Van's Aircraft Very Happy About Mosaic

Mikael Via, CEO of Van’s Aircraft, declared himself very happy with the announcement of the MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification) rule at AirVenture on Tuesday, which greatly expands the light-sport aircraft (LSA) rule established by the FAA in 2004. “When you look at the results here, I think it exceeds most people's expectations,” he said.

Via gave kudos for EAA, the FAA, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the committee working on the MOSAIC proposal, and everyone else who worked on it, recognizing the value of having different perspectives. “I think they came up with a fantastic result,” Via said.

Van’s has been actively involved in MOSAIC through Rian Johnson, the company’s president and chief technology officer, who participates on the ASTM committee. Via said Rian has “been driving MOSAIC from the airframe manufacturing side.”  He added, “Van’s wouldn’t be putting in all that effort and time up to this date and going forward unless we were highly interested in MOSAIC.”

Van’s was in the LSA business early on — it started producing its RV-12s as a kit in 2006 for the experimental and amateur-built aircraft community, two years after the 2004 LSA rule introduction. In 2013, Van’s started building special LSA in-house in 2013, facilitating instruction from flight schools.

The company also intends to continue to be a player in the kits industry, Via emphasized. “Van’s has been the dominant force in the kit industry, and it will remain the dominant force in the kit industry,” he said. We fully intend to continue to support kits and grow our kit market … and continue to be a leader in the experimental kit market.

During his conversation with AirVenture Today, Via also talked about the turnaround the company has experienced since its financial difficulties two years ago. “All of our planning that we’ve had to do coming out of these last two years, all of the metrics, all that we told people we are going to achieve, everything that we’ve got inside the company, we’ve met or exceed every metric,” he said.

Van’s made news on the first day of AirVenture by announcing that the RV-15, their first-ever high-wing design, is now in production and they are taking orders. “The RV-15 is designed from the beginning to be MOSAIC-compliant,” Via said.

Also on display at Van’s exhibit is the 2026 model RV-12. “More and more flight schools have been buying the RV-12; it’s starting to be really popular,” said Via. They’ve also listened to customers and added more creature comforts like leather seats and upgraded touch points. The pitot tube has been moved from the spinner to the wing and is now heated. According to Via, under MOSAIC, the aircraft will be able to be used for IFR training. Van’s also noted the U.S. government’s support of the domestic sourcing of materials, making it easier to obtain replacement parts.