5 Van's RV-10 for sale on ClearProp →
Live listingsOverview
The RV-10 is Van's four-seat flagship: an all-aluminum low-wing tourer designed from the start to carry four full-sized adults with full fuel and real baggage — not two people hiding behind two empty seats. Gull-wing doors over a composite cabin structure give both sides easy boarding, and the airframe keeps the RV family's signature performance, cruising near 200 mph under a constant-speed prop. It's the most complete answer in amateur-built aviation to 'what four-seat airplane can I build?'
Pros
- ✓ Four real seats w/ 1,000+ lb useful load
- ✓ ~195 mph cruise w/ honest climb
- ✓ Matched-hole kit quality + huge builder community
Cons
- ✗ No tailwheel/aerobatic variant
- ✗ Longest RV build (~2,000 h)
- ✗ Fills quickly: 60 gal + 4 adults = W&B discipline
Full specification
Identity
| Manufacturer | Van's Aircraft (United States) |
| Status | In production |
| First flight | 2003 |
Classification
| Class | Homebuilt / Kit |
| Build form | Kit |
| Part 103 eligible | No |
| LSA eligible | No |
| Materials | aluminum (composite cabin/doors) |
| Gear | tri |
| Mission | cross-country |
Capacity
| Seats | 4 (side-by-side front; bench rear) |
| Engine options | Lycoming IO-540 (235–260 hp) · Continental IO-360-ES (210 hp, discontinued support) |
| Power | 210–260 hp |
| Fuel type | 100LL |
Performance
| Cruise | 197 mph |
| Stall | 63 mph |
| Vne | 234 mph |
| Range | 895 sm |
| Climb | 1,450 fpm |
| Ceiling | 20,000 ft |
| Takeoff dist. | 500 ft |
| Landing dist. | 650 ft |
Weights
| Useful load | 1,050 lb |
| Gross weight | 2,700 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,600 lb |
Dimensions
| Wingspan | 31.75 ft |
| Length | 24.42 ft |
| Height | 8.67 ft |
| Wing area | 148 sq ft |
| Cabin width | 48 in |
| Rotor (gyro/trike) | — |
Economics
| Kit price (base) | $89,600 |
| Kit price (complete) | $116,300 |
| Plans price | — |
| Est. finished cost | $260,000 |
Compiled from: vansaircraft.com/rv-10 spec + performance tables · vansaircraft.com kit-price sheet (6/2026) · Wikipedia:RV-10 (history/counts) · FAA registry (counts computed live) — verify current kit pricing with the manufacturer.
Notable variants
- RV-10 w/ PBS TP-100 turboprop conversions (experimental)
- BRS ballistic-chute option (82 lb, 1/3 baggage bay)
FAQ
- How much does an RV-10 cost to build?
- Airframe kit ~$89,600 (2026 prices); a typically-equipped finished aircraft runs well over $250,000 with engine, avionics, and paint.
- How long does the build take?
- Van's estimates 2,000–2,600 hours for the standard kit; QuickBuild wing/fuselage options cut 800–1,000 hours.