Van's Air Force

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The VAF News - 12.20.2024. #6239. 20 year anniversary of forums. Anyone still here from day one?

Doug, congratulations.Not sure of my actual join date but like others was on the Matronics site and following Dan Checkoway on my -7 build and then this site. Never looked back and made more friends than I ever imagined. Still a blast today, keep it up.
Figs
 
Present. Was also on the old YahooGroups. I was probably using my spiffy 286 computer with the rip-roaring 2400 baud modem
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Canon Powershot camera (still have), Texas Buttcrack Squadron T-shirt and hair!
Maybe WiFi at a nearby laundromat, or at the house we were staying.
I miss that guy <g>.
Thanks Bob! Sure made me smile.
 
That first plane had GRT avionics and there wasn’t much support and GRT didn’t have any forum set up so I started the GRT user support group on Yahoo which after 15 or so years was removed.

That was you? Good man. I spent a lot of time on that forum and met some really neat people on there. It was a god-send because as you say, there was nothing else out there for support and we all had mountains of questions. I was an early adopter of their Horizon screens and I think my AHRS is serial number 5. Or it might be SN# 8. :unsure: I can't recall which, but its ye olde original - and its still going strong.

Your forum helped generate software upgrade ideas and helped us all understand the installation process - so hats off to you, sir. Thank you.
 
I was a late comer in 2007. But found an RV7 kit here and started building in 2008. I followed Chad Jensen's build and Dan Checkoway's build as well, but getting a direct line to a group builders, RV pilots and jokers changed everything.
 
I was a late comer in 2007. But found an RV7 kit here and started building in 2008. I followed Chad Jensen's build and Dan Checkoway's build as well, but getting a direct line to a group builders, RV pilots and jokers changed everything.

Dan C. and I were friends before he (or I for that matter) even know what an RV was. We lived not far from each other and used to fly to places together when I had my Skylane and he owned an M20J. We both used maintenance shops at the same airport, and the work they did on his M20 was so bad that he started looking for alternatives. He told me one day that he was selling the Mooney and was going to build his own aircraft. I probably looked at him like he had two heads or something. The rest is history.

I pounded a bunch of rivets on his RV-7 when he was building it. I recall going up to Oceano during his build, me in the 182 and him in a rented Archer. Or taking him flying just to get back in the air a bit.

Good times. Good people.

Still use his software to keep my electronic logbook and check weather.

--Ron
 
I'm a latecomer too--Nov. 2007--about two years after ordering my RV-9 tail kit. Even then, I found almost any question I could come up with had been previously addressed by VAF. I attribute my meagre post count to the brilliant folks here before me. I've definitely received more than I've given to this great resource!

I first discovered RVs, through the air not over the road, when I ran across a photo of an aluminum porcupine, Dan Checkoway's beclecoed RV-7 fuselage. Read every post on his website from "What is all of this?" to the end. Always wondered what compelled him to take it down....
 
I’ve been here since the start. I started my build on July 4, 2001. I used to be on the Matronics site and following Dan Checkoway web site, while building my 7A and then this site. I started flying my 7A on Feb. 18, 2007. Still flying it and doing the on going maintenance things.

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I’ve been here since the stone ages. I migrated over from the Matronics and Yahoo Groups sites. I still have some print outs of those early conversations. They were printed using a dot matrix printer. I think I was still using Windows 3.1.

I first got exposed and interested in RV’s in 1994. In ‘95, I was dreaming about buying an RV-4 kit and building the HR II conversion. I was a little unsure about modifying a kit as a first time builder. So when the -8 came out in ‘96, it was a no-brainer. Started building in July ‘97 and first flew Feb 4th, 2007. It’s been an amazing ride!

Thanks Doug!
 
Joined Dec 6, 2009 and have received a wealth of info and help from lots of other members. This site helped me sort through all the fixes and upgrades on an RV-3, an RV-4 and now my RV-8. This is my favorite site on the web as I start every morning with a coffee and the VAF Forum.
 

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And some of the first RV parties at OSH.

With Bob Collins and Darwin Barrie

Nice Shirts

Boomer
 
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