Southwest Regional To Celebrate Legendary Designer

Dick Van Grunsven, the innovate designer of the legendary RV series of aircraft kits, will be the guest of honor at this year's Southwest Regional Fly-In.

Van Grunsven, founder of Van's Aircraft, will will receive the fly-in's President's Award at the 40th anniversary of the Fly-In, which will be held at the New Braunfels Airport (BAZ) on May 14-15, 2004. Past recipients of the event's President's Award include the late Tony Bingelis, Paul Poberezny, Charles Duke and the late Duane Cole.

Van Grunsven learned to fly in 1956 at the age of 16. He has logged 7,000-plus hours, 4,000 of it in homebuilts. He developed his first design, a modified Stits Playboy dubbed the RV-1, in the 1960s. His first original design, the RV-3, flew for the first time in 1971.

Since then, Van Grunsven has design numerous other RV aircraft, including the most recent addition, the RV-10. Van's Aircraft has also become the world's largest supplier of
aircraft kits, with more than 3,560 RVs estimated to be flying from airfields throughout the world.

In addition to Dick Van Grunsven's appearance, there will be many other events for all to enjoy at this year's fly-in. Several enhancements have bene added to the airport, inlcuding improved parking, a modifed exhibitor layout and a new, more user-friendly, arrival procedure.

FMI:  www.swrfi.org