Vans disposition & LSRM complete
Two open items closed, two new mechanics, and a lot more ribs to deburr.
~/rv12is · 16 entries
RV-12iS.
A first-person build log for Van's RV-12iS kit #121708, N1798. Empennage, wings, fuselage, finishing and powerplant, written up as we go, including what went wrong, what it cost, and every part we had to order twice.
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// 2026
Kit arrivals & rib deburring
Two more crates, an avionics question, and a third set of hands.
Wings started
Fuselage delivered, fasteners organized, and lessons worth sharing.
Sport pilot checkride passed
Three flight schools, 72.3 hours, and a 300nm XC to get it done.
Empennage complete
167 combined hours, one rattle can, and a garage to reclaim.
Tailcone priming & riveting
Shelby almost laps me on hours, and the priming finally clicks.
The paint scheme
Settled, rendered, and impatiently waiting to exist.
Tailcone deburring & the weight question
Big pieces, fiberglass dust, and running the W&B math early.
Stabilator troubles
A month away, a first solo, and the rivets that fought back.
Bites of the elephant
Rudder, stabilator, tailcone, and the process that ties it together.
First rivets
The vertical stabilizer is done. Cleco, uncleco, cleco, uncleco.
Back in full swing
A priming table, a paint scheme, and signing up for wrench school.
Administrative notes
No building this time. Parts, payments, and plans.
Empennage arrival & first weekend
The kit shows up and the vertical stabilizer comes together.
We're building a plane
The first post for our RV-12iS