Hi,
sorry I postet this thread accidentally in the RV12 forum, I closed it there as I haven't found the possibility to delete or move the thread to another forum.
At first thanks for this great forum and for all the information I've already found here.
I'm new to this forum so a short introduction. I live in the northern part of Germany, 38 years, married, 2 small kids and have been flying since more than 20 years. At the moment I own a 4-Seat Vintage Taildragger but decided to sell it and build my own plane in the near future. It should be a 2-Seater as I seldom use the 4 seats.
There are a lot of options nowadays but for me as a first time builder I'd prefer a kit with great builder support and a company behind it which already is in business for some years. So at the moment I have the following aircraft on my list.
RV9, RV12, Europa XS and maybe Rans S21 (maybe too new to get enough support).
My mission profile EXcludes aerobatics. I just need an efficient aircraft, carrying 2 people (together around 330 lbs) for around 500NM at a reasonable speed (at least 110kts) and take some baggage (including tent and sleeping bags) for longer trips (at the moment maybe a weekend only but in the future when the kids are grown up, let's say 1-2 weeks). I know, everything is a compromise.
Although I appreciate comments on the other planes as well, I would stick to the RVs here. The 9 - on paper - would be perfect for me. But I'm wondering about the long build time and the Lycoming. I trust the old engines, no question, but they are more expensive, don't fly on mogas with ethanol, and I always have to order more expensive parts from the U.S. instead of driving to ROTAX. I want to make as little changes as possible to the design so another engine is not an option for me.
I like the 12 more and more but have some concerns.
Can somebody post the dimensions (not the volume) of the baggage bay in the new RV12is and in the 9?
Vans mentions a volume of 5 cubic feet in the 12, this seems to be little tight.
I have found nearly nothing about the touring capability of the 12.
I calculated the W&B for the "old" RV12 with the sample data of the POH provided
by VANS. With only me (185lbs) in the cockpit it seems to be impossible to load any baggage when the tanks are full. Also with my wife it's impossible to make use of the 75lbs in the back. And if I put the 912 instead of the 912is in it it will even become worse I think.
Can you confirm that the 12 is so trim critical?
I've never flown a VANS yet but I hope to get a demo flight on my first visit in OSH this year.
Thank you so much for your help.
Simon
sorry I postet this thread accidentally in the RV12 forum, I closed it there as I haven't found the possibility to delete or move the thread to another forum.
At first thanks for this great forum and for all the information I've already found here.
I'm new to this forum so a short introduction. I live in the northern part of Germany, 38 years, married, 2 small kids and have been flying since more than 20 years. At the moment I own a 4-Seat Vintage Taildragger but decided to sell it and build my own plane in the near future. It should be a 2-Seater as I seldom use the 4 seats.
There are a lot of options nowadays but for me as a first time builder I'd prefer a kit with great builder support and a company behind it which already is in business for some years. So at the moment I have the following aircraft on my list.
RV9, RV12, Europa XS and maybe Rans S21 (maybe too new to get enough support).
My mission profile EXcludes aerobatics. I just need an efficient aircraft, carrying 2 people (together around 330 lbs) for around 500NM at a reasonable speed (at least 110kts) and take some baggage (including tent and sleeping bags) for longer trips (at the moment maybe a weekend only but in the future when the kids are grown up, let's say 1-2 weeks). I know, everything is a compromise.
Although I appreciate comments on the other planes as well, I would stick to the RVs here. The 9 - on paper - would be perfect for me. But I'm wondering about the long build time and the Lycoming. I trust the old engines, no question, but they are more expensive, don't fly on mogas with ethanol, and I always have to order more expensive parts from the U.S. instead of driving to ROTAX. I want to make as little changes as possible to the design so another engine is not an option for me.
I like the 12 more and more but have some concerns.
Can somebody post the dimensions (not the volume) of the baggage bay in the new RV12is and in the 9?
Vans mentions a volume of 5 cubic feet in the 12, this seems to be little tight.
I have found nearly nothing about the touring capability of the 12.
I calculated the W&B for the "old" RV12 with the sample data of the POH provided
by VANS. With only me (185lbs) in the cockpit it seems to be impossible to load any baggage when the tanks are full. Also with my wife it's impossible to make use of the 75lbs in the back. And if I put the 912 instead of the 912is in it it will even become worse I think.
Can you confirm that the 12 is so trim critical?
I've never flown a VANS yet but I hope to get a demo flight on my first visit in OSH this year.
Thank you so much for your help.
Simon