Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

To date I have a total of 843 1/2 hours into the RV-12 build. I completed the wing kit in 232 1/2 hours; fuselage kit in 314 1/2 hours; tailcone/empannage kit in 151 hours & so far have done 145 1/2 hours in the finishing kit.

Jerry was again kind enough to give me a hand building today. Once again, what he (and I) accomplish in one 5-7 hour day would take me several days on my own. There is something to be said for experience, knowledge & patience ... his, not mine.

The day before Jerry arrived, I made the Flaperon Pushrod Assemblies, Fork Assemblies & the Detent Bracket Assembly (Section 31-06,07) and Jerry was able to install them all. Trust me, the assemblies are more difficult to install than manufacture. Our F1266A Detent Bracket Assembly was a bear to install. The bracket had to be "reshaped" with a hammer, and a pair of crescent wrenches before it would slide thru the flap handle and fork assembly.

Pictures include my friend Jerry and a rundown of where I am as of New Years Eve December 31, 2009.

Once again, Happy New Year!

Flight Controls ... Good Progress!

My friend, Jerry, spent the day with me and my RV-12 in the garage. He accomplished so much so quickly ... it made my head spin. Like a hot knife through butter, Section 32: Flight Controls pages 32-01, 02, 03, 04 and 05 were completed ... plus additional wiring connections were made.

On page 32-04 be sure you place the two F1262 Flap Handle Blocks around the Flap handle pushrod assembly and slip the combined parts into the tunnel together and then screw the assembly to the ribs. Thats the only way you'll get the assembly in.

I'm still trying to locate a specialized crimper for the the pin that broke off the WH P30 cable. When located, I hope to put Section 31:Fuselage Wiring Harness behind me, once and for all.

A Bit of Bad Luck ...

On the last page of the wiring Section 31-14, I accidently broke off the tiny "gold" pin at the end of the white and blue wire of the WH P-30 cable and now I need to order some replacement pins along with a special circular crimper. I was so close to finish the wiring section ... and now I have to wait for the parts to arrive. Oh well ...

The first note in Section 32 says before proceeding with this section ... "reattach" and leave the empannage section attached. No can do in my 2 car garage so I'll do all I can minus the connecting the control cables to the empannage. I'll finish that up when I get to a hanger.

My halogen light had to be replaced so I went to Lowes and picked up two new halogen lights. These will come in handy when I get that hanger I mentioned a moment ago.

Almost Done With Wiring ... almost

Finally, both fuselage pin assemblies work with the light test in Section 31-10 ...Ta Dahhhh! My friend Jerry was able to get the right pin working with the new parts from Van's Aircraft. We replaced the pin stopper, magnet insert and the magnetic switch on the right side. I was also able to install the F12125 over the rudder pedals wire tunnel without removing the rudder pedals ... took several hours of trial and error ... but it worked.

In Section 31-14, figure 2 it calls for two white wires from the WH-P30 but there was only one white wire. So I was told to connect all the colored wires called for in figure 2 then use the remaining colored wire as if it were a remaining white wire ... process of elimination, I guess ... works for me.

In Section 31-15 I installed the Artex ELT Bracket but before doing so I painted it with the interior gray paint I've been using.

Be careful in Section 37-04, figure 2, Bending the Float Arm. I matched it up to the wire in figure 2 and cut it before I realized there was a second bend and a 3/4" extention beyond the figure. Not a big problem ... had the piece welded on ... $10.00 ... oh well, just gotta be more careful.

I'll be starting Section 32:Flight Control very soon and I've decided not to reattach the empannage as it directs me to do at the start of this section because there is no room in my garage to do that. Instead I'm planning to attach the "mechanical" controls minus the cables, then move on to the canopy and landing gear without finishing and mounting the gas tank. Afterwards I'll order and install the Avionics Kit and Engine Kit in my garage THEN I'll move to a hanger at SRQ or VNC and finish the build.

There are currently 16 RV-12 completed and flying. And yes, I am jealous!

Gas Tank Sealant ... What a Mess!

I just ordered the $10.00 F12125 improvement part in Section 31-13 to hold the wires above the rudder pedals instead of using the cushion Adel clamps which ususally give me a hard time to install. I've also manufactured a new WD1217C pin stopper with epoxied magnet inside in an attempt to get the pin light to test properly on the right side of the airplane (Section 31-06). I got the left side working and figure it's only a matter of time till the right side tests out properly.

I cleaned the tank sealant off the front of the gas tank. I applied sealant on the rivets holding the nutplates where it wasn't needed by mistake a few weeks ago. Today's photo page has the after picture of the front of the tank. ... As another builder stated, "the mistakes we make are not important ... but how we correct them is!"

No matter how hard I try to BE NEAT when using the gas tank sealant I still make a mess. I've got all the chemicals ready, latex gloves, tools, rags and popsicle sticks ready and still I make a mess. Fortunately the majority of the mess is INSIDE the gas tank and on me. Tomorrw will be more of the same. Very messy!

The Wiring Continues ...

A gentleman who came to see my RV-12 build a couple of months ago was kind enought to call and come back to my home and assist me with my build today. He too is assembling an RV-12 and is awaiting the arrival of his final 3 kits. His assistance was much appreciated and he (we) were able to accomplish a great deal. We mounted all 4 headset jacks, grounded several wires, installed both control sticks, PPT-P and PPT-CP buttons as well as both hand grips.

The process of getting the PPT wires thru the control sticks (WD1212) was a bit tricky. Once we tried a string and used the air compressor to blow the lead string thru the control sticks all went a bit more smoothly.

The OAT (Outside Air Temperature probe) was mounted fairly easily a few day before.

From one Jerry to another ... thanks so much for the help.

December 1, 2009 ... and building once again!

I was unable to build the entire month of November! My RV-12 sat in my garage and gathered dust. The first 20 days of the month my daughter and 2 1/2 year old grandson were visiting from OR and the remaining days of the month I was visiting my other daughter and son-in-law in Charlotte NC. But now I'm back building and still hope to have my plane airborne by mid 2010 ...

So far in 2009, for one reason or another, I was unable to build the majority of the months of April, July, August, September & November ... I wonder if I would have been finished by now if I had been building those months. My kit serial #120003 means I was the third person to receive an RV-12 kit and so far there are about 290 kits being assembled around the globe. I guess I won't be the first one done and I won't be the last one done ... I'll settle for somewhere in between.

There are now 13 RV-12s flying and all builder/pilots report the RV-12 as a fine aircraft to fly. I can't wait to join them!

I was able to get my left spar wing switch to work according to hoyle but am still having problems with the right one. Will get back to that at a later date as they will be accessible for the duration of the build. I'll just continue on the wiring on the 12 ... I'll post pictures but they are not very informative ... just wires all over the place.

Van's Aircraft came out with an auto pilot for the -12. The kit sells for $1950.00 ... and can be installed either now or after the plane is completed. Guess I'll wait.

Gas Tank & Wiring ...What a Combo!

Still working my way through Section 31 , The Fuselage Wiring Harness. I made it to section 31-04, step 6 and ran into a problem. One of my CPU fans was not working ... so I called Van's Aircraft and they sent me out one at no charge ... I just had to wait for it to arrive so I jumped ahead to section 37 and tackeled the fuel tank while waiting for the fan to arrive.

I tried to be as neat as I could while working on the fuel tank but that sealant is a mess to work with ... no if ands or buts. I had the MEK solvent, latex gloves, rags, sealent from Van's in the caulking tubes, Van's caulking gun and popsicle sticks all laid out and ready to go ... and still it was a mess to work with. I completed the front half of the tank and then ran out of the sealant so I had to order more from Van's.

I didn't want to start a third section so I decided to wait for either the fan of sealant to arrive. A new CPU fan arrived so I continued with fuselage wiring harness. I made it to section 31-6, step 3 ... and so far so good ...

By the way ... there are now 7 RV-12s that have put air UNDER their tires ... I'm jealous ... but my day will come ...

Began Wiring Today

With the fuselage on it's side, I was finally able to attach the clip holding the return fuel line to the interior of the firewall. After finishing that, I began the wiring process.

When you pull the telephone line through the 1202Y conduit tube you might try taping the clip so as to hold the clip close to the wire (section31-3) ... this will facilitate pulling process with the pre-set string.

So far I ran the WH-RV12-SL-ANT, WH-RV12-TX-ANT the ES RS 279-374 Phone Cable. That went smoothly enough ... but you do have to loosen the rudder pedals to pass the wire tips over the rudder pedals. Also, when you slit the snap bushings to make the wire fit thru, it's best to cut them on the top and bottom of one of the side slots so you only have to cut a couple of very small bits of plastic. I cut the snap bushings with my aluminium shears ... no problem.

Van's Aircraft website currently lists 5 (five) RV-12s completed and flying. To date there are 6393 Rv's completed and flying ... click here to see the latest first flight write-ups!

Flipped Fuselage on Side ... Hurray!!

Believe it or not, today was a big day! I was fortunate enough to get three neighbors and my wife to help me flip the fuselage-tailcone on it's side! I can reach areas in the cockpit that I could never come close to reaching before. I hope now to make some real progress on the finishing kit ... finally!

Yesterday before the flip, I debured & painted the 7 main access panels on the floor and behind the luggage compartment. I learned from experience to never, NEVER spray paint while in the hot sun ... I guess it dries too fast and doesn't adhere to the metal.

Back from OR & CA ... now back to building!

I spent the last month in Oregon visiting my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. We all had great fun visiting Crater Lake National Park, Medford, Klamath Falls, Newport and last but not least SanFrancisco. The entire trip out West I was thinking about my RV-12 and how much full it'll be flying out there in it next year. That's right this baby will be in the air sometime next year ... by July, I hope.

I just installed the 1204Y plastic conduit tube and now need to find a couple of strong guys to help me turn the fuselage on it's side to continue. Will be 100% back into the project in the next couple of days.

A fellow homebuilder has FINISHED his plane and has flown it. Congratulations to him and if you would like to see his plane and read all about it click here!

Cowling Done ...well almost, anyway

I'm just about finished with the Cowling Section 38 ... upper and lower cowling match up as good as I can get'em. Just remember to apply a little Boelube oil to the hinge pins before you try to slip them into the piano hinges. Check and double check the hinges before you rivet them to the different areas of the cowling ... you'd hate to make a mistake there.

By the way, my wife came out to the garage last week and saw me searching for the cleco pliers, screwdriver, cleco and just about anything that wasn't screwed down ... she suggested I get a tool belt. What a great idea! I never thought of that. I went to Harbor Freight and bought a tool belt for about $7.00. What a good investment! Everything I need hanging

around my waist.

I've decided to leave section 38-09 steps 2 thru 10 till I'm finished with the entire Finishing kit. Will also leave the majority of section 30, Fitting the Wings, undone till I get into a hanger. So tomorrw I'll continue where I left off on Section 31, Fuselage Wiring Harness.

The oil access door tool about five hours to do. As I've said so many time before, I'm not the fastest builder in Van's World ... but I'm getting the job done.

Getting the HW 2600-3W camlock fasteners into the upper cowling to place the HW 212-12 camlock receptacle in their proper position was a bit tricky till you figure out you have to put pressure on the camlock fasteners so they will fit into the 1/4' hole in the cowling. Difficult to get them in & difficult to get them out ... but doable with thunb pressure on the HW 2600-3w fasteners.

Here's a video of my RV-12 build after 720 hours ... feel free to take a look. Click Here!