Section 31: "Doin some wirin"...

... As they say in the south!
Just started Section 31:

So, we are starting a new job as an electrician, new challenges, frustrations followed by small victories: this is the life of the VANs kit builder.
After a false start and messing-up a few terminal tabs and terminal blocks with Anne, we decided to skip this page:

 Reason to skip the page: Vans has come with a better solution to connect the wing wiring to the fuselage, i.e., a connector rather than the terminal blocks which have been a source of bad contacts with or without wings removal. I confirmed with Vans support that I can skip these steps, waiting for the retrofit which will come with the Skyview release in September.
Page 3 has a lot in it but little challenge.

Page 4, business as usual!

Page 5: Step 2 skipped, pending wing connector as explained earlier
Nothing real tricky, except for the fuel pump clamp attachment in step 4: tight quarters! You will need a special wrench and more...

Page 6:
This is the notorious issue of the Reed Switches that control that the wing stoppers are correctly latched, after wing install. There has been lots of posting on the subject in VAF Forum and I was expecting trouble. Guess what? Here is my VAF Forum final post on the subject after going through this ordeal:

I just spent the last two hours doing step 4, the testing of the reed switches. I was concerned after reading all what was posted on this tricky step and, sure enough, once everything was in place according to instructions, nothing was working. Reading the many postings on this issue did not clarify a lot what the issue is as there is a mix of problems mentioned, including those related to the first kits that got a retrofit later. I got a good lead when I read that it was useful to position the reed switch without the clamp. This allowed me to find out that the switch was kept too far from the arm rest by the cushion clamp. I just removed the rubber on both sides of the clamp where it contacts the arm rest and I reshaped the clamp to fit flat against the arm rest and lo and behold, this did the trick for both sides!

I saws that some enlarged the hole and even pushed the switch housing through the hole: no need to do that in my case. I just removed the 1/8 inch of casing indicated in the instructions so that the top of the casing aligns with the center of the hole of the switch. For the rest I followed the instructions.
I hope this will settle the questions raised about the engineering of this safety device: the only problem is the clamp and it is easy to fix.

Here is a picture of the modified clamp with the reed switch inserted:
Note that there is enough rubber left on the clamp to squeeze the reed switch gently but firmly

 

Look Ma, no Brakes!

It's what I could have said if I had proceeded with the finishing kit so, what happened?
After starting the wiring section with Anne, my favorite helper, I had to go back into the fuselage section to look-up some details. Oh! surprise! I discovered that I had missed a couple of pages that are dealing with the brakes plumbing. I had found bizarre to have 2 coils of plastic pipes left at the end of the fuselage works plus a few plumbing fixtures but did not worry because I thought that brake plumbing was done when the wheels are assembled in the finishing kit: wrong!
Once again, brake plumbing is a new learning curve to negotiate, different from gas plumbing because the fixtures are not the same. More later once I emerge from this new challenge.
Here are the pages I skipped:

Comments following completion of these brakes tasks:
The major difficulty is getting the fittings set-up as indicated in the first 3 steps of page 27-04. The problem stems from the fact that the plastic tubes have not a consistent inside diameter. For some the brass insert will go in easily for some it's impossible to push it in, even after dunking in boiling water if the sleeve is positioned as indicated. Here is my solution: I slide the sleeve further back and use the nut to push both the sleeve in position and the insert into the tube, whichever comes first. The rest of the job went well, I had only one question left about torquing the compression fittings after they installed are finger tight. Tony Tessitore reminded me that section 5 specifies page 5-12 to add one more turn after finger tight screwed: always read section 5 when dealing with new technology/process... and thanks Tony!

Finishing Kit Finally Here!

Delivery came late in a 105 deg day, I felt for the truck driver (he got a good tip).
I just opened the crate before calling it a (good) day.

This is an imposing crate:

 Once open, it looks just half full!

Most of the space is taken by the canopy and cowlings (tucked under canopy)
A bit disappointing for the most expensive sub-kit so far... but a lot of manufactured components that would be really tough to make myself: plexiglass canopy, lower and upper fiber glass cowlings, wheels and tires, wheels struts etc...
And this is just the start of the big ticket items!

On to the inventory.

Something wrong with my wing tip nav light fairings?

Waiting for the finishing kit I keep busy working on the lighting kit. I discovered a suspicious asymmetry between the right and left fairing's scribe lines (these are the lines carved into the fiberglass showing the location of the rivets and the Molex connector openings). In the picture below I have outlined the scribe lines to make them visible on both extensions showed side by side (right on right).

This does not look right to me.
Answer from the VAF Forum:  The fairings are OK. The lights mount one with wires up...one with wires down

RV-12 Builder's Web Sites

I don't think this list exists anywhere. I built it by going through every RV-12 Builder Site I was able to locate. A long and cumbersome task that I am happy to share with you.
This July 2011 update added a few flying RV-12 and remove failed links.
Let me know about updates I missed, please!

↑ Means this baby is flying!

Marty's RV-12 ↑

Jim Olson - Experimental Aircraft Builder's Log ↑

John Peck - Experimental Aircraft Builder's Log ↑

Vans RV-12 Build Site - Build12.co.uk

Jerry Greenberg's Build Log of Van's RV-12 LSA ↑

Tony Tessitore RV-12 ↑

TonyTessitore's RV-12 Project N577RV Galleries ↑

http://www.schmetterlingaviation.com/
Hangarworkshop

YouTube - JerryG150's Channel

Alan Gilmore

Jeff’s RV-12 Builder’s Log

RV-12 construction photos - Jim Cone - Picasa Web Albums ↑
Picasa Web Albums - Jim Cone ↑

KLewis Jackson, OH,

N439CF; Ron's RV-12 » DISCLAIMER

Jeffrey Emmick - Experimental Aircraft Builder's Log

SLANE RV-12

Keith Lee - Experimental Aircraft Builder's Log

Arthur Pennanen - Experimental Aircraft Builder's Log

YouTube - 950 Hours Build Time So Far on Van's RV-12 ELSA

Joes RV 12 A Builders Log of Vans LSA Light Sport Aircraft Experimental

Vans RV-12 Build Site - Build12.co.uk

Joeri van Veen - Experimental Aircraft Builder's Log
Keith Boardman's Kitlog ↑

Torsten's RV-12
RV-12 Build by Chis Lucier
Rudi Greyling's RV-12 Pages (South African group)
Ronald chisholm Web Site

Rob and Haruko RV-12 N73HR

Mark Misage's Blog
Don Geneda RV-12 Kit Log
Markus Bootle (Australia)
Craig's RV-12 Build
Pieter Morssink's kitlog
Alex Roup's build log
Carl's RV-12 Build Log
Dan Wright's Kit Log
Bill Hollifield building picture gallery

...And Vieille Burette, my own!

As of February 2, 2011 there were 500 RV-12 Kits sold and 115 RV-12 Flying.
Not all builders have a web site but there is a list with pictures of some the RV-12s now Flying here

The Skyview upgrade gets clearer

 Now, here is some meat:
(Be patient, it takes time to load this detailed presentation)
 http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vansaircraft.com%2Fpublic%2FFaceBook%2FRV-12ElectricalSystem-Skyview.pdf&h=OAQBE1S4g

Vans not only provides a great product with Skyview, they use the opportunity of the retrofit to make improvements in the engineering of the avionics plus an unrelated improvement of the wing electric wiring connector that had been subject to criticism by RV-12 owners. It was really worth the wait! Thanks team VANs!

Section 29 done, Fuselage over!

It went faster than expected, reason: as I will install the Dynon Skyview there is no point working on the instrument panel which will be changed from what I received in the fuselage kit. I will not know more about the Skyview retrofit until VANs releases the Skyview as the E-LSA certified RV-12 glass cockpit.
Here are pictures that proof that the fuselage kit is complete.

My daughter Anne came to help me finishing the fuselage kit. She is tapping the screws for the aft window in the roll bar

 Anne was the first to sit in the pilot's seat. Not having a pilot license, she abstained to make airplane noises which I feel entitled to do since I am a licensed sport pilot!

This is the unfinished instrument panel, still having the old Dynon instruments cutouts and candidate for scrap.

A few words about the finishing kit: As the delay announced by VANs had elapsed without news of the delivery, I called and was flabbergasted to learn that they had not received my confirmation and therefore not shipped! After checking, I indeed found out that I had forgotten to send back the confirmation note that VANs had sent me after receiving my order (and taking my $3K deposit). You would think that VANs would call when not receiving the form after a few weeks... I guess they have enough business and are not trying hard to get more? Anyway this has been corrected and the shipment is supposed to take place this week. It's not a big deal as the Skyview retrofit will likely take a couple of months to become available, I will have plenty of time to work on the finishing kit. Still, in these days and times, I am surprised that VANs is not trying harder to get their stuff out of the factory; we are talking of a $7K check hanging on a low branch and they make no effort to pick it up! I wonder if it's good or bad news?