 2020, they took down all the sites about the project and I thought for sure it had turned out to be too expensive to develop and to build. But last year the prototype was presented, and test flying has begun! From what I understand, Direct Fly will offer it as a kit, in whatever stage of completion you wish.

Many say the market is oversaturated with capable two-seaters, but I think this is something different. The all-metal LSA's we have, are either not particulary backcountry capable, or they are a little bit odd or dated. The CH701 and Savannah are both nice, but the ergonomics strike me as kind of a compromise. This on the other hand, with its flat floor, just looks like something else!

They let the marketing guy's wife design the tail on that one too!!!

Interesting choice of airfoil on a STOL plane.

Hopefully they are still around by the time you finish the plane…

Let’s hope they survive long enough to produce kits and then refine/support the airplane to maturity. Pretty hard to succeed, many hurdles to clear.

Vans aircraft has over 11,000 completed airframes out there across their model lines. When you’re shelling out the kind of money involved in these airplanes it’s hard to overlook that kind of success.

Personally I love aluminum construction, mostly because it’s what I know. I’ll always remember what Kent White (The Tin Man) said sarcastically about composite structure; it’s heavier, burns better, more expensive, will make you break out in a rash… That argument may be less compelling in the age of prepreg carbon fiber but it’s still pretty funny.

There's definetely a "Cool! But you go first!" kind of factor with a plane like this coming from a builder thats just built a totalt of a little over 100 planes.

This is probably aimed directly at the EU market. Through and through backcountry performance for gravel bars and unimproved strips, are not the priority. It's trying to merge performance on short, but still often good grass strips in the mountians, with decent travel speed. I.e. get to the next country for a 100 Euro burger.