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How Heavy is Your 12?

DonFromTX

Well Known Member
As a new guy here, I read carefully the claimed empty weights, and had come to believe most all 12s weighed in at the "official" 720 lbs. In personal messages with owners of a couple of completed ones, I think a fully equipped and painted one will be a lot closer to 770-780. If anyone with a fully equipped 12 cares to share, I would love to hear your empty weight, with wheel pants, auto pilot, exterior paint, etc, so I can have a feel for what mine will weigh.
 
RV-12

Mine is fully equiped with auto pilot, lights, pants, interior. (no baggage interior) and no paint. 740 pounds. I figure paint will add 10 to 15 pounds. I'll find out in March or April when it will be painted.
The 720 pounds that Vans said will be very close if you leave it bare with no extras.
 
Just reweighed mine after its conditional. I have all of the options and JetGlow paint. It came in at 760lbs. Originally is was 724. So I still have 560 minus 20 gal fuel would be 440 minus 50lbs baggage would be 390...I weigh 175 so I could carry a 215 passenger. And have! Plane flew the same.
 
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With all options...

...my 12 weighs in at 784 pounds. This includes priming the interior structure (but not the inside of skins) and a heavy exterior paint job that added about 28 pounds.

Tony
 
Mine is 748 with lights, full interior, and autopilot. Includes full epoxy primer and Imron to the interior of the cabin and selective priming of mating surfaces elsewhere. Does not include exterior paint yet nor wheelpants (which I am working on). I figure mine with be about 770 when painted with wheelpants. At that point, the only option not installed on mine will be the second Dynon.

Jeff
 
757 pounds...

I have everything modified the way I want it; stick grips, 696, back-up altimeter and airspeed indicators, AP, lights, interior, carpet, Moeller fuel gauge,wheel pants, basecoat/clearcoat, etc....757 pounds. Beautiful airplane that makes me very happy and performs every bit as nicely as I would like it too...

Jay Sluiter
Albany, OR (S12)
 
As you see it - -

RV-12WheelPantsStripses100_1489.jpg


745# No AP, or Lights, but Moeller Marine Fuel Gauge, Oil Therm, Engine pre-heat, Heater Damper Door System, and minor other things.

John Bender
 
Prototype N412RV (almost) official weights

720 Lbs. - Basic weight with no options, and a single color paint finish (estimated at about 10 lbs).

Auto Pilot - 5 lbs.

Dual EFIS - 2.0 lbs

Lighting - 2.5 lbs

Wheel and nose leg fairings with paint - 9.5 lbs

Optional Interior Kit (Everything except for the tank cover and and baggage bulkhead cover) - 12.0 lbs

(All option weights are approx. but should be acurate within 0.5 lb.)

Current weight of N412RV as equiped with all of the above options - 751.0 lbs
 
Thanks, that is very useful information, I really wondered how much that stuff weighed!

720 Lbs. - Basic weight with no options, and a single color paint finish (estimated at about 10 lbs).

Auto Pilot - 5 lbs.

Dual EFIS - 2.0 lbs

Lighting - 2.5 lbs

Wheel and nose leg fairings with paint - 9.5 lbs

Optional Interior Kit (Everything except for the tank cover and and baggage bulkhead cover) - 12.0 lbs

(All option weights are approx. but should be acurate within 0.5 lb.)

Current weight of N412RV as equiped with all of the above options - 751.0 lbs
 
For Threetracker

Jay -
Do you have a photo you could post that shows your panel with back-up altimeter and airspeed indicator?
Thanks
Gary -
 
Mine weighed in at 730 lbs. That is basic 12 plus auto pilot and full paint job.(no lites, no wheel pants, no interior coverings). Added a 2" altimeter, and airspeed, and a Zaon MRX. I will check on those today, but feel 1lb covers all.
Gary, I will e mail you a pic of panel showing the added stuff if you supply e mail address.
Dick Seiders
 
Back-up AS & Alt

Dick, I will post your picture for you in the thread if you want. PM with email address sent.

Also, with a dual display you would have back-up EFIS including AS & Alt independent of the D180 (or master Skyview in future installations). And, the basic 12 came with back-up airspeed and Altimeter as standard equipment, sort of :D
1167136290_bYNeA-S.jpg


Tony
 
Right you are...

That would GS from a GPS.

The dial indication of GS on the GPS looks a bit like an airspeed indicator, and one could get into trouble trying to fly the airplane using that as an airspeed indicator.
The dual display does however use the aircraft pitot/static system and is independent of the master D180 and the GPS for its airspeed and altitude information. You would lose the compass without the D180 tho, unless you had a back-up magnetometer, I think. I will have to power down the D180 and see if that is so.

Tony
 
Dick's back-up AS & Alt

Dick sent me a cell phone picture of his back-up installation to post for him.
Thanks Dick,
1170456209_oYV9h-S.jpg


Tony
 
Don,
Just cut into the pitot and static lines at Dynon and route to the spare ALT. and ASI.
Dick Seiders
PS thanks for posting the pic Tony.
 
Thank you, Tony

Geesh Gary,

I guess I really am a better pilot than I am an 'image poster' on this forum. It looks like Tony saved the day...thank you Tony. I put the 'back-up AS indicator on the spinner pitot tube' and run the Dynon 180 off the pitot tube under the left wing; as I wanted AOA on the Dynon display.

Navy jocks say that Marine Corps pilots aren't smart enough to use angle of attack...but it seems that the top three students in my class through Pensacola were Marines!...lol

Jay Sluiter
N124CS
210+ hours as of today
Albany, (S12) OR
 
Jay
Can you give details of how and where you mounted the left wing pitot line, where you ran the pitot and anything else from wing to panel, and any helpful hints about mounting pitot in wing?
Any photos of istallation in wing/construction?
Regards
John
 
RV-12WheelPantsStripses100_1489.jpg


745# No AP, or Lights, but Moeller Marine Fuel Gauge, Oil Therm, Engine pre-heat, Heater Damper Door System, and minor other things.

John Bender

John,

can you tell me a little more about the engine preheater. I am far away from installing it but it would allow me to start much easier int he winter.

The flight school where I now rent uses the regular propane preheater, I would prefer one build in to the engine

thx

Peter
 
Reiff Pre-Heater

RV-12ReiffPre-heat100_1246.jpg

RV-12ReiffPre-heat100_1245-1.jpg


These show how it is installed. 150 watts ( low power ) Works great. With Packing Blanket over cowl, it keeps engine about 90 degrees F.

John Bender
 
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