Van’s Delivers First MOSAIC-Certified Aircraft

Van’s has delivered the first aircraft to earn an airworthiness certificate under the FAA’s new MOSAIC certification framework for the light sport category aircraft.

Van’s Aircraft turned over an IFR-equipped RV-12iS on Saturday at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that, as a result of regulatory changes, is capable of flying in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which was previously restricted from light sport aircraft (LSAs).

To celebrate the achievement, the delivery was attended by Experimental Aircraft Association chairman Jack Pelton and Van’s Aircraft founder Dick VanGrunsven, who handed over the keys to EAA lifetime member Tom Snow of Signal Mountain, Tennessee.

Upon leaving Oshkosh the aircraft will go directly to Crystal Air flight school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on lease from Snow. 

“MOSAIC changes who can fly and how they train,” said Mikael Via, CEO of Van’s, in a news release. “We’ve been building the right airplane for this moment for years, and that moment is here.”

When U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stood on the stage at EAA AirVenture a year ago in 2025 and announced that the FAA had finalized its Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification ruling in a dramatic update to the light sport aircraft and sport pilot classifications, a resounding ripple was felt across general aviation. 

The first change MOSAIC implemented was to the sport pilot certification process, allowing them to operate a wider breadth of aircraft, bound by more performance-oriented markers rather than arduous weight and airspeed metrics that governed previous standards.

Secondly, MOSAIC created 14 CFR Part 22, a designated home to oversee the certification of the LSA category. Under Part 22 many of the same fixed requirements, such as the 1,320-pound weight limit for LSA certification, have been removed and replaced by a more flexible set of rules that allow for more creative aircraft design and improved safety. 

However, since new sport pilot privileges went into effect 90 days after Duffy’s original announcement, pilots have been able to enjoy the fruits of MOSAIC for almost a year now, while the aircraft themselves have had to sit on the sidelines and wait out the 365-day, phase-in period for Part 22 to become a reality. 

Van’s said the company’s ability to meet the moment and deliver an aircraft under the new certification process almost as soon as it became possible is the result of years of strategic planning and represents a feat the manufacturer will likely relish for years to come. 

But more than just a symbolic passing of keys, the accomplishment has immediate ramifications for flight schools across the country. According to Van’s, the company is producing roughly one special light sport aircraft (SLSA), the RV-12iS, every four days, with its demand almost exclusively driven by flight schools. 

Starting at $246,200, the MOSAIC-certified RV-12iS gives flight schools the ability to expand their offerings, particularly training in actual instrument conditions, at a price point previously not offered for a factory-new airplane.

“Flight schools need an aircraft that’s affordable to operate, easy to teach in, and that students actually want to fly,” said Marc Cook, Van’s customer experience and technical communications manager. “The RV-12iS checks every box.”

Already an ever-popular trainer, the RV-12iS is being used by over 40 flight schools and has racked up 100,000 training hours nationwide. The newly delivered RV-12iS dons a Cub Yellow paint scheme, an homage to general aviation history and the industry’s most iconic trainer.