The Plane

What is RV-12

RV-12 is two-seat, single-engine, low-wing airplane designed by Van’s Aircraft.

Wing Span 8 m Length 6 m Empty Weight 336 kg Gross Weight (MTOW) 600 kg Baggage capacity 23 kg Fuel capacity 76 L Engine 100 HP Max speed Vne 136 knots Stall speed 41 knots Takoff distance 210 m Landing distance 160 m Ceiling 13800 ft Ceiling 4000 m Range 950 km

Why people build airplanes? – There is no straight answer. To each their own.

Why do I build an airplane? – Because I want to.

Is it cheaper to build an airplane than buy? –  No. It is about the same money. It’s just fun to build a plane.

What are the benefits of building a plane? – Learning. Fun. Bragging rights.

Why RV-12

I considered a few different kit-built designs. Some all-metal. Some tubes and fabric. After attending a builders workshop related to fabric covered planes at Natfly (Temora) I thought I’d better stick to metal planes. For quite long time my favorite designs were Zenith CH-601XL/650 and CH701/750, Sonex and RV-12.
Sonex is really sexy plane, but I’m too tall for it.
Zenith CH750 – nice plane but… hmm… not very sexy in my opinion.
Basically it was down to choosing between Zenith CH650 and RV-12.
The main reason why I picked RV-12 was modular construction and the level and the quality of pre-fabrication.
RV-12 is a bit more expensive than CH650 but the I plan to offset the cost by using alternative engine and avionics.