Van's RV-12 LSA is now available! I Bought One!

[JerryG]

I went to Sun 'n Fun 4/8/2008 and bought an LSA! I bought the only portion of that plane that is currently available - the wing kit. The rest will follow in the next few months.
For those of you considering a kit LSA, think RV-12.

Here's the first site to read and remember to go down the entire page and read all the notices and click on all the videos for a great introduction to the -12.


http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv-12int.htm


Here are all my photos from Sun 'n Fun. If you make it through the first eighteen slides you'll get to about 100 photos of N412RV, the Rv-12 SLSA you can build for about $50,000 (includes kit, Rotax 912ULS and avionics)


http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk11 ... =slideshow


Here's a video of "my" new LSA. All I have to do is build it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qrY3n5tVVQ


Be careful out there ... fly safe.

[SkySteve]

Hey Jerry,
Great post. Thanks for the photo tour and the video, they were really good. Looks like the weather turned OK. That looks like it will be fun to fly.

[GeraldZ]

Finally, this airplane will bring down the cost of flying. Website estimates that you can complete one for $50-$55k.

[cavscout96]

I hope you're right, but I'm not holding my breath. This seems like what the LSA "market" hope for, but in my mind you should get a flying machine for 55k without having to put in 600-900 man hours.

I'd say a 90-95% kit at 70K might be the best we'll see, but unfortunately I haven't seen too many 90% kits yet

[JerryG]

If anyone is interested in Van's RV-12 LSA kit, I've set up a builder's log and hope to make (almost) daily entries once the wings and tools arrive this week.

The plane can be built as an E-SLA or as an EAB ... not sure which route I'm to take yet.

My builder's log is below ...

http://jerryg150rv12.blogspot.com/

[AerolabNW]

The plane can be built as an E-SLA or as an EAB ... not sure which route I'm to take yet.

I may be mistaken but if I understand correctly an E-LSA can be less than 51% because the builder shows that they followed processes and practices set by the manufacturer during the certification of the design for S-LSA certification. If this is true, then an E-LSA cannot exist until the design has received S-LSA certification and those processes approved.

Again, IF my understanding is correct, the RV-12 (which is going to be a great LSA) can only be built as an ABA (Amateur Built Aircraft) until Vans receives S-LSA certification.

Is this right?

[JerryG]

You're right. An E-LSA can be built buy another party up to 80-90-100% and it has to be certified as S-LSA at the source (the factory RV-12) ... my understanding is Van's RV-12 received that certification within the last couple of days. As usual Van does everything without a lot of fanfare. Just the way his company operates, I guess. No mention of this on his web site even.

Due to the FAA's moratorium of adding new planes kits to 51-49% rule of EAB, Van advises to build the RV-12 as E-LSA (his is the S-LSA) ... if you make changes, as most EAB experimental builders do, then he states it'll be up to the individual builder to "get FAA approval as to the RV-12 meeting the EAB regulations ... 51-49% rule. (All of Van's other kits, including all his Quick Build kits have been grandfathered in as EAB).

That's way I'm not sure which route to take.

[mcjon77]

Van's just shipped the 22nd kit of the RV-12 this Friday. I suspect that between the cost, performance, Van's reputation for developing quality kits, and the sheer number of RV builders and flyers out there that the RV-12 is going to become a force in the LSA market (at the very least, those that are homebuilt).

[JerryG]

If anyone is interested in my progress on Van's RV-12 LSA kit, here is the web address of my builder's log (lots of photographs!).

www.jerryg150rv12.blogspot.com

[zich6]

I talked to Scott at the factory today and he said the tail kit would be ready to ship late this year or early next.

[JerryG]

Wow ... a lot of time has passed since my last post about my RV-12 build. My first kit of six kits arrived May 2008. I'll be ordering my fifth kit, the Avionics kit this month. After that, in 2 or 3 months I'll be odering my final kit, kit # six, the Engine Kit. Hope to be flying this fall 2010.

If interested my build log site is still the same ...

www.JerryG150rv12.blogspot.com

So far it has been ... interesting ... can't wait to fly my own plane instead of renting.

So far there are about 300 kits being built worldwide and 17 RV-12's are flying!

[mcjon77]

Congrats, Jerry!

IIRC, Van came in pretty close to his $50-55K estimate. I think the total added up to $58K or $59K including everything but paint.