TORONTO, ON, March 29, 2019. The marketing world has changed: Forward-thinking companies are forming alliances with authentic members of their communities to create original content that genuinely connects with a target audience, such as aviation YouTube content creator Steve Thorne does with “Flight Chops.”

Through a new breed of deal that’s been nearly 20 years in the making, Flight Chops and Van’s Aircraft are excited to announce a partnership that will see a brand-new Van’s RV-14 being built and flown — becoming the official aircraft of Flight Chops. This relationship will focus on creating new video content, telling the stories and documenting the experiences of building a Van’s RV-14 aircraft and then following the airplane on its flying adventures.

“I’ve been carrying around a dog-eared photo of a Van’s Aircraft RV-7 in my wallet since 2001. Discovering that such a capable aircraft was both accessible and affordable was inspiring,” says Steve Thorne from Flight Chops. “So the opportunity to meet “Van” himself to discuss building and flying the RV-7’s big brother — the RV-14 — is very exciting and means a lot to me.”

“We knew Steve had his eye on the RV-7 for quite some time,” says Greg Hughes of Van’s Aircraft. “When he came to Oregon and took the opportunity to fly several of our aircraft, that look in his eye as he pulled up after his RV-14 flight made it obvious that he had a new aviation love. We knew right then that Steve would eventually start building an RV-14, and we’re excited he’ll be documenting and sharing the real-world story of what it takes to build these awesome, fun aircraft.”

The Flight Chops Youtube channel has always been about a regular-guy private pilot working hard to chase his aviation dreams and follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, to ultimately fly a Spitfire (WWII Fighter). The flying community’s generosity and involvement has made it possible for Steve to share increasingly fascinating flying adventures, stories and aviation personalities.

The companies plan to thoroughly cover the RV-14 build process via on ongoing “vlog” beginning this summer, with the aim to be flying the aircraft within 2 years.

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This just in:

Fans and viewers of all ages will have the chance to meet Steve in person at the Van’s Aircraft booth during Sun n Fun, in Lakeland Florida, on Thursday April 4th at 1PM. Please see event details for the exact booth location.

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Media Inquiries:

For additional info and media downloads, please head to The Flight Chops Newsroom.

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For more background on how this idea began, please be sure to watch this episode:

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