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RV-15 Community Wiki

You just finished a step and it was hard to figure out how to do it? Pass on your lessons learned and contribute to this non-profit RV-15 Wiki: Instructions
Note: There may be links on this Wiki to RV-15 Facebook groups, e.g. Vans RV-15 (Builders Group), Vans RV-15, or Van’s RV-15. Consider joining these groups to benefit from the information there. There are also links to vansairforce.net, consider joining the list and donating to the owner that keeps it running.

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Before You Build

Van's calls the RV-15 "Back Country, the RV Way" — a two-seat high-wing utility airplane for rough fields, with a large cabin, 44 cu ft of baggage and a high-lift wing. It is their first high-wing design. Van's says it was designed and tested with MOSAIC in mind (see E-LSA vs E-AB), and much of the published specification is still estimated or TBD.

  • The structure was designed around pull rivets. Van's says they "dramatically speed assembly," and the wing arrives pre-punched for 1/8" rivets, skins pre-bent and parts match-drilled — most of the fabrication that defined earlier RVs is already done at the factory. What is left is assembly, inspection and judgment rather than layout and cutting. The build is shorter for it, and far less forgiving of a wrong part discovered after it is riveted in. Van's notes the airframe was tested with the supplied blind rivets, and that deviating from the KAIs adds build time — see SL-00139.
  • The kit is still arriving in pieces. Wing and tail kits are being delivered; Van's says the rest will ship "as soon as they're ready." Wing tanks come quick-build or slow-build, and nosewheel and floatplane variants are planned. Serial numbers are into the 200s, and almost everyone building is doing a section for the first time anyone has done it.
  • The instructions are a live document. Van's is revising the Kit Assembly Instructions while people build to them. Sections have gone through two and three revisions, individual pages have changed without the revision stamp moving, and corrections also arrive outside the KAI as service letters and builder notifications. The revision on your bench is not necessarily the current one — see KAI Status.
  • This wiki is where it is held together. Van's Air Force is where RV-15 builders talk, and nearly everything here began as a VAF post. But a forum is organised by conversation, not by build step: an answer sitting in post 47 of a thread titled for something else is an answer nobody finds when they need it. These pages are organised the way you build — by section and KAI page — with the source post linked so you can read the original and judge it yourself. Nothing here replaces the plans. It is what the plans do not tell you, at the step where it matters.

Decisions worth making before you open a crate:

Certification path

  • E-LSA vs E-AB — which airworthiness certificate you intend to apply for governs how much you may deviate from the plans. Decide before you build, not after.

Documenting your Build

Builder Assist (if desired)

Van's Aircraft RV-15 Kit: Build Instruction Hints / "Gotchas" by Section

basic
basic

Red means page has no contents yet. Click a red link to create that page if you have something to share.

KAI Status

Notices From Vans

  • KAI Revision Notices at Van's (Van's posts the revised KAI here, and in the store).
  • Table of Notice emails recreated below, as they include data that is not captured on Van's website)
Notice Date
Main Spar Notice 2026/07/08
CR3213-4-3 Notice 2026/08/25
Elevator Counterweight Notice 2026/08/26
HS Skin Dimples 2026/09/08

Inventory/Packing Lists

General

Empennage

Wings

Fuselage

Firewall Forward, Seats, Cabin Heat

Optional Sections

Optional Aftermarket Modifications

Other Build Topics (non optional)

Certification and Registration

  • E-LSA vs E-AB — the two airworthiness paths compared, and what MOSAIC changed in July 2026
  • NKET Checklist — the FAA Fabrication and Assembly Checklist, required for E-AB because the RV-15 is not an FAA-evaluated kit
  • Registration Hints — N-number, kit bill of sale, forms and the CARES portal

Final Inspection and Flight Test

Phase 1

Hints for flying Airplanes

Vans Service Bulletins

Reference Link (Don't assume the list below is up-to-date)

ID (click for hints) ID (click for document) Date Summary
SB-00079 SB-00079 2026/03/20 Emergency Egress Hammer
All RV SB's (not necessarily applicable to the RV-15)
ID (click for hints) ID (click for document) Date Summary
FAA-2024-1695 FAA-2024-1695 2024/10/31 Lycoming Connecting Rods manufactured 2009-2017
SB-00103 SB-00103 2024/07/11 Dynon update v16.7 triggers door latch warning at 200 rpm in error.
SB-00090 SB-00090 2023/11/06 Dynon SV-AP-PANEL autopilot control panel
SB-00066 SB-00066 2022/10/21 Prohibited use of ethanol in Andair fuel pumps.
SB-00006 SB-00006 2020/5/6 Kavlico Oil Pressure Sensors
SB 18-05-21 SB 18-05-21 2018/05/21 Fuel Spider, make sure, the fuel flow sensor port is plugged.
MT SB 31 MT SB 31 2016/08/29 MT Governors
SB 11-9-13 SB 11-9-13 2011/09/13 Use of Sloshing Compounds in Fuel Tanks

Vans Notifications and Letters

Reference Link (Don't assume the list below is up-to-date)

ID (click for hints) ID (click for document) Date Summary
SL-00139 SL-00139 2026/09/22 Alternate Rivet Types — AN426AD, AN426B and AK4xH accepted in place of LP4 skin rivets; CS4 NOT acceptable. See Flush Rivets on Leading Edge
All RV Notification Letters (not necessarily applicable to the RV-15)
ID (click for hints) ID (click for document) Date Summary
SN-00114 SN-00114 2025/05/08 Understanding RV Flight Limits. All RV Aircraft
SN-00062 REV 1 SN-00062 REV 1 2025/05/08 Warning regarding modifications to Van's designs using Van's or third-party parts and materials. All RV Aircraft.
SL-00097 SL-00097 2024/03/05 Use of Hartzell propellers on RV aircraft. All RV's except RV-12/12iS
SL-00091 REV1 SL-00091 REV1 2023/11/11 Laser cut parts and certification of aircraft. All RV Models
SL-00078 REV 1 SL-00078 REV 1 2023/05/10 Vapor lock — risks with high operating temperatures and MOGAS. All RV's
SL-00060 SL-00060 2022/09/06 Installation and use of control stick opening covers. All RV Models
SL-00047 SL-00047 2022/08/15 Brake caliper O-ring improvement — higher temperature O-rings. All RV models
N 14-07-03 N 14-07-03 2014/07/03 SAIB HQ-14-16, all-metal lock nuts. All Van's Aircraft RV Models
N Buying a Flying RV N Buying a Flying RV 2011/04/19 Letter to prospective buyers of flying RVs
N Service Letter – Soft Rivets N Service Letter – Soft Rivets 2007/11/26 Soft rivets. All RV kits
N Dynafocal II N Dynafocal II 2007/04/05 Dynafocal II motor mounts. All RV's
N Battery Cables N Battery Cables 2006/10/18 Possible battery cable terminal failure. All #2 battery cables
N 60 amp Alternator Wiring Change N 60 amp Alternator Wiring Change 2006/02/13 60 amp alternator wiring change. All users of a 60 amp alternator
N FAB SB 05 N FAB SB 05 2005/10/01 Filtered airbox advisory. All builders and operators of any model of a Van's Aircraft kit aircraft except RV-12
N Buying a Used RV Kit N Buying a Used RV Kit 2004/08/11 Letter to prospective buyers of a second-hand RV kit
N Anti-Rotation Bracket N Anti-Rotation Bracket 2000/06/12 Fuel pick-up tube anti-rotation bracket. All RV Aircraft Wing Tanks, also see SB 06-2-23

SDS Ignition / Injection Service Bulletins

Please read all service bulletins here

Builder Logs

Builder Logs

Similar Wikis for other aircraft models

Most relevant Wiki editing help pages

Useful if you use the legacy "edit source" method instead of "edit" which launches visual edit.

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