Certification Category?

Now that Van has shown that the RV-12 can be certified as an E-AB with his personal aircraft, what are the benefits/negatives associated with the choices available for certification i.e. S-LSA, E-LSA, E-AB?

Dick Sipp
RV-4 sold
RV-10 N110DV 275 hours
RV-12 assisting another builder

rsipp said:

Now that Van has shown that the RV-12 can be certified as an E-AB with his personal aircraft, what are the benefits/negatives associated with the choices available for certification i.e. S-LSA, E-LSA, E-AB?

Dick Sipp
RV-4 sold
RV-10 N110DV 275 hours
RV-12 assisting another builder

Click to expand...

Dick,

SLSA is for factory made. ELSA must have an SLSA first, then you can sell identical kits (RV12)...Van's name on the Data Plate, not yours, lower fly-off possible (mine was 5 hours), with a 16 hr class the owner can get a Repairman's certificate and do conditionals (sell it and the new owner can go to the class, changes can be made after certified. The EAB has your name on the data plate (liability), usually a 40 hour fly-off, only the builder or an A&P can ever do the conditionals (sale disadvantage), changes can be made prior to certification.

51% Rule

The 51% rule applies to EAB but not ELSA.

One thing to keep in mind is that just because Van's personal RV-12 received an amateur-built airworthiness certificate doesn't mean another RV-12 automatically qualifies for an amateur-built airworthiness certificate. Until the RV-12 is evaluated by the FAA and added to the FAA's list of 51%-compliant kits, it is up to the individual applicant to prove that the aircraft meets the major portion requirements (aka the "51% rule") for amateur-built certification. In today's world that means that the individual applicant would have to endeavor to fill out the fabrication and assembly checklist. Van's Aircraft may or may not be willing to help with this, but you'd have to check with them. I do not know if they are planning to have the RV-12 kit evaluated for inclusion on the FAA's list or not, or if they are actively encouraging people to choose amateur-built certification. We know that ELSA certification is assured and easy.

Food for thought!

More means of completion

For me as someone considering the 12 but with no prior building experience, the option of hiring out parts of the build if I get stuck by the enormity of the task or lack of time is attractive. Some may consider keeping a back door open a defeatist attitude but I just see it as one more way to get the end result and certainly better than selling off a partially built kit at a loss.

I wouldn't want to start unless I felt i was totally committed to completion but changing circumstances demand sometimes demand a change in priorities and anyway a certain amount of commercial completion might be part of the plan from the beginning if experienced and willing help could be found locally.