What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Modifications that you have Made to your RV-12 after Certification? E-LSA Only!

Jetguy

Well Known Member
This new sticky thread is for Modifications Owners have made to their RV12 E-LSAs and would like to share them after they have received their Airworthiness Certificates. This way other Owners can see and find all the cool mods the people have made to their RV12s in one place. EABs, since you guys are in a different category please don't post here cause what you do may not be legal for a E-LSA. Let knowledge be shared!

Note: This new Sticky thread was discussed with Delta Romeo before being posted.

John
RV12 N1212K
 
Nothing really special, but mtd a Zaon MRX in the panel that used to sit on glareshield of my 6A, and added 2" altimeter and airspeed indicators to the panel for redundancy in event of EFIS going dark.
Dick Seiders 120093
 
Whow - Have done a few

1. Closed window, and installed Moeller Marine Fuel Gauge.
2. Installed Thermostasis Oil Thermostat.
3. Installed Heater Damper Door for colder climates.
4. Installed Reiff Pre-Heat System.
5. Put nutplates on filler neck to make removal easier.
6. Designed tapered steel pin to help install wings after seals installed.
7. Made Jack System for easy lifting.

Those are the main ones I can remember !

John Bender
 
Modifications

Reiff pre-heat system
Moeller mechanical fuel gauge
Added one more hinge attachment point to move pilot's seat forward one more 'notch' and added a spacer to hold pilot's seat back a bit more forward (shorter pilot)
Added remote mounted oil pressure sender (Dynon's recommendations after the Honeywell unit failed.)
Wheel pants installed. (Lots of non-technical work, but plane looks a LOT better.)
 
Last edited:
Added A canopy Lock.

Heres how we solved the lock problem. At Lowes we bought a standard Desk draw lock with a 1 inch shaft. We then drilled out a shaft diameter hole in the side of the fuse below the ?? Angle making up the upper edge. See the lock after mounting on the outside of the fuse.
P6270098.jpg

Then we cut a channel in the top surface of the edge for the arm of the lock to come up through.
P6270106.jpg

P6270101.jpg

We then put a small length of ?? angle on the inside lower edge of the f the canopy frame.
P6270105.jpg

Then we cut a slot in the arm of the lock to capture the piece of angle.
P6270103.jpg

That?s it. Caution I would not buy the lock from Aircraft Lowes. It had too much play in it. But we made do with what we had.

John
RV12 N1212K
 
What to do with that pesky oil cap

Here is a Mod we recently did. Since we keep our oil caps off longer than Lys or Cont we need a nice place to put it so we dont lose it or forget to put it back on. So my partner came up with this one.

oildoor.jpg

See anything different about this door?

oilcapmod.jpg

Added some clips

oilcap.jpg

Now I wont lose it.

oildoorclose.jpg

Now I wont forget to put it on.:eek:

HINT: Use those Reduced head flush Rivets so you dont have to worry about dimpling. Just a small amount of counter sink needed.

John
RV12 N1212K
 
Modifications

That lock is a great idea John. Maybe Van's should make it an option. It would help keep the Feds happy.

Art Pennanen
 
The RV12 Step!

Here is something we discovered about the RV12 step. Right before OSH 2010 we had the leave the plane out in a rain shower while we were painting the inside of the hanger. The next day we removed the steps to clean them up for the big trip. My buddy was standing there messing with the removed step and next thing you know he had water all over his shoes. It seems that the step will accumulate water at the spot in the picture below.
006.jpg

I think that any steps installed before 2010 may have this same problem. I think that now Vans has you fill this area with proseal. So if you?ve had your plane out in the rain you might want to pull the step and check for water. We drilled a weep hole at the bottom to take care to take care of it.
P5140023.jpg


John
RV12 N1212K
 
iPad

Four nutplates in the instrument panel for a 2" Ram Mount.

IMG_0243.jpg


Which gives the iPad with Flightcharts Pro a solid mount.

IMG_0244.jpg
 
iPad Removal

Wow, that looks great! Are you able to open the map box door with the iPad out of the cradle?

Bob Kibby "N712BK"
 
The Ipad looks excellent!

How does the Ipad connect? is it able to access the web while flying or is it acting as a MFD for the GPS? What type of apps do you need?
Sorry for the barrage of questions but I am considereing buying a 696 but this may be a MUCH less expensive option.
Plus my wife would like it!
 
Bob: the ram mount design has a quick release that allows you to swing it out of the way to open the glove box, but it does add an extra step to get to the fuses in case of emergency. I simply relocated the fuses to the position called out for in the dual display plans.

Rick: the iPad is not currently connected to anything. I plan on checking the pinouts in the intercom to run audio(itunes) into my headset. Power is currently via the standard plug with a usb adapter, but a hardwired plug is in the works to provide power with the cord stretching across the cockpit. The power is not really necessary as the iPad will run close to 8hrs on a charge if you turnoff the wifi and 3g antennas(not to be confused with airplane mode, which may or may not turn off the GPS antennae). I use flightcharts pro because it fits my mission as a chart replacement. The iPad GPS is great for SA but is not accurate enough for primary navigation. It is MUCH more economical than a 696. Lower initial cost and much cheaper to update. Downside is no weather, but it the perfect companion to my 496.
 
My iPad is the 3G version. It has very accurate GPS. Wi-fi data is not available in the air, and the 3G connection is location and altitude dependent. I don't count on it, in fact I don't use it. GPS is good anywhere I've been.

There is no GPS connection to an external unit or an external antenna. You can get a 12 V charger cable; the one I got has a 12 V socket built-in on it for an additional device.

The chart apps I use (SkyCharts Pro is my primary one, with Foreflight as a back-up) cache the charts and the airport data. They'll store more than that but that's all I need. Because they are cached, they are available in flight and the correct one is automatically and seamlessly displayed, without user input. Position of the aircraft is routinely perfect.

You can make routes with multiple turnpoints or stops. You can display the charts in portrait or landscape mode, zoom in and out, etc. I've gotta say that it's pretty neat to be able to see the whole route at once and then to zoom in enough to read the small chart print. I think you can have the direction or travel as "up" but it's still a sectional chart and the text orientation doesn't change.

The iPad is heat-sensitive and can overheat in direct sunlight. When that happens it shuts down. You can restart it when it's cooled down. No damage, just the outage.

The iPad itself is very slippery. I bought an after-market "grip" that's a slip-cover for the sides and back. Works great except probably makes mine more likely to overheat.

I've had it to about 14,800 feet, no problems.

There are threads on VAF for the iPad and some of the apps. You can search for them. Sorry for blathering on, but I wanted to provide a summary of the thing as a pilot aid.
 
I bought the Griffin Airstrap Case for the Ipad and used a Piece of 3" wide elastic as a strap makes a great kneeboard.
 
Glare?

This may be getting too far off topic as we continue to discuss the use of the ipad ... however, I have flown for about a month now with my ipad in all conditions. I have a case that looks like a notebook for it and most of the time in flight it is closed. My question to all of you, and there have been many, that discuss or complain about glare, is how do you use your paper charts? I have never kept them open at all times, but referred to them as I needed them. I use the ipad the same way. I have found with the shade over my head when it is sunny, and the ipad in my lap, I can easily read it. When I get to the point of needing more frequent reference to the charts, it is typically because I am IFR and rarely do I have a problem with glare at that time. It is a bit bright when I am flying at night, even with it turned down all the way, but then my case comes in real handy as I just close the case and keep it on my lap or in the seat next to me.

I have also never had it shut down on me from heat, maybe because my case keeps it out of direct sunlight - which seems to be more of an issue than hear from all else I have read.

BTW - I am also using Skycharts Pro and it is working great for me. I especially like being able to transition over to an IFR chart when the weather turns ugly and just press right on - much faster than any paper chart ever was. Have you looked at the Jeppesen subscription price for the whole US? You could buy the ipad for that price AND have the subscription to Skycharts Pro and Foreflight with all VFR, TAC, IFR, Approach Plates, and AFDs.

I don't leave home without it!

Of course, ymmv.:cool:
 
I bought an anti glare screen protector from boxwave.com.

I live in AZ and fly an Evektor Sportstar with a bubble canopy and I have not had any issues. its a little dim at times but still readable.

Make sure your brightness "auto" is off and its set full.
 
Thread CrrreeeeeeeeeP!

I would like you guys to maybe continue this Ipad discussion in a New thread.;) This particular thread is dedicated to Modifications You may have made to the RV12. Granted putting an Ipad in is a Modification but you guys are now headed in a different direction about the Ipad. Dont mean to step on toes but just trying to stay on Topic.:)

Thanks
John
RV12 N1212K
 
I have added the following to N167SW: Ray Allen G303 stick grip (PTT trigger plus elevator trim on the stick), I'm swapping out my Garmin 495 for a 695 (in progress), Closed the tank sight window, added the Moeler mechanical guage, and modified the ribbed tail cone close out (behind the tank) so that an inspection can be done without having to remove the tank. At annual, in June, I plan to redo the Rotax throttle cables, so that they will be spring loaded to idle, not full power, the way they are now. The latter just strickes me as a ground accident waiting to happen.
 
Last edited:
Show us your work!

Steve could you post a few Pictures of how you modified the rear access panel
so you can open it without removing the Gas Tank.

Thanks
John
RV12 N1212K
 
Steve could you post a few Pictures of how you modified the rear access panel
so you can open it without removing the Gas Tank.

Thanks
John
RV12 N1212K
John, the airplane is in Nebraska, being painted. When it gets back, in about 2 weeks, I'll try and post some pictures. Steve
 
I have added the following to N167SW: Ray Allen G303 stick grip (PTT trigger plus elevator trim on the stick), I'm swapping out my Garmin 495 for a 695 (in progress), Closed the tank sight window, added the Moeler mechanical guage, and modified the ribbed tail cone close out (behind the tank) so that an inspection can be done without having to remove the tank. At annual, in June, I plan to redo the Rotax throttle cables, so that they will be spring loaded to idle, not full power, the way they are now. The latter just strickes me as a ground accident waiting to happen.

Though your ULS warranty will no doubt be gone by then (18months) Rotax is so determined about their throttle set-up that they have announced in no uncertain terms that they will void any warranty where the spring set up is altered. Apparently they do not place much faith in off-field landings or should I say dead stick landings over the field...lol.
 
If I was bothering to alter the spring loading on the throttle, I would remove it completely. Personally, I think that spring loading to idle is even more daft than spring loading it to full throttle.
 
All I can say is....ouch! But as many have said before, you are the Captain of your ship. Obviously the "replacement" spring is as important as the original one.
 
The throttle cable used on the RV-12 (and I presume on many other 912 installations) does not have sufficient strength to rely on it to fully open the throttles on the carbs without the springs. I certainly would not trust it to do so. The cable is drastically different than the throttle cables used on say a C172 and other similar aircraft. I have now heard of multiple examples where the springs were removed or reversed and there was an incident due to the engine not developing full power.
 
Replaced pianno hinges with camlocks.

I found the piano hinges a pain to put in. I replaced the upper cowl and side hinges with Skybolt camlocks. This winter I will do some glass work and add enough flange to replace the 6 nut plates on the front of the upper cowl. It is a breeze to pull the top cowl now.
 
Mystery solved/Oil Sender

This has been discussed on other threads but I put it here because it is a modification and I?m sure others will encounter the same problem as stated below.

I have recently had some problems with my Honeywell oil sender which caused me to do some research on this problem. I started by calling all three Rotax dealers in the USA, California Power Systems, LEAF, and Lockwood Aviation. No one had a new Sender in stock as of Monday 11/8/2010 but said that some were possibly coming in later in the week, CPS said they had one customer waiting for 3 weeks for a new one. All 3 dealers said that they have seen several new Honeywell senders fail since Rotax started putting them on, which has only been a little over a year now. Lockwood Aviation said they can?t keep them in stock. They also said that the VDO units failed even faster. If you want to talk to a Tech guys at Lockwood you must call between 9-10amet & 2-3pmet. Lockwood is now selling a kit, Part #EAPSIRK, price 74.95, which will provide you with all the parts to move your sending unit to the firewall. See picture below. They also sell the old style VDO sending unit, Part #GAV360-430, price 44.95. If you want to search for the part on the web put in VDO V360-430, it?s a two prong unit, which is the one you will need on the RV12 with the Dynon. I installed the Lockwood remote kit on Wednesday and moved my Honeywell sender to the Firewall to the same location as the fuel sender unit. Now I get rock solid indications on the Dynon with no fluctuations in oil pressure.

Conclusions! The reason we are getting erratic Oil Pressure indications on the Dynon is because of the location of the sender unit on the engine not anything that has to do with the Dynon its self. Sorry Larry G! Mounting the sending unit on the front of the engine where there is a lot of vibration and heat is a poor design by Rotax. Anybody see sending units mounted on the front of a new Continental or Lycoming! Having this sending unit mounted on the front of the engine will cause premature failure of the unit sooner or later. I do admit some senders may last longer than others. But if you have one fail out of warranty its going to cost you some big bucks to replace it. I recommend that RV12 owners move the sender unit back to the fire wall after you receive their Airworthiness Certificate. This will increase the life span of the unit as well as give better indications on the Dynon.

Installation Notes: If you want to build your own remote kit here is some info. The hole on the front of the Rotax where the Honeywell sender is screwed in is a 1/8 inch pipe thread so you will need a male and a female, female to screw the Sender into back at the fire wall, 3 feet of tubing is about right, 3.5 feet will give you a little more room to maneuver, Lockwood?s kit comes with 3 feet. It?s a good idea to have a restrictor in the male part to reduce the time before your engine runs out of oil if you get a leak in the hose running back to the firewall sender, see pic below, the Lockwood kit comes with this part. I don?t know where you can find this part other than Lockwood. The Lockwood kit comes with fire sleeve to put over your tubing. In order to get the tubing into the fire sleeve inject air in to the sleeve as you push the tube into it. It?s a pretty tight fit. If you use the Honeywell sender don?t clamp it to tight, the sender has a partial plastic case and you could damage it. If you could incase the sender in some cushion material all the better. I ran my tubing up and across the top of the engine for cooling as seen in the picture. Running it under the cylinders next to the exhaust headers seemed like the warmer of the two options. I used the same screw that holds the fuel sender in place to attach the Oil Sender with an adell clamp to the fire wall. If you are going to use the VDO unit there are two prongs on the back of it. One is a negative/ground and the other one is the positive lead. Take a small length of wire and ground the neg prong to the fire wall where the adell clamp is bolted on. Then run the positive lead to where the red wire of the Honeywell unit is connected to the wiring harness. Cut the white wire off from the Honeywell and put some heat shrink over it to seal it off. Now go into the Dynon and change the sender from 4 to 1. See pages 3-6 and page 6-7 in the Dynon installation manual. I didn?t do this because right now my Honeywell unit is still working, but I?m pretty sure that it will work ok. If someone does switch over to the VDO unit and this works ok Post it on this thread.

Fact: The old style VDO Oil pressure sender was replaced in late 2008 to the current Honeywell unit which is very expensive.

Fact: Both of the units are mounted on the front of the engine where there is a lot of vibration and heat.

Conclusion: Oil pressure on the Dynon in RV12s fluctuates plus or minus 5 to 8 psi. Since we have a wide green arc it doesn?t seem to be a problem. I think this fluctuation in the Dynon is caused by the vibration of the sender on the front of the engine not from the Dynon.

Fact: The VDO senders were known to failure.

Fact: Flying RV12s are starting to see the Honeywell senders Fail and a history of failures is still being collected. We as owners may not ever see this data so if yours fail post it here on this thread so we can keep track.

Fact: The reason that Rotax went to the Honeywell Sending Units was because the Manufacture of the older VDO Units was bought out by a new company who no longer wish to have their Units in Airplanes.

Fact: Honeywell steps up with new Digital Sender. Rotax switches over to this new sender in late 2008 or early2009.

Fact: In order to get warranty service on your new Rotax you must register it with one of the 3 dealers in the USA with the paper work that comes with the engine. Then buy a new part at retail price to replace the broken part, then fill out the appropriate paper work that comes with the new part and send the old part back with this paper work. Then wait several months for a refund.

Kit from Lockwood Aivation to move your sender back to the firewall:
P9050183.jpg


P9050184.jpg


Male 1/8 pipe thread with restrictor in it:
P9050187.jpg


Current factory location of Oil pressure Sender:
P9050192.jpg


New hose screwed in where sender used to be:
P9050193.jpg


Sender moved to firewall:
P9060196.jpg


John
RV12 N1212K
 
Hey John - -

I like the idea. Makes lots of sense. Vibration would seem to be the bigger problem, but who knows. I think I will do that one also. Just a note, the restrictor may be the reason for more stable readings, but the other benefits are real.

John Bender
 
John

I did a search for the part number that you provided for the kit at Lockwood and got a response that it did not exist. Is this something new that they have not added yet to their web site?

Hal
 
VDO V360-043

If the Honeywell oil pressure transducer is replaced with the VDO V360-043 or Dynon transducer, do NOT use any of the existing wires. Instead, run a new wire (WHT/YEL) directly from the transducer to pin 6 of the Dynon EMS 37-pin connector. The VDO V360-043 needs to be grounded to the firewall, either through the case or via a grounding terminal if the sender has one. Like John said, The transducer type needs to be changed in the Dynon setup
The red wire is 12vdc that powers the Honeywell transducer. The V360-043 does not require 12 volts. Using the red wire will cause bad things to happen. The existing WHT/YEL wire goes to the Van's control board to a resistor that is connected to ground. Using that wire with the V360-043 will give false oil pressure readings.
Joe
 
John, so far my Honeywell transducer has been functioning OK, just a little bit bouncy. If I order the remote location kit from Lockwood, does it include the VDO sender? At this time, I'm just planning on moving the Honeywell sensor to the remote location, so I won't need the VDO. This is a great idea, by the way, thanks for sharing. Steve
 
Back-up gauge

Hmmm...this oil pressure sender problem could be a nightmare if it fails while you are somewhere and a sender is not available. Most are not likely to carry a spare of the expensive one, and the cheap one (also with a history of failures) requires a new wire if I read the posts correctly. Jetguy's post illustrates running tubing from the engine and firewall mounting the sender and is a particularly good fix because you could put a tee in the line and install a MECHANICAL back-up gauge somewhere. Then if the sender fails you will not be grounded in Timbuktu.
Here is a link to a mechanical gauge, $40 plus $6 for an installation kit of nylon pressure tubing and fittings.

Would this be overkill?

Tony
 
Oil Pressure Update!

Steve. the VDO sender does not come with the remote location kit. See my post for the price.
Hal, you have to call Lockwood with the part number I posted to order it.
Mich, could you use the red wire if you cut it behind the instrument panel and moved it over to Pin 6 after you remove the white wire that is there now?

John
RV12 N1212K:D
 
Oil pressure transducer wiring

Mich, could you use the red wire if you cut it behind the instrument panel and moved it over to Pin 6 after you remove the white wire that is there now?
Yes, you could do that. But RED is usually used for 12vdc positive. Using RED would be confusing to future troubleshooters. A White/Yellow wire is preferred because that is what Dynon uses in their harness. You might be able to get another wire through the firewall grommet by using a wirespoon.http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/wireSpoon.php

A better option is to remove the wht/yel oil pressure wire from the control-board-firewall-D-Sub pin 15 and connect it directly to the Dynon EMS pin 6, thus bypassing the resistor on the control board. So the circuit will be from the VDO V360-043 through the existing wht/yel wire to the Dynon EMS pin 6 (without being connected to the control board).
Joe
 
I like the idea. Makes lots of sense. Vibration would seem to be the bigger problem, but who knows. I think I will do that one also. Just a note, the restrictor may be the reason for more stable readings, but the other benefits are real.

John Bender

John, I think your on the money. Agreed vibration will kill most senders, but I think the biggest advantage is that we get rid of those "oil pump pulses" with the restrictor and the elasicity of the hose. Also gets the sender away from the heat. Only disadvantage I can see is we introduce a possible oil leakage (possible engine failure) area, but with careful maintenance periodic replacement this can be minimized. Great thread guys. :) This is what these forums are all about!:);)
 
Works good so far!

Marcus, so far on my plane its working great. My oil pressure is rock solid. I think the restrictor will slow the rate of a possible oil leak to give you enough time for a landing when the Dynon alarm goes off signaling a loss of oil pressure as your oil leaks out. As you get some time on your plane and see what the normal oil pressure is then you could even bump up you red line alarm on the Dynon to increase time before total oil pressure/oil quantity lost. Theoretically of course.:D
 
Another minor problem solved - -

A few of us have had the RH side lower, longer, cowl hinge pin work itself up after a few hours. I took pictures, but was too close, and the pictures are not very good. I made a new pin with a LONGER offset, and another up-sweep at the end. After installed, I can swing it around and UNDER the edge of the oil tank bracket. You just have to bow it down a bit then swing it under the bracket. Will stay in place now.

John Bender
 
Hinge pin coming out

I had the same problem of the cowl lower right hinge pin coming out. I do not know how the pin can fall UP, but it did. I fixed it by drilling out a rivet and replacing it with a 6x32 screw that holds a piece of hinge that holds the pin.
I did the same thing on the left side of the cowl. There are two more screws to take out when removing the lower cowl, not a big deal.
Joe
DSCN4545a.JPG

DSCN4546a.jpg
 
Cowl closeout

Those little metal locking nuts are a pain to work with. I replaced it with a nutplate on the lower cowl closeout. Now I do not have to use a wrench in an awkward position.
Joe
DSCN4552a.jpg
 
inlayed carpet

Instead of paying $1200 for the interior kit, I purchased a 4x6 foot roll of carpet for $17 at Home Depot's aviation dept. I cut pieces to fit and fastened them in place with double sided tape.
Joe
DSCN4551.JPG
 
sweepy wing root fairings, stab tips

Would these be worth doing looking for possibly less drag and to insure we can easily meet our 120kt allowable cruise :) Not trying to hijack this but thought this may interest the thread readers.
 
120kt

It does easily meet the 120kt cruise limit. Increasing the empty weight with these add-ons does not change that. The beauty of this plane is not the speed anyway....its the view and the two-finger control system...don't believe there is a lighter set of controls out there.
 
Adding a soft start module tomorrow. Not really certain it's needed, but decided to go ahead with it after talking with Rotax to add life to the clutch/gearbox. If I see any obvious difference in the starts I will provide feedback.
Dick Seiders
 
Back
Top