Shocking Truth about my Airplane - Vans RV12

Airplane ownership isn’t always pretty. There are a lot of items to keep track of, and many could be hiding under the surface. In this video I go over all of the issues regarding my Vans RV-12 Light Sport Airplane. The good, bad, and the ugly.

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00:00 Intro
00:41 Light Sport History
01:33 The BAD
03:28 Walkaround
06:12 Cockpit
06:53 Landing Gear
07:40 Airframe
08:39 Horizontal Stabilizer
10:15 Gas Tank
11:13 Maintenance
12:14 The GOOD

[sblack]

After working for 30+ years for a major aircraft mfg I can assure you that all mfgs have issues with new aircraft going in to service. These can be structural, systems, powerplant, vibration related, or just about anything else. This includes boeing and airbus. They have an army of structural engineers and numerous test rigs to simulate loads on primary structure and they still get surprised by cracks or damage from firm landings etc. Vans don’t have anywhere close to those kinds of resources and some of these issues don’t show up until many 100s of hours or different kinds of operating environments are encountered. I don’t believe this has anything to do with the design being rushed. It probably has a lot more to do with the fact that this aircraft had to meet a weight limitation so there could be no extra structural reinforcement and skin thicknesses had to be kept to a minimum.

[bullhead]

I personally have owned a 2017 RV12 SLSA, It was a great airplane and I had not had any big issues with it. All airplanes go through growing pains. Don't buy experimental airplanes if you are afraid of them.

[keithwest]

We have four new RV12’s at our flight school in Naples, FL. (Rexair) It’s a great plane, easy to fly and land, responsive, great view, and fabulous avionics. We’ve made a number of actual cross country flights without a single issue and hardly any weather delays. Our instructors were at first skeptical, now it’s everyone’s favorite plane. If you haven’t flown an RV12, you’re missing out.

[bunkie]

As a part owner of an RV-12 for a while, I have to say that I was never really comfortable with having the fuel tank in the cockpit. The advantage is that it allows for the wings to be removable. One of the other owners experienced an alternator failure (actually a stator failure and that's a whole other story) 800 miles from home. That made it possible to retrieve the airplane on a trailer. That needed to be done because, despite the common nature of the Rotax engine, there is no corresponding availability of A&Ps who are certified or willing to work on Rotaxes. While I was involved with the airplane we chased various issues with the carburetors and the engine ignition modules. When the engine got to about 1600 hours, we decided to replace it with a new engine. Compared to the typical $12-15K cost of a Continental O-200 rebuild, the new Rotax cost $23K. We did recover $5K on the sale of the previous engine, but the lack of overhaul options on the Rotax is something that should be considered by potential owners. The aforementioned stator speaks to a design choice that I question. On a typical engine, the alternator is an external component and it takes about an hour to replace one. The Rotax has the alternator as part of the flywheel assembly at the back of the engine which requires either special tools or removal of the engine. What would be a simple repair on a Continental or Lycoming is a major repair with the Rotax.

[deansiracusa]

Certified standard category airplanes don’t have to comply with Service Bulletins, only Airworthiness Directives.

[jeffboatright]

I really enjoy flying my brother's -12is. Light and delightful controls with great balance across aileron, rudder, and stabilator. Great visibility. Great t/o and climb performance with the injected 912. The castoring nose wheel with steering via differential braking is not my favorite, but then, every airplane has it's peculiarities.

[flysport_tedder]

I trained in the 12iS. The wing removal and pitot tube seemed strange, I didn't like the lack of a parachute for its weight, but it's a basic fun LSA with some of the best control feel.

[tonyvitiello]

Great video. I have the tail kit mostly done and maybe half of the fuse kit done. Already have done several SBs on the tail but more have come up since I’ve paused the build due to life. It’s annoying to have these come up but if you built the plane yourself you aren’t afraid of them. Hopefully I’ll get mine done some day and have a great airplane like you said. I did a demo flight before starting the build and it was the best flying plane I’ve ever flown. My comparison is 172’s, 150/152’s, , Cherokees, my own Champ, Cubs, Kolbs, etc. So admittedly I’ve not flown much in the performance category but the RV12 is so much more responsive and light on the controls than all of those. I am not too worried about the Chapter 11 as I don’t have that much invested compared to others. I think it will work out but if not I can mount the tail on the roof of my house and make it look like an airplane crashed into my house.

[tztz]

If you don’t build it or know how to look at structure for damage or weak areas just write a check again for a Cessna and have it inspected every year. Experimental with Rotax is constant inspection/refinement process .

[Rvtraralgon]

I’ve built a 12IS in Australia.
I did get pretty annoyed with all the Service Directives.
Easy enough to do as the builder but bloody annoying.

[crufflerdoug]

Great video. You are so right about the handling of RV designs. Just superb.

[dannycrooks]

When i was learning to fly my flight instructor would create a fault for you to find when doing your preflight check but he didn't do it all the time it made sure you really give the aircraft preflight and it always stuck with me i would highly recommend other instructors do this and you really get to know the aircraft and you can spot a fault quickly

[blaster-zyxx]

I have flown several light sport aircraft and I really liked the way the RV-12 handles and flies. Very well balanced in roll and pitch. I considered purchasing one, but never did. I didn’t know they had this many notices. Thanks for that.

[brentjohnson]

Good video. I have been a fan of vans ever since the RV4/6 days. I have thought of building a RV10 but that looks like a lot of work. The RV12 or RV14 might be more my speed. Nothing you mentioned scares me away, it just makes sense to have a lot of bulletins. The nice part about experimental is you can do the work yourself and manage the maintenance. Thanks again for the video. All the best!

[scottmueller]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with the RV-12 It is a beautiful aircraft! So do you know if they have changed the kits to reflect all the fix's. I'd love to hear your comments on the RV-9A and RV-10A as to the bad Fix's

[KL-fqnd]

The bad? I'd rather have a company like Vans sending service bulletins, and offering parts and instructions for "fixing" them. every single certified aircraft have AD's and service is nothing new... at all....

[davepatrick]

Great Video. I have done a lot of Light Sport Service and Flight instruction. About 5, 000 hours in LS alone and while the RV 12 does fly very well, working on them is difficult. For a few knots extra the cowl is too tight.This has resulted in many issues. When in Florida are you? Best, Dave

[dmcd]

I can tell you really take care of your airplane. I am still stuck on boats, but have always wanted to get an experimental airplane. Still on my bucket list. Great video all around quality!

[adiamondforever]

My brother made his RV8, took enough years, fun, safe plain, easy to over correct on landing mistakes. Being able to take the tank out to alter or repair the panel is not a bad thing, be thankful you are not doing that from inside the cockpit

[mauriceevans]

Mosaic rules will see some very interesting aircraft coming to market. I am looking into the shark, TL stream, TL sparker, tarragon, and flight design F2.