Van's Aircraft RV-9A
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-9A is the touring member of the two-seat Van's line, with a longer 28 ft wing, a Roncz aerofoil unique to the model and lower approved power, 118 to 160 hp. On a 160 hp Lycoming O-320 it cruises at 162 knots, stalls at 43 knots, carries 36 gallons for about 600 nm and climbs at 1,400 fpm from a 1,750 lb gross weight.
What the long wing buys is a low stall speed, docile handling and economy at lower power settings, and what it gives up is aerobatics: Van's lists the RV-9/9A among its non-aerobatic designs, and a buyer who wants to roll should look at a 7. The useful load of 675 lb covers two adults, full fuel and some bags, and the tricycle 9A is the more commonly built of the two RV-9 forms. Because it is amateur-built, the record's figures are Van's reference numbers and not the aircraft's own; builders chose engines from 118 to 160 hp, fixed or constant-speed propellers, and heavier panels, and the empty weight on the scales is the only one that counts. The nose gear is the same design family as the other "A" models: Van's mandatory SB 07-11-09 requires a revised leg and fork where the finish kit shipped before February 2005, and an elastomer-mount nose gear option was added in 2019, so establish which is fitted. Owner maintenance is permitted, the annual condition inspection needs only an A&P or the builder-repairman, and the kit price excludes engine, propeller and avionics.
Variants of the Van's RV-9 / RV-9A
- RV-9A · 733 active · this page
Also consider
- Van's Aircraft RV-7AScore 26.4/50 · 2 seats · 171 kt
- Van's Aircraft RV-6AScore 27/50 · 2 seats · 170 kt
- Van's Aircraft RV-8AScore 19.5/50 · 2 seats · 175 kt
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Lycoming O-320 (118-160 hp approved) |
| Horsepower | 160 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | — |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 162 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 608 nm |
| Service ceiling | 18,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,400 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 43 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 675 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,750 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,075 lb |
| Usable fuel | 36 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $53,300 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $77,700 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 814 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 733 |
| Median year built | 2010.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 16 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 21.831 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 19.12 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 138 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 18.833 |
| 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 733 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 733 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 733 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 6.8 of 101 |
| Severity | 1.2 of 102 |
| Access | 6.7 of 103 |
| Support | 9.2 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 4.4 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 28.3 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