Part Two by John Price G-NCLA (LAA 363-15643) RV-12 iS

We pick up with John having built the basic airframe, after a self imposed delay in the build (clanger!), he now has some very expensive items to insert in the big green thing – over to John…

When more new bits arrive, you can get on with adding them to your creation all over again, or as in my case, attaching the engine and inserting the wiring. The latter came in a big box and looked like the Gordian Knot. It’s called a loom and comes with many, many, multi-coloured, numbered wires. It must have taken me at least an hour to lay it out on a large workbench, just to figure out what bits go where. A word of warning here, only add the connectors to the cable when it says so in the instructions, as some big wires must go through some not-so-big holes, and connectors make it rather awkward. I found the loom to be the weak point of the whole build. The loom is sub-contracted out to one of the better avionics’ companies in the US. I had six faults.

Not with the quality of the loom nor the wiring, but some of the pins were in the wrong positions on the connectors. I should’ve taken a day to check them against the supplied wiring diagram. ‘Fault chasing’ once everything was installed was a biblical faff and took about three days, a multimeter, bad language and an awful lot of head scratching to find them all.

I will freely admit that there were two squeaky pants moments – the first time you power up the electrics and the first engine start. Being as these two things are also the most expensive, your mind runs completely amok as you look for wisps of smoke, the acrid smell of burning plastics and or the graunching of metal on metal in a gearbox.

Paperwork equals aircraft weight…

Finally, the day arrives. So as my Inspector stated, ‘when the weight of the paperwork equals the weight of the aircraft, it’s about time to go flying’. All the forms went off to mission control in Turweston, and back came yet more bits of paper, but one gave me permission to test. I carried out the first flight on 1 June 2022. A few days later, Steve (remember him?), and I took to the air to carry out the full test procedure. This all went very well. As I write, I’m waiting for the full Permit to Fly to land on my door mat. This will be the second RV-12 iS flying on the UK register and my approximate build time equates from winter 2019 until late spring 2022. Don’t ask about the hours as I didn’t use a clock.

The aircraft is a very clever kit. The selling point of ‘you only need to add fluids and paint’ is correct, that’s it. The LAA insists upon one or two other bits, but this isn’t onerous. The modular construction means that you always have a successful build milestone after a few days. This keeps the inertia of the build going, this, almost above everything else, is very important. The fuel-injected Rotax 912 iS with its computer-controlled engine management works really well. You just set the ‘thrust lever’, OK, throttle, to the power you want and leave it there. It works out the engine parameters, air temperature, pressure and sorts everything out for you. So you get an Eco mode – yeah, me neither – or power the engine to turn up. mode which uses more fuel and gets you there about two minutes quicker! The engine itself has a large electrical power output so you can run just about anything you want. It also has one or two quirks such as no magnetos or separate ignition modules. These are called ‘lanes’ –again, me neither – these do virtually the same as magnetos, or modules, except control two ignition systems that work from two parts of the engine management computer. They also control the electric loading from two voltage regulators through the aforementioned computer-controlled management system to the… OK, I lost you there! But if you follow the checklist it works and really is a doddle.

Left With the engine fitted, now where to put all the spaghetti.

Below left My first and only attempt at fibreglass work making the front canopy fairing.

Below right Attempting to fit a cowling and make it all line up.

My initial impressions are that the aircraft flies very well and is a joy to operate. It takes off and climbs quickly. The controls are well harmonised, and the aircraft is nicely balanced. The test flying was well, a bit boring, which, if I think about it, is high praise. It just did everything exactly as promised. Indeed, the only things that needed adjustment were the stall warner and the rudder trim, that’s all!

As for performance, here are some figures, unpainted. Empty weight 787lb, MTOW 1320lb, useful load is 533lb. Max fuel 65 litres, enough for four hours. Speeds, at an economy cruise of 4,600rpm gives 85kt IAS and 12lph, 5,000rpm gives 100kt and 15lph, and finally the Max continuous of 5,500rpm is 108kt and 19lph.

I’m not going to wax lyrical about ‘going on an emotional builder’s journey’, but you generally do learn a thing or two about engineering, and something about yourself. Those thoughts are mine and if, as you read this, you’re thinking about taking the plunge you could do much worse than consider the RV-12. Ninety-nine per cent of it can be built in a single garage with basic tools, and a modicum of patience, all on your own!

At this juncture, I should point out that I’m not on a percentage, but if you add my builder’s number, as a referral, on your Van’s order I will get a free tee shirt. Fair enough…

Some gems to share…

Some gems which I will pass on… Don’t try to build a ‘100%’ aeroplane, you’ll never finish it as there will always be something to tweak, adjust, rub down and repaint. In fact, 95%-97% is good enough. Shouting and bad language does not encourage help from the ‘The Force’ to assist in any way! Do register for the numerous builders’ forums etc. There is a RV-12 builders WhatsApp group which I joined, too. Here I met some nice, equally mad, fellow builders who became a goldmine of information. We shared each other’s pain and laughed about it as well. Plan ahead for everything. P.P.P.P.P.P. You know what it means. Pick others’ brains by all means, but, in the end the decision becomes yours (and your Inspectors)! Standard Mods are better than your own made-up ones, the paperwork is much less. The LAA run various courses for various homebuilder disciplines. Take advantage of these – I immensely enjoyed the metal assembly one. If you can build a toolbox, you can build an RV. Attend and you’ll find out what I’m on about. I did, and did!

If during construction you have a brain freeze, STOP! Take the dog for a walk or go and cut the grass, anything really to have a think. For 75% of the time the bell will ring in your head, a light will illuminate and you’ll have solved it. The other 25% of the time is what the builders’ forums are for.

You will also become adept at making other things to make your build life just that little bit easier, such as wing cradles, work horses, insulated / heated storage cabinets and the such like. You will also take on the persona of a tool maker, in that you will fabricate tools, widgets and gadgets to reach around corners or into tiny little cavities to access a clip or nut that you forgot to insert 35 pages before. You will also gain, with a high degree of accuracy, without a gauge, the ability to look at a row of solid rivets and see the one that is under set.

There is, of course, a bit of a downside. Suddenly, without any warning you will, sort of, take on this aura of knowledge. Not just aeronautical knowledge, but all knowledge. You will be required, by your friends and family, to fix things as random as toasters, oil central heating boilers or, I kid you not, a seized field topper (the thing a big tractor drags around to cut deep grass). Any objection about ‘not having a clue’ is generally dismissed with ‘you built an aeroplane, didn’t you?’

So now that I’ve bored you all, and I can hear some virtual snoring at the back, it’s time for the inevitable ‘thanks to…’. Steve, yep him again, for putting up with me as a co-owner of our other aeroplane, and 37 years of friendship. The legend, in these here parts, who is Alan Bennett-Turner my Inspector, the font of all knowledge!

New Projects

If your aircraft has been featured in the New Projects list, please let Project News know of your progress at: projectnews@laa.uk.com

■ TL2000UK Sting Carbon S4 (LAA 347A15846) 30/8/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

Cleared To Fly

If your aircraft has featured recently in the magazine and has subsequently completed its maiden flight, Project News would like to hear from you at: projectnews@laa.uk.com

■ G-CLPY Van’s RV-7 (LAA 323-15550) 26/9/2022

Mr Antony Spencer, Castle Oak, Castle Road, Offton, Ipswich, IP8 4RN

■ G-BUFG Slingsby T61f Venture T MK2 (s/n 1977) 14/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

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Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-CLGI Glastar (PFA 295-14561) 2/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-CMJB Streak Shadow SLA (PFA 206-13735) 14/9/2022

Above John’s RV-12iS is fully painted and ready for many enjoyable hours flying.

The ‘WhattsAppers’ not restricted to ‘the gruesome twosome’, thanks to the fuel pump MOD guys. The Garmin Guru, well his name says it all! Europa Bob, and his fibreglass skills, I laughed!

But my biggest thank you goes to the poor soul, who in a moment of complete lunacy, 35 years ago, decided to share her life with me, and to that end, my RV-12iS carries her name. ■

■ Monnett Sonerai IIL (LAA 015A-15847)

5/9/2022

Mr D J Howell, 70 High Street, Kinver, South Staffs., DY7 6ER

■ Zenair CH-750 (LAA 381-15848) 15/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ Van’s RV-7 (LAA 323-15851) 28/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ Just Superstol XL (LAA 397-15849) 20/9/2022

Mr P Wilkinson, Woodland Grange, Everingham, York. YO42 4JA

■ KFA Safari (LAA 402-15850) 21/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-ETGO Groppo Trail MK 2 (LAA 37215462) 5/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-GBSD TL2000UK Sting Carbon S4 (LAA 347A-15804)

15/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-HWPK Sling 4 (LAA 400-15721) 7/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-OHII Van’s RV-7 (s/n 70150) 2/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-ORPC Europa XS (PFA 247-13521)

26/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

■ G-PTSI Sling 4 TSi (LAA 400A-15790) 22/9/2022

Name & Address held by LAA Engineering