Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

2026-11-01T23:16:59Z

New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

New page

{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Van's RV-8
| image = VansRV-8C-GERV02.jpg
| caption = Van's RV-8. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via [[commons:File:VansRV-8C-GERV02.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Van's Aircraft
| type = RV-8
| origin = United States
| first_flight = 1995
| number_built = 1611 (November 2021)
| faa_registered = 1,294 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = one, one passenger
| engine = Lycoming IO-360, 200 hp
| cruise = 210 mph (RV-8)
| range = 940 mi (RV-8)
| ceiling = 22,500 ft (RV-8)
| gross_weight = 1,800 lb (RV-8)
| developed_from = Van's Aircraft RV-4
| category = Light-sport and kit aircraft
}}

The '''Van's RV-8''' is a two-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt airplane with seats one behind the other, sold as a kit by Van's Aircraft. The RV-8 has a tailwheel and the RV-8A a nosewheel. It is like the earlier RV-4 but larger.<ref name="wp"/> As of November 2022, 1,611 RV-8s and RV-8As had been completed and flown.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 1,294 with a valid registration, counted by model name.<ref name="faa"/>

== History ==
Richard VanGrunsven designed the RV-8 as a bigger, updated tandem airplane based on the RV-4 idea. It first flew in 1995 and was first shown publicly at Oshkosh that year. The nosewheel RV-8A was planned from the start and first flew in 1998.<ref name="wp"/>

It takes engines from 150 to 210 hp, including the Lycoming IO-390, and has more wingspan and wing area, a wider cockpit, more headroom and legroom and more useful load than the RV-4, so bigger pilots fit. Like the RV-3 through RV-7 before it, it is stressed for aerobatics.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''1,294''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| RV-8 || 585
|-
| VANS RV-8 || 266
|-
| RV-8A || 132
|-
| RV8 || 120
|-
| VANS RV8 || 77
|-
| VANS RV-8A || 49
|-
| RV8A || 42
|-
| VANS RV8A || 21
|-
| VAN RV-8 || 2
|}
</div>

== Specifications (RV-8) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! RV-8
|-
| Crew || one
|-
| Passengers / capacity || one passenger
|-
| Length || 21 ft
|-
| Wingspan || 24 ft
|-
| Height || 5 ft 7 in
|-
| Wing area || 116 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 1,120 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 1,800 lb
|-
| Fuel || 42 u.s.gal
|-
| Engine || Lycoming IO-360, 200 hp (four cylinder, horizontally opposed piston aircraft engine with fuel injection)
|-
| Maximum speed || 221 mph
|-
| Cruise speed || 210 mph
|-
| Stall speed || 58 mph
|-
| Range || 940 mi
|-
| Service ceiling || 22,500 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 1,900 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Vans RV-8A N98VR Hondo TX 2007 Jun 02.jpg|Van's Aircraft RV-8A (N98VR) at the 2007 South West Regional Fly In, Hondo, TX. Photo: TimothyMN, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:RV-8.jpg|Vans RV-8. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:RV8WS.JPG|Van's RV-8. Photo: KitfoxRV, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:Vans RV8 Takeoff.jpg|Vans RV-8 Takeoff. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 4.0
File:Van's Aircraft RV-8 N283CB air-to-air over Arizona, October 2023.jpg|Van's RV-8. Photo: Piemags Aviation, CC BY-SA 4.0
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Van's RV-8 ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van's_Aircraft_RV-8 Van's Aircraft RV-8]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>

Van's RV-8 - Revision history

Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources