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Wings Removal; Trailering

DaveV

I'm New Here
Hello,

I'm new to this site. I am an inactive private pilot, now retired, and preparing to re-enter the world of sport aviation as a sport pilot. I am interested in the RV-12. There are two things at this point that are holding me back: 1) I would plan to keep the aircraft at home in my garage, to avoid our high hanger costs. Has anyone developed a trailer for this aircraft, preferrably a low-slung trailer to enable me to tip the tail down (support the nose wheel) and roll the trailer/aircraft through my standard garage door?, and 2) Has anyone addressed a way to remove and attach the wings by themselves? My wife is not that interested in aviation, so I will most likely be flying alone much of the time.

Thanks,
Dave
 
to be honest, I don't know of any of the completed RV12 that are being trailered. It may be happening, but no one has discussed it on here or any of the other internet conversations. You cannot remove the wings yourself...they are too heavy and too large. It is a two person job. This thing is more of an airplane than an ultralight. Its wonderful and probably the best plane I've ever owned but its not realistic to assume you handle it in pieces on the ground by yourself.
 
Lots of discussion here...

to be honest, I don't know of any of the completed RV12 that are being trailered. It may be happening, but no one has discussed it on here or any of the other internet conversations. You cannot remove the wings yourself...they are too heavy and too large. It is a two person job. This thing is more of an airplane than an ultralight. Its wonderful and probably the best plane I've ever owned but its not realistic to assume you handle it in pieces on the ground by yourself.

One person removal...

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=44803&highlight=rv-12+trailer

Trailering...

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=33597&highlight=rv-12+trailer

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=21396&highlight=rv-12+trailer

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=12312&highlight=rv-12+trailer

...and lots more if you search more...:)
 
12 trailering

There are numerous devices for single wing handleing in the glider world. Check Wings n Wheels web site or the SSA web site. Van may help in your search as he is a glider guy.
 
One person removal..,
Yep, what Gil says. I have done quite a bit of this single handed rigging derigging with gliders (that generally have much heavier wings) and it is very doable. It can also get real old real fast.
 
No.. I mis-answered your post...

Gil,

You know of someone who is actually trailering a living RV12 back and forth to the airport? Who is it? These discussions are all speculation.

...it really was a response to the bit about it being not practical.

If one-person rigs work with 160 lb. 26 ft long glider wings, it certainly is doable with RV-12 wings.

I didn't mean to say I knew someone actually trailering - my mis-understanding of your comment.

At one time with my glider I rented a small area of a shed and rolled in the fuselage and stored the wings alongside in racks - no trailer, but much less floor space taken up. I would think this aproach would be a cost save for a RV-12 in a shared hangar...
 
Is this trailer idea feasible?

At the airport, the fuselage is unloaded from the trailer first and parked about 14 feet behind the trailer and perpendicular to it. A wing is then rotated from its vertical stored position on the inside of trailer wall to a horizontal position on the trailer floor. A telescoping slider built into the floor allows one person to pull the wing out of the trailer and insert the spar part way into the fuselage. The person then walks back to the other end of the wing, lifts it and guides it the rest of the way into the fuselage. The RV-12 is then turned around 180 degrees for insertion of the second wing.
I am not planning on doing this, but someone might if the idea is feasible.
Joe
 
...it really was a response to the bit about it being not practical.

If one-person rigs work with 160 lb. 26 ft long glider wings, it certainly is doable with RV-12 wings.

I didn't mean to say I knew someone actually trailering - my mis-understanding of your comment.

At one time with my glider I rented a small area of a shed and rolled in the fuselage and stored the wings alongside in racks - no trailer, but much less floor space taken up. I would think this aproach would be a cost save for a RV-12 in a shared hangar...

I agree Gil. Its all possible and was certainly an intention of the design. I think the difference between the RV12 and gliders is that most glider manufacturers actually build them with trailering and wing removal in mind. I don't believe Van's actually gave any practical thought to either when they designed the 12...unfortunately. In fact the one that was trailered to Florida a couple years ago was damaged by the time it got to Florida. All that said, I think it is an outstanding airplane and commend Vans for doing what they do best...design aircraft. To my knowledge, they have no plan to get into the trailer business.
 
I listened to the webinair with Van about the RV12 and I remember him hinting about they are/will be working on a trailer for transport. I think he said it would be a simple open design.
 
But Van has personally owned...

I agree Gil. Its all possible and was certainly an intention of the design. I think the difference between the RV12 and gliders is that most glider manufacturers actually build them with trailering and wing removal in mind. I don't believe Van's actually gave any practical thought to either when they designed the 12...unfortunately. In fact the one that was trailered to Florida a couple years ago was damaged by the time it got to Florida. All that said, I think it is an outstanding airplane and commend Vans for doing what they do best...design aircraft. To my knowledge, they have no plan to get into the trailer business.

...at least two sailplanes - I'm sure he knows about dis-assembly...:)

Glider trailers are rarely designed/made by the glider manufacturers - they are a third party item - just like the one-man assembly rigs. Wait for enough RV-12s to be completed and a trailer will appear...:D

The plane (or glider) does get a lot of wear when trailered, and trailer design can be difficult - having built two of them myself. It does take a couple of long trips to sort out the bugs, and the required suspension stiffness. I wonder if the Florida trip was a trailer maiden voyage?

The "roll it into a small hangar space and store the wings in racks" might end up being the most cost-effective storage solution though.
 
Thanks to everyone for their responses and discussion regarding my questions. Obviously single-person wing removal and trailering capability must not be high on Van's priority list if nothing has been done in over 2 years.
I really want to be able to trailer my aircraft home, and to be able to set it up myself at the airport. I spent an afternoon looking at a flying example of a Kitfox Series 7 Super-Sport, and learning about the aircraft from its builder. It has a well-designed, simple and easy to operate wing folding system that only requires one person to use, and it has hard-points designed into the aircraft for trailering it short distances on its own gear. It is also a great performing aircraft, with a 25 year history and a stellar safety record. I'm considering that aircraft as an alternative to the RV-12.
 
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