Van's Aircraft RV-6
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The RV-6 is the side-by-side two-seat taildragger Van's introduced in 1986 and replaced with the RV-7 in 2001, and the most-built RV of all, with well over 2,500 flying. On the reference 180 hp Lycoming it cruises at 172 knots, carries 38 gallons for about 625 nm and climbs at nearly 1,800 fpm; empty weight is 965 lb and gross 1,600 lb, giving 635 lb of useful load.
Its numbers make it the easiest older RV to find, provided the specific example is sound. No RV-6 kit was matched-hole — that began with the RV-8 — and the earliest kits were little more than raw material, so airframe straightness and rivet quality depended on the builder's jigging; later kits gained some pre-punched parts, and the spread in finish between examples is wider than for Van's later designs. Many were built with 150 or 160 hp O-320s and a fixed-pitch propeller, which by Van's own tables trims cruise by seven to ten knots, so check the record's 180 hp figures against the engine actually in the cowl. The useful load supports two adults and full fuel with modest baggage. Van's quotes 1,600 lb gross for the RV-6 and 1,650 lb for the RV-6A, and its performance tables use 1,650 for both; the figure that applies to a given airframe is the one its builder certificated, so read its own weight-and-balance paperwork. An A&P without an IA can sign the condition inspection, the owner may perform any other maintenance, and Van's still supplies replacement parts although kit orders closed in 2025.
Variants of the Van's RV-6 / RV-6A
- RV-6 · 1986 · 862 active · this page
- RV-6A · 1986 · 865 active
Also consider
- Van's Aircraft RV-7AScore 26.4/50 · 2 seats · 171 kt
- Game Composites GB1 GamebirdPartial 17.9/30 · 2 seats · 178 kt
- Extra Aircraft EA 300/LScore 20.2/50 · 2 seats · 185 kt
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Put Van's Aircraft RV-6 side by side with up to three other models.
- Van's Aircraft RV-6
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tailwheel |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Lycoming O-320/O-360 (150-180 hp approved) |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 1986 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 172 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 626 nm |
| Service ceiling | 20,800 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,790 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 48 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 635 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,600 lb |
| Empty weight | 965 lb |
| Usable fuel | 38 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 1,078 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 862 |
| Median year built | 2002.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 32 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 7 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 37.121 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 37.122 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 190 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 22.043 |
| Airworthiness directives | 11 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 862 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 862 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 862 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 3.8 of 101 |
| Severity | 2.9 of 102 |
| Access | 3.2 of 103 |
| Support | 9.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.1 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 25.4 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 31.56 · 197 models in class.
- Severity: class median 10.
- Access: class median 1,000.75.
- Support: class median 89.
- Liquidity: class median 19.74.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 6 · scores Sep 30