RDOG
Well Known Member
Shadowy Figures
Hey Don don't bring us shadowy figures in to this.
Good questions John.
How I got in the center of this starts with Ron Russ noting his damage after hearing noises when landing he could not identify. He had grown quite hostile about the mud slinging when something like this is mentioned on VAF, does not do photos, and asked me to post his misfortune for others to ponder. At that time it seemed like a single incident he caused by a hard landing. I did that for him, and for what I considered a favor for other owners who might encounter the same fate. I never wished to become a "clearing house" for this or any other problem. For some reason I don't understand, I then became a "wailing wall" for those who had the same damage and did not wish to post it on VAF (probably for the same reasons that show up in this thread, you will get accused of all sorts of things just for bringing it up, and as you might have noticed, many people have no idea how to post photos on the forum). I never resort to name calling, but those you call "shadowy figures" will have to speak for themselves.
After at least two people tried to bring it to the attention of Vans, and were rebuffed with the old story that the plane is just fine since it met some alphabet standards, it is poor pilots that are causing the problem, and in each case were told "this is the first we heard of this" which was not entirely true, it caused someone to say to me what I quoted as their response. I never said it was MY opinion, I still think the RV12 is the finest LSA out there, bar none - and even if it turns out that the landing gear needs a little stiffener or something. Good grief fellows, did you not know it is an EXPERIMENTAL aircraft?
I never intended this thread to be some statistical refined definition of the problem with readily available solutions, but simply a FORUM where others with similar problems or suggested solutions can communicate. I just don't agree with many that feel that ANY criticism of the RV12 should be swept under the carpet and never ever mentioned publicly. The reporting system that Scott mentioned is perfectly proper for reporting these things to Vans, but it appears it is not widely used, or is not effective in informing other owners. Vans DOES study problems for a solution, we have the fuel tank mod and the nose wheel pant fix as examples. We should be thankful that these solutions are carefully studied and proven before we are informed of a fix. I respectfully disagree that such problems should be kept secret from the rest of the owners as you suggest you will do John, but I can however respect your decision to do it that way.
So, I don't feel I deserve a spanking for sharing information that I felt other owners should be aware of. From some of the responses, one would think I was selling a fix for the problem and promoting the problem. I am selling NOTHING, and if you don't like to hear about a problem, I suggest you not read the posts...
Hey Don don't bring us shadowy figures in to this.