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Getting ready for a -12

shimuneka

Member
Looking to get started on a -12 in the next few months. I was wondering is the kit really as simple and straight forward as I have been reading? What kind of preparation tips do you guys have as far as the shop goes? Will the ?standard? EAA table be sufficient.
 
Building a 12

I would build yourself at least two EAA tables as a minimum. You will need at least two for the wings. Having three would be best to put your tail section on or fuselage while working on wings. You can never have enough tables. I presently have five work benches in my hanger and they all have stuff on them.
 
My layout table is made from two 4? X 8? X 3/4? sheets of plywood butted up against each other on the short edge and screwed to a 2? X 4? frame with several 4? crosspieces to prevent sagging in the middle. The legs are six 2 X 4?s with lag bolts screwed into the ends so I can level the table. I wired 4 outlets mounted on the side frames so I?m never more than 4 feet from an outlet. I found it is useful to cut a 3? diameter hole near the end to sweep away debris or for drilling a part without putting another. It?s the veteran of three builds and has served me well.
 
I just used the boxes the plane came in. 4 x 4 legs and a few 2 x 2?s under the surface to strengthen it. Worked well.
 
Shimuneka,

My RV-12 build was the second airplane I was involved with building. During the first build, it quickly became apparent having wheels on all the work benches, tables and parts racks is very beneficial.

If you are like most of us, the build will likely begin in a garage or basement and you will find yourself needing to rearrange the shop multiple times during various phases of the build. Having everything on wheels (preferably locking) makes this chore a piece of cake.

Also, depending on your age and condition of your back, you may want to consider making one or two workbenches lower than typical. I did not want to be standing and leaning over the work for extended periods of time ... so I purposely made two work benches that are low enough I can sit on a rolling mechanics chair while doing the majority of the measuring, drilling, deburring, countersinking, and riveting. My third work bench is of a standard height for a vise and all the power tools ... small band saw, small drill press, grinder, and ScotchBrite wheel station (which is used a lot).

For visual assistance during the build, there are a ton of photos on my blog for reference.

Happy building,
 
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My RV-12 build was the second airplane I was involved with building. During the first build, it quickly became apparent having wheels on all the work benches, tables and parts racks is very beneficial.

If you are like most of us, the build will likely begin in a garage or basement and you will find yourself needing to rearrange the shop multiple times during various phases of the build. Having everything on wheels (preferably locking) makes this chore a piece of cake.

Also, depending on your age and condition of your back, you may want to consider making one or two workbenches lower than typical. I did not want to be standing and leaning over the work for extended periods of time ... so I purposely made two work benches that are low enough I can sit on a rolling mechanics chair while doing the majority of the measuring, drilling, deburring, countersinking, and riveting. My third work bench is of a standard height for a vise and all the power tools ... small band saw, small drill press, grinder, and ScotchBrite wheel station (which is used a lot).

For visual assistance during the build, there are a ton of photos on my blog for reference.
Great advice, John.
 
Thanks

I appreciate the advice. One of the most important reasons I have decided to go with a Vans is the number of people that have come before me that are willing to pass the experience along.
 
It's hard but doable

I just finished my RV-12iS and flew it a week ago. It took me two years. There is so much to learn in building an airplane. Here are a few things off the top of my head.

1. Order your kits well in advance of when you need them. I had about 7 months of delays waiting for Van's to send kits, 4 months just for the avoinics kit.

2. You will never regret spending money on tools that make the job easier. I was getting tendonitis with the $150 blind rivet gun from Cleaveland (a great company, BTW) so I upgraded to the $450 Pop Rivet brand gun (a professional tool). I only wish I had started with it. I wish I had bought a drill press if only to drill the steel flapperon counterbalance tubes. Very difficult to do with a hand drill. Buy lots of drill bits, they are cheap. If you think your bit might be dull, replace it. You will buying more tools and supplies throughout the project. It's never ending.

3. A right angle drill attachment would be helpful but costs $188 including bits. I used a die grinder with a #30 bit.

4. Scotchbrite Wheel on a grinder: Super useful. I wouldn't do without it

5. Part prep takes quite a bit of time and it is an acquired skill. You'll get very good at at. Prep the entire kit before you start assembling. At the end of the build when you're only doing wiring, screws and bolts you'll miss drilling, deburring and riveting aluminum. It will seem like a simpler time.

6. Priming. Oh dear. I went back and forth on this. I live in a non-humid area so I felt priming thin alclad was optional. I still ended up priming most things with Sherwin Williams P60 G2. I felt like my reason to not prime was because it was a lot of work. My reason to prime is that most professional builders prime. It's a tough decision and people will debate it forever.

7. For tables I bought 2 adjustable height, 6 foot tables from Home Depot (on-line only). That's what Synergy Air used and I liked them a lot.

8. Building an airplane is an exercise in problem solving. I got frustrated on a regular basis. Build the plane for the enjoyment of building a plane rather than to have a plane. If you want to have a plane, go on barnstormers.com and buy one. You'll actually save time and money. But if you want to build a plane, embrace the project. So many times I thought my current problem was unsolvable and yet soon it would be completely solved. Problems will arise. Some your fault, some Van's, some faulty parts from a third party. Everything is solvable.

Good luck and ask for help.

Patrick
 
I just finished my RV-12iS and flew it a week ago. It took me two years. There is so much to learn in building an airplane. Here are a few things off the top of my head.
That was a great post, Patrick. Thank you.

Enjoy your new airplane!
 
Tables finished.

Well, I decided to go ahead and get the materials to build 2 tables. When i got home, I got a wild hair to cut the boards to length. That turned into my wife volunteering to help. 2 hours later, we have 2 tables completed. They are square, level, and sturdy. Very glad to have gone ahead and put them on wheels.
 
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I am a first time builder who is about 75% of the way through my 12iS.

I agree with everything Patrick says. I will reiterate his line about the steel flapperon counterbalance tubes. There are jigs for holding a drill bit in place when drilling into curved surfaces. I would recommend using one of those (the problem is the steel is so strong and the skin is so thin it's easy for the bit to walk).

A few other points to consider:

If you can afford to do so, a builders assist like the one from synergy air is very valuable. My wife and I took the class together and finished the empanage in less than a week. http://synergyair.com/builder-classes/empennage/

Spend the $10 and add the electronic version of the plans *every* time you order the next kit. You'll get the most up to date version of all the sections. I have this on my home laptop and my work laptop. Conservatively I read each chapter 10 times before I start doing anything - and I *still* make mistakes :) You can put spare time at work/home to productive work by reading/rereading the plans before you put your hands on any parts. As many have noted prior, a less than 100% clear drawing on page 3 can be clarified by the drawing on page 10.

Cleavland is great beyond just selling tools. They have a great set of youtube videos on how to use their tools. Watch those videos. Also EAA Hints for Homebuilders - watch as many as you can stand :)

You can get deals on used tools here:

https://www.yardstore.com/

I bought my 90 degree drill from there and also managed to snag a #30 reamer that's about 1" long. My tech counselor was impressed I was able to snag that baby. Also: ebay.

Join local EAA chapter and get connected there if you haven't already. Most valuable decision I've made so far. I have a regular work partner who has already built a 12. His experience (AP/IA with 35+ years work experience) cannot be quantified. Paraphrasing my father: "his pinky knows more about building airplanes than I will ever know." Hopefully like me you'll get both a willing helper and a great new friendship.

The other valuable thing I did was read a builder's blog from start to finish. I found this one:

http://rv-12-n419aj.blogspot.com/

there may be others now devoted to the 12iS. These are a great supplement to the plans.

I actually built a 4x8 table on rollers. It has ~3.5 foot extensions hinged at each end. It's large enough with those extended to hold the wings while you are putting them together. I also built two EAA tables - they hold my stationary tools and sorted parts from the various kit paper bags.

One more piece of advice. From my tech counselor: "do it right the first time." It may seem trite, but I hear those words every time I screw something up :) If you aren't sure you can squeeze, or reach to pull a rivet stop and get some help. Pulling a 4-3 rivet correctly takes 1-2 seconds. Drilling out an improperly pulled or squeezed rivet takes considerably longer. The longer you build the better you'll get at knowing when you should stop. Error on the side of caution at the beginning.
 
Used rotax?

With this being my frist build, I really don?t intend to change anything about the airplane, except possibly set it up for basic IFR flight. That being said, if I end up doing that, I guess I am going to have to go the E-AB route. If I Am going to go E-AB instead of E-LSA I have been considering trying to find a slightly used or rebuilt Rotax to install, but I am having very little success finding much out there. I am nowhere near ready to buy one, but I am trying to figure out how much I might be able to save on a used or rebuilt engine vs buying a new one. Does anyone on here have any recommendations on reputable places to look?
 
You are allowed to make changes to an E-LSA after completing the 5 hour test phase, as long as the plane still meets the definition of LSA. So you may add IFR avionics to your E-LSA if desired.
 
Kit ordered

Well, I finally got around to ordering the kit. I want to thank you all in advance for the help and expertise I know you will all be providing.
 
IMC

You are allowed to make changes to an E-LSA after completing the 5 hour test phase, as long as the plane still meets the definition of LSA. So you may add IFR avionics to your E-LSA if desired.

Actually you can build the RV-12iST which is a IFR trainer that is a S-LSA. So the E-LSA from Vans will be available at anytime. Remember that if your certifying E-LSA you need to stay out of any IMC with your IFR equipped RV-12iST.
 
Took the big first step

I have been vetting the RV-12iS kit for over a year now.
I traveled to this years Airventure (first time for me) and spoke with a number of -12 builders/owners or someone who knows a builder/owner. The feedback is always positive.
On Wednesday I took the big step and ordered the empennage kit. I feel a bit relieved now that the decision is finally behind me.
As a first time builder I'm really looking forward to the building process. That's the most attractive part in all of this for me.
 
It's a bit more challenging than an IKEA project but a lot more fun, and Van's have made it about as easy as possible. Still as good as the kit is, I'm even more in awe of whoever wrote and illustrated the instructions. He, she or they deserve a medal for undertaking such a monumental task with all the painstaking attention to detail that it requires. I don't know who they are, but they really deserve our collective thanks for doing such an outstanding job.
 
Congrats Bruce on the Emp kit

Knowing you're just down the road from me will keep me motivated to pull those rivets. Summer life has kept me away from the kit for almost two months:(
Look forward to speaking with you about the seminar.
John
 
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