New Dick VanGrunsven Homebuilt Camping Pavilion Unveiled

On Sunday, July 24, the Homebuilt Camping Pavilion was officially renamed the Dick VanGrunsven Homebuilt Camping Pavilion in honor of Dick VanGrunsven, EAA 3204, and the 50th anniversary of his company, Van’s Aircraft. This unveiling was a surprise to Dick, who has been a member of EAA since 1964.

Dick founded Van’s Aircraft in 1972, from which he sold plans for his newly designed RV-3, a “total performance” single-seat airplane. Fifty years later, over 11,000 kits of Dick’s nine RV models have been completed, many of which can be found around the AirVenture grounds today. The most recent model, the RV-14, was introduced at AirVenture in 2012, and as of June 2022, just under 200 RV-14s have been completed. The high-wing RV-15 was announced last year during AirVenture.

“Dick VanGrunsven and Van’s Aircraft have been helping people realize the dream of building and flying their own aircraft for 50 years,” said Jack Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman of the board. “It’s only fitting that we recognize that remarkable legacy by naming the homebuilt camping pavilion after Dick, and we’re proud to do it.”

Come check out the newly named pavilion, centrally located in the heart of homebuilt camping.