Builders / Ueli Sigrist, Yvonne Mettler, Pilot Ueli Sigrist

The long-awaited first flight of our RV-14A, HB-YZI, took place on the morning of 18 September 2025 at Bern-Belp Airport (LSZB).The weather could not have been better – calm winds, clear skies, and perfect conditions for a maiden flight.
Take-off was smooth, the aircraft handled beautifully, and the landing was just as uneventful. We couldn’t have hoped for a better start to HB-YZI’s flying life.

We started the build back in February 2020. Like many RV builders during that time, we were affected by the corrosion-related challenges that affected some RV kits during the pandemic period, which slowed things down and added a few unexpected hurdles.
Building an aircraft certainly is an adventure, but doing it as a couple made the journey especially rewarding — with a partner always there to assist, share ideas, celebrate the small milestones and together enjoy watching an airplane take shape one rivet at a time.

As most builders know, “quickbuild” doesn’t always mean quick. Especially making modification means extra planning, fitting, and re-fitting — but that’s what makes an experimental airplane special.For HB-YZI, we added a custom center console for more comfort and Aveos ZipTip wingtips for a sleeker look. These changes took extra time but were well worth the effort.

This project would not have been possible without help. We are grateful to everyone who supported us along the way. Special thanks go to Yvar Vonlanthen (our build advisor), Domink Stadler, Fabian and Alex Hummel, Dani Bopp and of course the Swiss experimental aviation community, for advice, encouragement and useful tips.

Seeing HB-YZI lift off for the first time was an unforgettable moment. We now look forward to exploring the skies together and making many more memories in HB-YZI.
Yvonne / Ueli