On December 4, 2023, Van’s Aircraft filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code, a key step in the reorganization of the company. This action allows Van’s to remain open while making important changes to ensure our future stability and success.
At the time of filing for Chapter 11 protection, Van’s had hundreds of kit orders that had not been delivered. These kit orders contain terms, conditions, and pricing that Van’s cannot perform, and they must be modified or canceled. You have received this notice because you have at least one order and deposit with us for the purchase of a kit.
Note: Some of you have already taken delivery of a kit containing laser-cut parts, Van’s will be contacting you shortly with details on our plan for getting you replacement parts. We will begin shipping replacement parts at the end of this month, and we project that all customers needing replacement parts will receive them prior to the end of 2024.
In addition, many of you may also have undelivered backorders and/or deposits on an engine, powerplant kit, propeller, avionics, or other items. We do not yet have a clear plan in place for these products. Therefore, we are not yet presenting options for these products. We will communicate with you about our plans for these products as soon as the plans are established.
On this site:
You may view your open kit order(s) and the related Van’s Aircraft modified order offer(s)
You can read frequently asked questions and answers
You can ask us a question if you have one that is not sufficiently answered here
We would like to offer you the opportunity to apply the full dollar amount of your previously remitted deposit(s) and payment(s) to a modified kit order(s). Customers who choose not to formally agree on or before January 30, 2024 to the changes proposed will have their order terminated.
Moving forward, you have two options you may act on regarding your kit order(s) and previous kit deposit(s):
Option One
Under the first option, for a limited period of time, Van’s will apply 100% of your previous deposit(s) toward the purchase of the same kit(s), but under new terms and conditions – specifically a new deposit schedule and an increased price. In some cases, your new kit order will have the same kit selected but certain additions or options may be slightly different due to our new kit packaging/contents standards. Please review the PDF files on the next page, which show the contents of your original order and the modified order. Proceeding with this option to “modify your order” saves 100% of your previous deposit(s) and provides you with a known, clear path to receiving the kit(s) you need to complete your Van’s kit and to start enjoying flying it for years to come. Please note that this is a limited-time offer and will only remain open until January 30, 2024.
For those considering this option, please note:
Your Deposit is Protected: If you choose to modify your order, your payments and deposits will be protected. Deposits received will be held in trust in our newly established customer deposit account, which is not used for Van’s general operating expenses. Your kit deposit will remain in the customer deposit account until we start to manufacture, source, and or assemble the components of your kit. At that time, we will send you a “Notice of Production Commencement” and thereafter, we will move your deposit from the customer deposit account into Van’s operating account. Approximately 60 days before we crate your kit, we will contact you to let you know that you are within our “Kit Crating Window” and you will be given 14 days to submit the remaining balance due for your order. More details on the timing of deposits and payments are set forth in our purchase agreement, which you will need to sign as part of modifying your order.
Kits Ready To Ship. As of December, Van’s has over 1600 pending kit orders. We currently have the inventory to crate and ship over 360 of these kits, with the following quantities of each type initially available:
Kit Name Initial Stock Qty
RV-10 Tail Kits 50
RV-10 Fuselage Kits 30
RV-10 Wing Kits 27
RV-10 Finish Kits 21
RV-10 Quick Build Wing Kits 10
RV-10 Quick Build Fuselage Kits 12
RV-14/14A Tail Kits 16
RV-14 Wing Kits 40
RV-14/14A Finish Kits 21
RV-14 Quick Build Fuselage Kits 11
RV-12 Tail Kits 31
RV-12 Fuselage Kits 21
RV-12 Wing Kits 21
RV-7 Empennage Kits 10
RV-7 Wing Kits 8
RV-7 Fuselage Kits 5
RV-7 Quick Build Wing Kits 1
RV-8 Empennage Kits 23
RV-8 Wing Kits 13
RV-9/9A Empennage Kits 4
RV-9 Fuselage Kits 4
Note: Kit availability will likely change rapidly as orders are processed and our inventory changes. We have a number of parts being manufactured and sourced daily so we can continue to deliver as many modified kit orders as possible.
Prompt Shipping: With this initial ready-to-crate inventory, our goal is to ship kits within two weeks of receipt of final payment to purchasers of the kits we currently have in stock.
Weekly Shipping Rate: Initially, we plan to ship 25 modified kit orders per week. If we get a substantial backlog of modified kit orders, we will increase our shipping rate of modified kits as much as two-fold.
Priority of Shipments: Kit orders will be processed and shipped on a first-come, first-served basis for those who choose to modify their order under the new terms and conditions.
Laser Cut Parts Options and Parts Availability: Over the past months, substantial effort and resources have been devoted to manufacturing and preparing to ship replacement parts for customers who received laser-cut components. Starting this week, all customers who previously received a kit containing laser-cut components will receive an email outlining our laser-cut parts replacement program. Thereafter, we will begin the process of reaching out to each impacted customer with a follow-up email containing the specific list of potential laser-cut parts shipped in their particular kit(s). It will take months to work through all of these customers and get them all the parts they need. We estimate that approximately 64% of customers with an open kit order also have a laser-cut affected empennage/tail kit at home and are awaiting replacement parts. As a result, we’ve focused initially on producing a high volume of replacement parts for all empennage/tail kit models, which we will quickly be able to start shipping. Van’s understands you may be hesitant to proceed with the purchase of your next kit when you’ve not yet received replacements for laser-cut parts in a kit you already possess. Therefore, for customers who accept their modified kit orders via this website for an in-stock kit shipment, who also have an affected empennage/tail kit at home, Van’s will include the replacement empennage parts in their next kit, stock permitting. Initially, we expect to have replacement parts available for approximately 200 RV-7/8/10/14 empennage/tail kits. We also have some RV-9 and RV-12 replacement parts in stock. We will add these parts to kits that are available to ship on a first-come, first-served basis.
Option Two
The second option for customers with deposits on Van’s Aircraft kits, who choose not to re-order as outlined above, will be to file a claim in bankruptcy for the amount of your previous deposit(s). According to section 507(a)(7) of the bankruptcy code, the first $3,350 of the total of all your deposits could be filed under the status of a “priority claim,” and the balance of your deposits filed under the status of a “general unsecured claim.” The timing and amount of any payout that you might receive on both your priority and general unsecured claims will be determined and set forth in a plan approved by the court during the bankruptcy.
We know that either of these options will create significant hardship for you. However, without taking these steps and making these changes, there simply is not a feasible path forward for Van’s Aircraft. Taking these steps allows us to remain in business to provide parts, kits, and support for the thousands of builders and owners of Van’s products, and to be around to support each of you for years to come.
Review Your Orders
Clicking the button below will display a page allowing you to review your current kit orders and exercise the option to modify and apply 100% of your previous deposit(s) toward the purchase of the same kit(s), under the new terms and conditions. Please review the PDF order documents, which display the contents of your original kit order(s) and the contents of your new kit order(s). Note that the contents of your order may have changed due to kit contents/packaging changes. Your previous kit order(s) are listed, and we have provided our new deposit schedule, pricing, etc. You can also access and review the applicable documentation required to modify your order(s). Once you indicate that you are ready to move forward with reordering your kit(s), we will email you the required documents for signature via DocuSign. Note: If any additional deposits are required due to a deposit shortage (if you had submitted a deposit of less than 25% on your original order), we will also contact you with instructions to submit the additional required deposit funds.
