AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2018 - 24

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT

By design
A leader in amateur-built innovation and safety
FIVE PRINCIPLES drive our safety approach at the AOPA
Air Safety Institute: training, knowledge, proficiency,
equipment, and aeronautical decision making. All that
we do is an attempt to improve one or more of these
elements for general aviation. In our exposure to the
industry, we see people or organizations that deliver
exceptional performance in safety and have made contributions that benefit the entire industry. To that end,
we created the ASI General Aviation Safety Award to
honor remarkable safety performance and ensure our
industry is aware of this work and its impact.

There are some giants in the aviation industry
who have left a lasting legacy. Dick VanGrunsven
is one of them.

RICHARD MCSPADDEN

will present the ASI
General Aviation
Safety Award at
Ronald Reagan
Washington
National Airport in
Washington, D.C., on
March 21.

24 | AOPA PILOT April 2018

We're proud to announce Richard "Dick"
VanGrunsven, designer, builder, pilot, and founder of
Van's Aircraft, as the first recipient of the ASI General
Aviation Safety Award. VanGrunsven will be honored at
AOPA's Bob Hoover Trophy Reception in Washington,
D.C., on March 21.
VanGrunsven has shown a remarkable commitment
to safety throughout every aspect of his involvement
with aviation, which spans some 50 years. His objective
in the early 1970s was to create an airplane focused on
performance, maneuverability, and safety. The proliferation of RV model airplanes throughout general aviation
are testament to his success, with more than 10,000 RV
aircraft built. We've come to accept it as common, but
50 years ago, who could have imagined an aerobatic airplane, fixed-gear, stable throughout the flight envelope,
cruising at close to 200 mph while sipping eight gallons
an hour? VanGrunsven did, and has continued the evolution of his designs and performance.
RV aircraft safety performance stands out in the challenging Experimental amateur-built category, which
has historically seen higher mishap rates because of the
added risk factors from amateur builds. Since 2008, the
number of registered RV airplanes has doubled, while the
number of fatal accidents has been cut in half. More airplanes are flying and more people are around to fly and
enjoy them. This kind of performance is no stroke of luck.
Van's design features enhance flying safety through
excellent visibility, pilot ergonomics, responsive and true

BY RICHARD MCSPADDEN
Executive Director
AOPA Air Safety Institute

controls, rugged cockpit structure, and relatively low
takeoff and landing speed for the aircraft's performance.
His designs also permit easy inspection and access for
routine maintenance, which helps ensure important
maintenance checks are consistently performed.
VanGrunsven realized early on that the success
of his aircraft depended on knowledgeable and welltrained builders and pilots. Van's offers builders free
technical support and supports a network of skilled
Experimental amateur-built mentors who offer specific
advice and techniques. Recognizing the value of typespecific flying training, VanGrunsven initiated transition
training for RV pilots and provided airplanes to support
and encourage more regional transition training.
VanGrunsven's influence is broad. He led the Van's
team to work with electronic flight information systems manufacturers to provide feedback that promotes
accelerated development of envelope protection systems. This collaboration includes innovations such as
a canopy latching mechanism, linked to engine rpm,
that provides pretakeoff voice warnings. Van's has
also championed the use of angle-of-attack indicators
to minimize loss-of-control accidents-a particular
concern in amateur-built aircraft, especially in early
post-build checkout flights when speeds may not yet
be exactly honed. Van's Partnership for Safety agreement with the FAA to share data and promote safety is
an excellent example of how industry and government
can collaborate, share data, and enhance safety. As an
Experimental Aircraft Association board member and
member of the Founder's Innovation Committee, he's
worked tirelessly to reduce loss-of-control mishaps in
Experimental amateur-built aircraft.
There are some giants in the aviation industry who
have left a lasting legacy. Dick VanGrunsven is one of
them. His work stands as testament that excellence
and safety go hand in hand. His tireless work to provide a superbly designed aircraft and his commitment to
enhance knowledge, training, and proficiency, and create a culture around the RV community that promotes
sound judgment in both the building and flying of airplanes is an achievement we are proud to recognize.
Congratulations to Dick VanGrunsven and the talented and dedicated Van's team he's led for close to
50 years.
AOPA
EMAIL richard.mcspadden@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2018

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