Vans Rv transition training
Flying Van's Aircraft is very different than flying your typical trainer planes. They are extremely capable aircraft! You will love to fly them, but you will love them even more with a checkout from an experienced RV guy to guide you!
Caleb offers training in his RV-7A that is available if you get on the his schedule. Please contact us for cost associated with transition training. In the near future the plan is to offer some basic Aerobatics training as well. In previous work Caleb was helped transition many pilots in Van's aircraft. He has specifically trained many pilots to fly RV-6, RV-6A, RV-7A, and RV-8A. He has also helped many people locate, purchase, and ferry these aircraft. With all the variables of a home built aircraft, it's good to seek guidance from someone who has seen, flown, and worked on a lot of them.
Along with RV expertise, Caleb also offers tail wheel training for those pilots wanting to add a tail wheel endorsement to their ticket. Not much makes you a safer pilot than the addition of a tail wheel endorsement does.
The Marsh Flying Services Youtube channel contains some RV specific videos about good practices for long life of these aircraft.
RV TRANSITION TRAINING TESTIMONIALS
"My husband is a 30 year pilot, I am a 1 year pilot. He fly's vintage, I wanted a newer RV7A. We both felt Caleb was a great instructor. Caleb gave me confidence that I can be safe and learn to be competent. All good things to say about Caleb, his airplane, his facility and his service. 5 stars. Very professional. 100% satisfied. RV grinning"
-Teresa L White, Private Pilot (Louisiana) (October 2023)
"I had the pleasure of receiving Vans RV7A transition training from Caleb Marsh at Marsh Flying Services in El Dorado KS. His attention to detail, flying skills and knowledge for the Vans family of airplanes made the experience very rewarding and complete. His RV7a is a pleasure to fly too!"
-Paul Upson, Private Pilot with Instrument Rating (Pennsylvania) (December 2021)
"Purchasing my RV7A thru Marsh Flying Services and doing the check out with Caleb was an excellent experience in all respects. Caleb's calm and helpful manner made the entire process go smoothly and enjoyably. I would recommend Caleb and Marsh Flying Services to anyone without reservation. None better in my 4000 hours and 43 years as a pilot."
-Jim Dickinson, Commercial ASEL, Instrument (California) (August 2021)
"Caleb Marsh provided me with transition training in June of 2021. It was great working with Caleb, as he was knowledgeable about the RV-8A I was in the process of purchasing. Caleb provided me with more than just training to meet the legal and insurance requirements, he provided me with knowledge and the confidence needed to fly home to Colorado after the purchase. Caleb's knowledge as an A&P mechanic helped with answering the many technical questions I had about Van's aircraft. I would highly recommend Caleb to anyone thinking about Van's RV transition training."
-Ken Rotramel (Colorado)(July 2021)
"Caleb, Thank you for a job well done, moving our newly purchased RV-7A, N712BR, from Milton, Florida to Silver City, New Mexico. Your knowledge of the Van's RV Series Aircraft is impressive. I am new to the Experimental class of aircraft and finding that there can be a lot of differences in aircraft to aircraft. Your instruction in the RV Series Transition training was very helpful. I have been involved in aviation since 1972 and continue to learn from my fellow pilots."
-Matt Ormand 9,000 hour Com Pilot, ME, Instrument, A&P/IA, (New Mexico) (October 2021)
"I recently contacted Caleb Marsh of Marsh Flying Service regarding an RV he had for sale. During our discussion I learned that he is an A&P as well as CFI. He recently added an RV7A to the fleet that was available for transition training.
El Dorado Kansas was an easy drive from my home near St Louis. Much closer than any of the RV transition instructors listed on the Vans site. With an early start I was able to arrive shortly after noon and we were able to get in a couple hours that day. Captain Jack Thomas airport has a nice FBO building and two long paved runways. Improvements are being made but that did not affect flight operations. Todd Peterson’s Performance Plus is also located on the field. I also learned that Caleb had managed an aerial photography fleet.
Caleb’s RV7A is well-equipped and in excellent condition. The local scenery is beautiful with seemingly endless green rangeland. Numerous airfields dot the landscape and we used several to experience a variety of runway lengths and widths. The residential air park Stearman Field was nearby where we enjoyed a lunch at their great restaurant while admiring the variety of aircraft.
Being an A&P as well as CFI, Caleb is able to explain any needed details regarding the plane’s performance whether aerodynamic or mechanical or how they interact. His teaching style is very relaxed but thorough.
The first day was familiarization with the plane and the flight envelope including steep turns, slow flight, and stalls. We did landings at several locations focusing on slowing the plane down to flap speed and configuring for approach using pitch and power settings to achieve proper speed. Takeoff likewise using pitch and confirming with airspeed.
After a good night’s sleep we continued with takeoff and landings including no flap landings, power off 180s, balked landing, and emergency descents. Traveling to nearby airports we discussed pitch and power for cruise as well as descent planning. By the end of 5 hours of training with Caleb I felt confident that I had a strong foundation and could control the plane safely.
I would highly recommend Caleb and Marsh Flying Service to anyone building an RV and preparing for that first flight or, like me, just wanting transition training to this unique category of performance aircraft."
-Jim Hilgard, Transition Training (May 2021)