LONDONDERRY, N.H. — When students in New Hampshire high schools began building planes, they didn’t expect the aircraft’s designer to be available for questions.
But that’s what will happen when Richard ‘Dick’ VanGrunsven, legendary founder of Van’s Aircraft Co., travels to the Granite State next month to visit student plane-building workshops in Manchester, Lebanon, and Farmington.
VanGrunsven will also be the featured speaker at the Aviation Museum’s annual fundraising gala, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 700 Elm St., Manchester.
VanGrunsven, 85, designed the Van’s RV-12iS, the two-seat all-metal airplane used in the N.H. plane-building programs, as well as all other airplanes produced by the Van’s Aircraft Co. of Aurora, Ore. He continues to be actively involved in the company he founded in 1973.
“He’s literally the ‘RV’ in the RV-12iS airplane, which is used in all three of our high-school student plane-building programs,” said Jeff Rapsis, executive director of the Aviation Museum of N.H.
Hailed as an innovator, VanGrunsven is credited with transforming the “homebuilt” aircraft category from a small hobbyist niche in the 1970s into a major and growing industry.
Under his leadership, Van’s Aircraft has grown into the world’s leading manufacturer of kit-based aircraft through modern designs, superior construction, quality materials as well as an emphasis on aircraft safety, reliability, and performance.
The Aviation Museum, a non-profit based at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, launched student plane-building programs in partnership with local school districts and Tango Flight, a non-profit that facilitates student plane-builds around the nation.
The Oct. 10 gala features a gourmet dinner served buffet style, live music, a silent auction and raffle with valuable one-of-a-kind items, plus special guests and fun surprises. Proceeds will support the plane-build programs, which the Aviation Museum has been funding at no direct cost to local taxpayers.
The event is open to the public at $125 per person; tables of eight are $800. Tickets may be purchased online at aviationmuseumofnh.org or by calling 603-669-4877.
Students from all three plane-building programs will be in attendance, as well as adult volunteer mentors and school faculty. A fully assembled RV-12iS aircraft completed by Manchester students will also be on display.
At the Gala, VanGrunsven will speak about designing some of the world’s most popular aircraft in the “home-built” category, meaning aircraft produced in kit form and designed to be assembled and flown by individuals.
In the past half-century, more than 11,000 aircraft of VanGrunsven’s design have been completed by builders in dozens of countries. On average, 10 Van’s airplanes are completed every week by aircraft enthusiasts around the globe.
In recent years, kit-based airplanes have proven to be an effective learning experience for high school students, prompting the Aviation Museum to set up programs at the Manchester School of Technology in 2019, at Lebanon High School in 2024, and at Farmington High School starting in 2025.
The two-seat Van’s RV-12iS used in the N.H. programs is a popular recreational airplane, and so enjoys a robust buyer’s market. Upon completion and FAA certification as airworthy, each aircraft built by N.H. students is sold on the open market, with the proceeds used to fund subsequent student-build kits at no cost to local taxpayers.
The Aviation Museum of N.H., located at 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, is open to the public Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.aviationmuseumofnh.org.