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Project: N122B -
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Show All Entries - (201)
Research
Workshop - (1)
Empennage - (16)
Fuselage - (36)
Firewall - (4)
Tail Feathers
Wings - (30)
Controls - (8)
Avionics - (17)
Lighting - (2)
Instrument Panel - (1)
Landing Gear - (7)
Engine - (11)
Propeller - (5)
Fuel System - (8)
Interior Finish - (2)
Paint / Decals - (6)
Inspection - (2)
Tools
Canopy - (23)
Cowl - (8)
Assembly - (13)
Flight - (1)


Builder Name:	Barry Bernstein -

Project:	Vans - RV-12iS - VIEW REPORTS
Total Hours:
Start/Last Date:	Dec 17, 2019 - Oct 22, 2020
Engine:	Rotax 912iS
Panel:	Garmin G3X touch

Friendly URL:	https://eaabuilderslog.org?s=N122B

Home or Last Project Picture

Jan 13, 2023 Exhausting

Category: Engine

I'm a firm believer in CO detectors, particularly those that will alert you to any CO in the cockpit. Over the first 200+ hours my CO readings have always been 0. However, beginning after my last condition inspection, I began to see low levels of CO, generally less than 10ppm during climb only. These resolved when cabin heat was turned off or air vents opened. Over the next 2-3 flights I also saw levels up to 15ppm during taxi operations. Given the change, and apparent worsening of the CO situation, I grounded the plane for further investigation.

Findings included the exhaust no longer centered in the lower cowl opening and the upper slip joint in the Cyl1 exhaust slipped out and jammed (see photos). A call into Van's support was helpful. They noted the slip joint needs to have anti-seize paste applied regularly to prevent jamming (there is motion in this joint on startup). If inadequately lubricated, the joint may slip out and jam. This distorts the relationship between the exhaust stacks and the muffler, allowing CO leaks. They recommended frequent lubrication and a spring like brace around the joint (ordered from Van's). I also identified several holes in the SCAT tube between the cowl NACA intake and the heat muff. These may have allowed additional CO into the system.

Lessons learned: 1) Any CO in the cabin, even if at "safe" levels may be a sign of problems with the exhaust or heat systems. 2) A change from never seeing any CO to seeing CO without obvious explanation is an indication to ground the plane and investigate. I should have done this sooner. 3) Van's support is outstanding.

Note: The spring like brace for the slip joint has subsequently been released as SB-00064

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May 30, 2022 It's the little things

Category: Avionics

Over the 140+ hours I've flown N122B there have been few problems. One of those was an intermittent electrical glitch which caused the Lane A fault indicator light to stop working at 100 hours TT. Trouble shooting revealed a blown fuse (associated with indicator light circuit) in the Rotax engine fuse box. I was unable to find the cause of the blown fuse, but on replacement, everything functioned normally.

At least until 140 hours TT, when the fuse blew again. At this point I decided to ground the plane until the underlying cause was identified. This time around, trouble shooting included wiggling all the wire bundles containing leads to the indicator light. Manipulating the wire bundle between the ignition and HIC modules blew the fuse again, suggesting the cause was an intermittent grounding of the power lead. Tracing the wires, the cause was identified (chafed area touching an avionics support, grounding the power lead; see pic below), and repaired. Sometimes it's the little things!

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Apr 02, 2022 SB-00053

Category: Inspection

Completed SB-00053. This service bulletin included inspection of the lower tailcone skin for cracks adjacent to bulkheads and installion of new tailcone stiffener clips to prevent future cracks from developing. If cracks were identified, an external patch was to be installed as well. Crawling, sliding and wiggling into the tailcone was no small feat, and much dreaded. However, once pads were fabricated and placed in the tailcone and external rivets drilled out, it only took 1.5 hours to crawl inside, remove necessary internal bulkhead rivets, install the clips and vacuum up any metal/rivet debris. Fortunately, no cracks were found, so external patches were not needed. Still, something I'd rather not do again! I also took advantage of access to the tailcone to replace the ADHARS unit, per updated SB-00028.

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Nov 25, 2021 Painting Complete

Category: Paint / Decals

Looks great.

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Nov 21, 2021 Getting close

Category: Paint / Decals

Painting almost complete

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Nov 03, 2021 Progress

Category: Paint / Decals

Continued masking and spraying. Metallic colors require very careful application to achieve uniformity. Clint at Northeast Wisconsin Aero is doing a great job.

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Oct 15, 2021 Teaser

Category: Paint / Decals

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Jul 11, 2021 G5

Category: Instrument Panel

Added G5 to the panel. This will provide backup to the G3X for altitude, airspeed, attitude and HSI. It can also drive the autopilot if the ADAHRS or flight displays fail. Installation was straightforward and involved wiring into the avionics CAN Bus (two wires) and power/ground leads. I added connections to the pitot and static lines to complete the installation.

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Mar 28, 2021 Speed mods

Category: Landing Gear

Changed nose wheel fairing attach screws to countersunk/flat head with countersunk washers. Will need to perform appropriate flight testing to determine impact on fuel consumption and airspeed.

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Jan 17, 2021 Vent controls

Category: Fuselage

In my previous RV12 I had installed servos to control the air vents. I added similar controls to the current RV12. Routing the pushrods was a bit more complicated due to the headphone storage brackets. However, by carefully positioning the servos, and keeping the pushrod as close as possible to the fuselage side, I was able to complete the installation.

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Servo in bracket

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Oct 30, 2020 First flight

Category: Flight

First flight today. Spent 0.7 hrs assessing instrumentation, flap settings, slow flight and stalls. Other than a slightly heavy left wing, all went well.

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Oct 22, 2020 Today's the day

Category: Inspection

Aircraft access hatches all removed for inspection. Paperwork, including log book, flight training supplement, inspection and phase 1 flight test procedure, maintenance manual, and documents uploaded to the Airworthiness Certification (AWC) - Applicant Portal all available for review. The inspection went very well, converting a large pile of rivets, aluminum, wires and other mystical parts into an airplane!

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Oct 21, 2020 Getting ready for inspection

Category: Assembly

Getting ready for inspection tomorrow. Took a video of the engine running, since the weather forecast looks like we won't be able to start the engine during the inspection. Pulled engine data and began dissasembly.

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Oct 19, 2020 Getting close Category: Assembly

Started engine and performed taxi tests. Wheel alignment appears good; tracking was straight with minimal brake/rudder input. Brake pad break-in completed. Vibration tests performed for ADHARS and magnetometer, both passed. Magnetometer calibrated.

Oct 18, 2020 Success

Category: Engine

Removed cowl and checked engine installation including wiring, fusebox and fuel lines. Also spent some time on the Rotax-Owner website reviewing a few similar experiences described in the forum. One suggestion I found was to let the pump run for up to 1 minute prior to engine start. Since my previous engine start/stop was consistent with inadequate/intermittant fuel flow, I thought I'd give this a try. Incorporating this in my start up procedure, the engine ran perfectly. No fault lights, ran smoothly, and all systems (oil, fuel, electrical) were in the green. Success! I guess the pump just has to run long enough to clear any air from the fuel lines.

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Oct 16, 2020 First run

Category: Assembly

Flushed the fuel system per the PAP. After checking for leaks, attempted a first engine start. Overall, not a great success. The engine was difficult to start, and cut out when throttle was reduced to <2500 RPM. A&B lane faults were also noted. Shut down the engine. Need to figure out what's wrong before trying again. At least the run was long enough to allow checking the hydraulic valve tappet for correct purging. Everything was within spec per Service Instruction 912-018r2 'Purging oil system'

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Oct 15, 2020 Fuel calibration

Category: Assembly

Completed fuel tank calibration.

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Oct 14, 2020 Pitot/Static/transponder/ELT Category: Assembly

Completed Pitot/Static/Transponder check per FAR 43 Appendix F. Passed with flying colors. Removed ELT to investigate why I was getting a 5 beep error code (HIGH VSWR OR HIGH CURRENT). The troubleshooting guide recommended checking the antenna, antenna ground, cable and battery. Turned out the cable was defective (no continuity of signal wire). When I replaced the cable, the ELT self check came back normal. Reinstalled the ELT.

Oct 13, 2020 Prepping for inspections Category: Assembly

Performed pitot and static leak down tests. Pitot test was straightforward, attaching a syringe to the pitot tube, injecting air and raising the indicated airspeed to 130 kts. Once stable and sealed, the drop after 1 minute should be <10 kts. The actual drop was 0 kts. Checking the static system was a bit more complicated as there is no easy way to pull a small vacuum in the system. After a lot of wondering around my hangar, I came up with a syringe, short 18ga needle inserted into one of the static ports (the other port was covered with vinyl tape) and Play-Doh as a seal. Once the altitude was pulled to ~1200 feet AGL and the syringed clamped, I saw ~40 foot/min drop in altitude, less than the 100 foot/min maximum allowed. I'm pretty sure the leak was in my test setup, not in the static system itself. Tomorrow will have the pitot/static/transponder check performed by a pro. Hopefully will pass!

Riveted the engraved data plate to the tail cone. Felt good to pull a few rivets!

Oct 12, 2020 Trim, weight and balance

Category: Assembly

Added canopy seals. With construction complete, proceeded to perform the weight and balance as outlined in the maintenance manual. After leveling the plane, distances were measured between the axels and wing leading edge. The arms were then determined by adding (main gear) or subtracting (nose gear) this distance to 70 inches (the datum is defined as the plane 70 inches in front of the wing leading edge). The plane was then rolled onto three scales. After crunching the numbers, a total empty weight, moment and arm were identified. The worksheet made it quite easy.

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Weight and Balance Worksheet.pdf

Oct 10, 2020 Completed interior

Category: Interior Finish

Completed installation of interior panels, seats and seat backs. Added "N" number to panel. Inspected engine compartment and identified several areas where hoses and/or wires might abrade. These were secured, usually with tie-wraps. Installed upper and lower cowl in preparation for weight and balance. Activated the ELT by moving the ELT switch from off to armed. Received an error code of two beeps followed by five beeps twice. Tried the remote ELT switch in the panel, nothing happened. Hmmm... very sorry I didn't test the system during initial installation.

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Oct 09, 2020 Installation

Category: Interior Finish

Most of the interior sidewalls and carpet are held in place by velcro. The side panel velcro is removed from the side panel pieces and attached to the aircraft aluminum based on the position of the corresponding velcro sewn onto the interior pieces. Carpeting is installed by leaving the velcro attached to the carpeting, removing the velcro adhesive backing and positioning the carpet in place. Control stick boots were also installed. The left seat was installed, but will be removed to allow access to the baggage compartment for interior installation. Workmanship from Flight Line Interiors is outstanding.

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Oct 09, 2020 Odds and ends

Category: Assembly

Removed clamps and checked final fit of the glare shield. Adjusted stabilator turn buckles per KAI. Ensured stops on the stabilator were limiting movement, and not stops on the control sticks. Adjusted to 35-40 lbs (ended up at ~40). Added turnbuckle clips. Installed all interior hatches/covers in preparation for interior installation.

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Oct 07, 2020 Shield

Category: Cowl

Added cowl shield.

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Oct 06, 2020 Getting ready for W&B

Category: Assembly

Added fluids (brake, coolant and oil) in preparation for W&B determinations. Attached glare shield. Performed Oil Purge per SI-912-018r2 Purging oil system.

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Oct 05, 2020 Tail cone fairing

Category: Assembly

Completed installation of the tail cone fairing. In hind site, I should have sanded down the lower edge of the upper piece to get a tighter fit around the tail cone. Made it work as is, but could have been easier. I also elected to leave the stabilator, trim servo and vertical stab in place while installing the fairing/tail cone attach nut plates. Access was extremely limited. Would have been better, and likely faster to remove the tail feathers to install them!

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Oct 02, 2020 Tail cone fairing

Category: Assembly

Began trimming and fitting the tail cone fairing. Unfortunately, the lower fairing had two sets of scribe lines, making it difficult to decide where to do the initial cuts. I ended up trimming to the outside lines. The rudder was installed to set vertical position (1/8" clearance), but I was still unsure about forward/aft position. Ultimately I decided to install the stabilator prior to drilling any fairing/tail cone attach holes. This seemed to work well.

One note about the rudder cables. These had previously been attached to the rudder pedals while the fuselage was still on its side and access to the connection better. I chose the middle hole, and it worked out well. Rudder pedal/firewall clearance is a little over 3", which was the target distance per the KAI.

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Sep 30, 2020 Important odds and ends

Category: Assembly

Set break out force for nose wheel at ~19 pounds. Added canopy struts and installed canopy. Noted latch is very tight. Will likely need to adjust. Attached wings, checked strobe, position, landing lights and stall warning switch and installed steps. Vinyl N numbers applied. Lastly, loaded current G3X software and configuration files.

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Sep 29, 2020 Behind the curtain

Category: Assembly

Final assembly under way. Remounted prop and pitched to 71.2+/-.1 degrees per the KAI. Although the blades were at 71.2 when I tightened the bolts, after final torque, both were at 71.1 degrees. Close enough for initial testing. Added the trim servo. Pulled down the curtain I used to keep the rear hangar area warm in winter. Needs wings and a tail!

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Sep 28, 2020 Heating and cooling

Category: Engine

Completed installation of SCAT tubing for engine induction tube and cabin heat. Inspected engine compartment for any potential areas of hoses or wiring rubbing/abrading. Identified areas were secured with high temp silicone and tie-wraps. This completes the engine installation. Began final assembly installing vertical stabilizer.

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Sep 26, 2020 Fine tuning

Category: Cowl

Trimmed lower cowl inlets for the radiator and oil cooler. They were hitting the radiator, which was distorting the lower cowl. Once trimmed for 1/2" clearance, the lower cowl was no longer centered on the radiator. The radiator was realigned by shifting washers on the attachment bolts. Completed final prep on the air and heat intakes. They were then fitted and clecoed into place. Once placement was confirmed, they were removed, sanded, cleaned and a coat of resin/flox applied. They were then clecoed back into place and the cowl reattached to the fuselage.

A small area on the canopy fairing was resanded and painted. The fairing is now officially done, at least until the plane is painted.

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Sep 24, 2020 Heating and cooling Category: Engine

Mounted oil tank and routed oil lines. Added overflow bottle and associated coolant lines. Sanded and painted canopy fairing for the (?) last time, using gray satin paint to match the cowl gelcoat. Marked canopy center line and installed Koger sun shield mount. Trimmed engine air duct, drilled and installed nut plates for the air box filter plate. Prepped cabin heat NACA duct.

Sep 23, 2020 Heating, cooling and exhaust systems

Category: Engine

Installed radiator and oil cooler. Checked they were centered behind the cowl openings. Once satisfied, safety wired the attachment bolts. Added coolant lines. Mounted exhaust/muffler and confirmed centered with exhaust extending through cowl opening. Installed exhaust heat shields. Very happy I installed the heat vent inlet assemblies earlier in the build. Access to either side of the firewall is getting pretty restricted!

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Sep 23, 2020 Almost last step

Category: Cowl

Applied a coat of silver paint to the fairing. This will make the canopy more presentable until the plane is painted. Unfortunately, when painted, imperfections in the fiberglass become much more obvious. Will sand, fill, sand and paint one more time.

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Sep 22, 2020 Continued fitting, drilling, filing, sanding and riveting

Category: Cowl

Completed riveting hinges to cowl. Attached upper and lower cowl to fuselage, checking fit. Will need to sand to achieve 1/32-1/16" gap between top and bottom cowl pieces. Back drilled lower cowl closeout, installed nut plates, and attached to the lower cowl. Next moved on to "Step 1: Remove material from the upper cowl louvers to open the cooling slots as shown in the detail view of Figure 1." I've been dreading this since day one. Not enough room to get a Dremel cutting wheel (at least not me) and control the cut. Decided I'd do it the old fashioned way... Drew a center line on each opening. Drilled with #30 drill, and connected the holes. Once done I was able to get my PermaGrit flat sanding bar into the slot and sand away. Corners and ends also done by hand with a variety of files/sanding tools. Lastly, did my best to match left and right sides, as well as keeping up a consistent look across all slots. Final step for today, added the oil door.

I'm sure there's an easier way.

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Sep 21, 2020 Canopy and cowl... making progress

Category: Canopy

Painted canopy fairing interior to match the cockpit interior. Finished drilling all cowl hinges. Removed the cowl, deburred all hinge holes and remounted hinges. Added nut plates per KAI. Countersunk holes and riveted hinges to the cowling. Looks good!

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Sep 20, 2020 Canopy prep (again)

Category: Canopy

Sanded and primed interior of canopy fairing.

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Sep 15, 2020 Prepping for paint

Category: Canopy

Sanded, filled and sanded again underside of canopy fairing. Coated with a slightly thickened resin/micro balloon mixture in preparation for primer. Took a break from sanding and installed the oil access door in the cowl. Began assembly of the oil cooler and radiator.

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Sep 14, 2020 Cutting, sanding and drilling

Category: Cowl

Decided to take a brief cowl break and power up the avionics. Will need to go through the set up procedure, but the system has found all the components. Nice! Back to the cowl. Supporting the lower cowl while getting into position has been a challenge. Added a support clamp around the nose gear and the process became much easier. Fitting the lower cowl requires a series of steps cutting the rear and top edges in a specific order. Once completed, the cowl is securely taped to the fuselage, the upper cowl removed, and the lower cowl/fuselage hinges drilled and clecoed. Once completed, the lower/upper cowl hinge is positioned and drilled to the lower cowl. At this point I've run out of clecos, so will find something else to do until I can find more. Overall all, coming together nicely. Note the upper cowl is resting on the lower cowl for storage. It will be removed to complete drilling of the lower/upper cowl hinge.

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Sep 13, 2020 Lower cowl

Category: Cowl

Spent some time maneuvering the lower cowl into place. This required some trimming of the upper cowl forward edge to fit the recess in the lower cowl. I was able to get one side or the other side of the lower cowl into the correct position, but not both. I finally decided to pull the front of the lower cowl into position and lift the back of the lower cowl into place. I heard a pop, and everything lined up. Well, almost everything. The openings in the lower cowl on each side of the spinner are off center about 1/8". Hmmm... went home for the day.

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Sep 11, 2020 Cowl installation

Category: Cowl

Covered the engine with plastic sheeting to minimize debris from drilling cowl attach holes. Voltage regulator wires were very close to the hinges. In this area a piece of .025 aluminum was placed between the wires and hinge to protect the wires. A rivet fan was used to space the upper cowl rivets. Drilled all holes with a #40 drill. Clecoed each as it was drilled. Back pressure during drilling was provided using a series of hand held wood blocks. To my surprise, I did not drill any holes in my fingers. The lower cowl was then prepped by cutting to the scribe lines, or within 1/8" per the KAI.

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Sep 10, 2020 Upper cowl initial fitting

Category: Cowl

Cowl hinges and pins were cut to length and bent per the KAI. A reference tape line was added around the forward fuselage/cowl intersection. The upper cowl was trimmed to the scribe lines. The fuselage was leveled, and a bar (also leveled) placed below the upper cowl reference points. Plumb lines were used to identify reference points on the leveled bar directly below the reference points on the upper cowl. The cowl was then moved laterally until the distance between the reference points on the cowl and bar were the same on the left and right side. Using the reference tape line on the fuselage, the rear edge of the upper cowl was then sanded to achieve a good fit with the fuselage.

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Sep 10, 2020 Pivot bolt access hole

Category: Canopy

Used a heavily waxed 1/2 inch tube and a micro balloon resin mixture to clean up the canopy pivot bolt access hole. Once sanded looked pretty good. Will need a coat of clear resin prior to painting.

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Sep 08, 2020 Finishing

Category: Canopy

The epoxy resin coat was sanded and after completely masking the canopy, sprayed with a filler primer. Low spots were then filled. These will be sanded again, and resprayed with filler primer.... Getting close!

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Sep 07, 2020 Sanding and filling

Category: Canopy

Sanded canopy and added additional filler to several low spots. Removed one of the two layers of electrical tape that define the aft boundary of the fiberglass and sanded the fairing flush with the single layer of tape. Then added a coat of resin (tinted with gray) to the entire fairing. There are still several low areas that will need filling, hopefully for the last time!

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Sep 04, 2020 Rinse and repeat

Category: Canopy

Sanded fiberglass/filler. Trimmed edges to final shape. Cleaned and added filler to low spots, as well as area in front of canopy. Sealed firewall pass throughs with tank sealant per KAI. Reinstalled all avionics in preparation for beginning work on the cowl.

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Sep 03, 2020 Finalized wiring

Category: Engine

Took a break from sanding to finalize installing the engine wiring. ECU harnesses routed and clamped in place (1 of 20). Looking at the engine wiring harness, I realized the fuel pump connectors had not been inserted through the fire wall. Must have missed that step. Wires were cut, inserted through the firewall opening by the fuse box, spliced and connected per the wiring diagram.

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Sep 03, 2020 Finishing

Category: Canopy

Cut canopy fairing to almost final size and sanded to identify low spots. Added filler and took a break from sanding...

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Sep 02, 2020 Removed canopy

Category: Canopy

Removed canopy for final filling and sanding (repeat until done). Used a magnet to find the hinge screw and removed the fiberglass in this area with a rotary grinder. The template was used to transfer the final fiberglass outline onto the canopy. The canopy was then broken free from the fuselage using a chip chaser to separate the two. The canopy was moved to a table where the final fiberglass work will be completed. All masking materials were removed from the fuselage.

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Sep 01, 2020 Fiberglass

Category: Canopy

Completed initial fiberglassing of the canopy. The initial layers used gray tinted resin. Subsequent layers used clear resin to better identify and correct any air pockets between layers. After all fiberglass was layed up, a few low spots were filled with resin/microballoon mixture and the entire fiberglass area received a thick coat of tinted resin. After sanding, will fill low areas, cover with another coat of resin and repeat the process until ready to paint. Much as working with fiberglass is messy, it is easy to fix areas that need fixing!

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Aug 29, 2020 Prepping for fiberglass

Category: Canopy

Added electrical tape to define the edge of the fiberglass on the canopy/skirt. Sanded to roughen plexiglass and aluminum surfaces where fiberglass will attach. Completed masking with mylar packing tape. Cut all side fiberglass using templates.

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Aug 28, 2020 Still spinning

Category: Propeller

Completed spinner by fabricating and installing the gap fillers (area behind the prop blades). Riveted in place. Began masking for the canopy fiberglass layups.

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Aug 26, 2020 Spinner again

Category: Propeller

Lost some sleep last night wondering if I had too much wobble in the spinner. It appeared to be less than 1/16", but was definitely visible. On the last RV12 I built I ended up redoing the spinner entirely over the same concern. However, I realized I still have not final drilled the mounting holes to final size (#19). This provided an opportunity to make final (very) small adjustments in the spinner/bulkhead fit. I found a way to determine lateral play that could easily detect <16" movement (see photo below). The spinner was clecoed in place. A small amount of wobble (~1/16") was detected. Several clecos were removed to allow for slight adjustments of the spinner and once satisfied with the position, the spinner was firmly clamped to the rear spinner bulkhead. While most of the previously drilled #30 holes were still aligned, a few were off by up to 1/32". Holes were drilled to final size and an 8-32 screw/nut was placed in each to maintain alignment. After completion I estimate wobble to be between 1/64 and 1/32". The prop/spinner was then disassembled and nut plates installed.

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Aug 25, 2020 Spinner

Category: Propeller

Aligned spinner per KAI. With a goal of <1`/16 inch "wobble" in the pitot tube, positioning is very critical. Once centered, the spinner was clamped to the rear spinner bulkhead and position rechecked. Magnets were then applied. Using #8 1/32 inch thick nylon washers to mark the hole location appeared to work better than the washers supplied with the magnets (less drag allowing the magnets to reliably pop into position). #30 holes were drilled. The spinner was then removed and rear bulkhead attachment pilot holes drilled. Lastly, the spinner was placed back on the prop and all rear attachment holes match drilled with #30 bit.

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Aug 24, 2020 Spinner

Category: Propeller

Cut spinner along marked lines. Used a straight edge to keep to the lines where possible. Sanded for initial fitting to prop. Then installed prop and marked final lines for the prop opening. Once completed the spinner easily slid over the blades and rested on the forward and rear spinner backplates. I've not used the magnet trick to drill holes... there seems to be a fair amount of play in the position of the external magnet/washer. Will hold off drilling until this is worked out.

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Aug 23, 2020 Pitot

Category: Propeller

Partially drilled dimple in pitot tube for retaining screw. Installed pitot block and inserted retaining screw. Safety wired the magnetic plug and oil pump assembly screws.

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Aug 22, 2020 Foam final shape

Category: Canopy

The canopy foam blocks were sanded to final shape. The top 1/8 inch of foam was removed. This will be filled with an epoxy/flox mixture prior to laying up the canopy fiberglass. Unable to find the fiberglass template, I continued routing the engine wiring. Will need to order a new template from Van's.

Prepped for epoxy/flox

Block sanded to final shape

ECU cable routing and clamps

Aug 21, 2020 Odds add ends

Category: Engine

Routed and attached throttle cable. The plans are crystal clear on the relationship between the various components of the engine mount and routing of the cable. I still ended up installing it incorrectly 3 times before getting it right! Also connected ground wires to the engine case and voltage regulators. Cleaned up some of the wire bundles going to the engine fuse box. Lastly, wired the starter.

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Aug 20, 2020 Foam blocks

Category: Canopy

Cut fairing foam blocks to shape. Used an epoxy/flox mixture to attach the blocks to the canopy frame.

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Aug 19, 2020 Masking

Category: Canopy

Began masking the upper/forward fuselage in preparation for laying up the canopy fairing. Lots of multilayer duct tape spacers. In addition, there is a 0.025 in (also layered with duct tape to increase size to 0.075in) spacer to allow for a rubber seal under the fiberglass. This is new since my 2016 build, where there was no space for a rubber seal under the fiberglass.

Masking

Spacer to allow for seal

Fitting canopy foam

Aug 18, 2020 Hanging the engine

Category: Engine

Using an engine hoist, maneuvered the edge/mount into position. Installed the lower isolators and bolts, followed by the upper isolators/bolts. Once in place bolts were torqued to 190 in-lbs.

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Aug 17, 2020 Engine Mount

Category: Engine

Disconnected coolant hoses and CPS connectors in preparation for attaching engine mount. Wrapped mount with masking tape to prevent scratches while maneuvering the mount into position. Trial fitting of the mount revealed the need for one washer (NAS1149F0632P) under the left upper attach point. This area is not easy to get at, and it took quite a while to align the washer and insert the left upper bolt. Torquing the bolt required the use of a modified 8mm hex wrench with a ball head. Final torque value, taken from the Rotax Heavy Maintenance Manual, was 40Nm (353.92 in-lbs).

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Aug 16, 2020 Unpacking

Category: Engine

Removed engine from crate and began taking pictures in preparation for installation. Very different than the 912ULS!

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Aug 14, 2020 Overhead light

Category: Lighting

Finalized wiring for cockpit light and canopy latch switch. Installed seatbelts.

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Aug 13, 2020 Filler

Category: Fuel System

Applied thin layer of pro seal to fuel filler neck and riveted in place. Performed final fitting of the overflow fuel line and attached to the fuel filler neck. The bottom end was cut at a 45 degree angle and a 1 inch piece of plastic tube place over the end to isolate the overflow line from the hole edges. Filler fuel hose was then attached, completing the fuel system. The rear window was then mounted.

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Aug 12, 2020 More odds and ends

Category: Fuselage

Cupholder installed. Final trimmed (for the last time) rear edge of the canopy. Installed canopy per KAI in preparation of laminating the forward canopy skirt. Note the temporary "strut" to facilitate laminating the skirt. Not for use in flight. Fitted the fuel tank filler hose and vent.

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Aug 11, 2020 Mounting canopy

Category: Canopy

Performed a final fit of the canopy/frame assembly to the fuselage, and screwed/riveted together. Assembled seat backs and trial fitted in place. Sat in plane and made engine sounds (sorry, no picture).

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Aug 09, 2020 Fuel tank

Category: Fuel System

Installed fuel tank and attached fuel lines. AN818 nuts torqued to 125 in-lbs. Center console temporally installed. Reassembled painted seat backs.

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Aug 08, 2020 Painting interior

Category: Fuselage

Completed painting larger interior parts, including fuselage interior, seat backs, turtle deck (which will become the baggage compartment upper interior), and center console. Canopy fitted to the canopy frame. Will attach to fuselage and check fit prior to riveting the forward bow. With engine mount expected next week, will allow paint to fully cure before beginning canopy fiberglass work and focus on the engine installation.

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Aug 06, 2020 Top coat canopy frame

Category: Paint / Decals

Applied top coat to interior (Rustoleum smoke gray). Prepped and primed seat backs and center console.

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Aug 04, 2020 Interior

Category: Paint / Decals

Fitted interior to get an idea of where to paint, then masked entire plane. Two rolls of tape, lots of plastic and repurposed grocery bags. Added PPE and sprayed.

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Aug 03, 2020 Prepping for paint

Category: Fuselage

Continuing to prep the fuselage for painting. Removed the instrument panel and installed the temporary panel to hold the avionics bay cover in place. This will be critical when laying up the canopy fairing. Removed the turtle deck and rear window. Emptied the finish kit crate which will become a paint booth for small parts. Still need to remove the canopy latch switch. Will install the interior side panels to determine areas that need to be painted. Also installed 4 nut plates attaching the center arm rest I missed first time around.

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Aug 01, 2020 Top coat canopy frame

Category: Canopy

Final coat of paint applied to the canopy frame. As with my previous build, I'm using Rustoleum products. Getting good results with spray cans is an art, one I'm still learning! Next will be painting the seats, turtle deck, myriad small parts, and the exposed interior.

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Jul 31, 2020 Painting the frame

Category: Canopy

All holes in the canopy were with a #27 plexiglass drill. Canopy frame holes, other than those in the front bow, were also drill out with a #27 bit. The front bow canopy holes were countersunk per KAI. A final fit of the canopy to the frame confirmed all holes aligned and an adequate gap between the canopy and frame was present on both sides. The canopy was removed for (hopefully) the final time and the hangar rearranged, converting the rear area into a paint booth. The frame was then primed.

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Jul 30, 2020 Tweaking

Category: Canopy

The canopy skirts were bent at the forward end to achieve a continuous curve from the canopy to the bottom of the canopy frame. The frame was then removed and placed back on the fuselage. A 3/32-1/8 inch gap was noted between the canopy skirt and fuselage on the right side towards the front. The forward bow was bent ever so slightly to reduce the gap. Now both sides have clearance gaps of < or = to 1/16 inch.

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Jul 29, 2020 Drilling the canopy

Category: Canopy

After a few more frame adjustments, there canopy skirt was drilled and clecoed to the canopy frame. I then elicited help (per the KAI "You will need to have a non-claustrophobic friend/spouse/child/leprechaun/goblin or hobbit help you with this step"... thanks Tim) and drilled the skirt/canopy/frame. This completed drilling all holes attaching the canopy to the frame. The latch was inserted and function checked. The frame was then removed and the rear edge sanded to achieve a constant distance between the rear window and canopy.

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Jul 28, 2020 Mounting the canopy

Category: Canopy

After adjusting the canopy frame for best fit, the interior canopy frame flanges were installed. These required fluting to conform to the curved canopy frame. Next, the latch was fabricated by drilling and taping the handle. After taping the screw head was filed to match the handle curve. I'm sure there was a knot or two gained by doing this. The canopy was then prepped by removing the protective coating around the interior and exterior surfaces and placed on the frame.

Fit was close, but required elongating the latch hole and sanding several edges. After several on/off/on iterations, the canopy was ready to be drilled and clecoed to the frame.

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Jul 23, 2020 Rear window and initial fitting of canopy frame

Category: Canopy

Removed rear window and cut forward edge to tape line. Sanded smooth. Final drilled all holes in window and forward turtle deck with #27 drill. Reinstalled window. Prepped canopy frame for installation. Initial fit showed the frame to be too wide, and hit on the top edge of the G3X displays. Encouraged to fit better with ratcheting straps. Encouragement accepted.

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Jul 22, 2020 Rear window

Category: Canopy

Continued rear window installation. Drilled all attach holes (#30 and #40). Enlarged all #40 holes to #36 and tapped for 6-32 screws. Marked forward edge of rear window with masking tape in preparation for final cutting/sanding to shape.

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Jul 21, 2020 Rear Window

Category: Canopy

Began fitting the rear window in place. The aft edge had to be trimmed to accommodate the F-1232B center brackets. Once this was completed the window was clamped in place, checked, reclamped, and rechecked several times. After achieving the best fit I could, I began drilling the mounting holes. Don't even want to think what shipping a new window would cost (worse for the canopy, I'm sure). Fortunately it's quite warm outside, and the plexiglass is quite soft. In the meanwhile, the annual condition inspection and all service bulletins were completed on my RV12ULS N12BB, in preparation for sale.

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Jul 19, 2020 Landing gear closeout and CO detector

Category: Landing Gear

Completed installation of rubber landing gear closeouts. Not airtight, but should help. Wired and mounted CO detector.

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Jul 17, 2020 Gear leg seals

Category: Fuselage

Formed aluminum close out brackets to more accurately align with the fuselage curve. Pro sealed the rubber seals to the aluminum brackets. Top brackets and rubber seals will be installed after the pro seal cures.

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Jul 16, 2020 Odds and ends

Category: Fuselage

Completed riveting tail cone to fuselage. Removed turtle deck and installed flaperon control tubes. Began fabrication of landing gear close outs.

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Jul 15, 2020 Riveting tail cone

Category: Fuselage

Completed routing tail cone wiring, AOA, pitot and static lines. Riveted tail cone to fuselage, including baggage corner skins. Forward turtle deck skins clecoed in place.

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Jul 14, 2020 Tail cone attachment

Category: Fuselage

Mounted magnetometer using non magnetic hardware. Completed all tailbone connections including trim tab servo, magnetometer, and static port. Routed rudder and stabilator cables. Clecoed tail cone in place.

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Jul 13, 2020 Fitting wings

Category: Wings

Installed wings for the first time. On my previous build, this was one of the most challenging steps, with multiple fittings as the subspars were slowly filed to final size. This time was different. Although the spar pins were tight, they could be inserted without any filing or trimming of either the skins or subspars. Next the flaperons were clamped in position (each 1/8 inch down from wingtip). Pushrods were adjusted so the two flaperon tubes were in the correct position with control sticks fixed in the neutral position. Then the holes for fasteners completing the flaperon linkages were drilled. After this was completed, the wings were removed and placed in their rack pending final assembly. The tail cone was positioned to allow completion of connections with the fuselage. Thanks Tim for your help!

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Jul 10, 2020 Com antenna

Category: Avionics

Mounted com antenna. Epoxied spacers into flaperon control linkages in preparation for fitting wings to fuselage.

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Jul 09, 2020 On the gear!

Category: Landing Gear

Completed the condition inspection for N12BB in preparation for sale. Addressing all service bulletins, including the nose gear replacement added substantial time to the inspection. Now complete, I'm back at work on N122B. Mounted nose gear, fork and tire/wheel assembly to fuselage. Lowered to floor. Each wheel sits on dolly, allowing the fuselage to be rolled in any direction.

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Jun 26, 2020 Shims

Category: Landing Gear

Added shims to correct toe in/toe out. Rechecked using blocks and string per KAI. Reassembled brakes and wheels. Assembled tow bar. Awaiting nose gear and engine mount.

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Jun 25, 2020 More odds and ends

Category: Fuselage

Connected fuse box ground leads. Prepped and temporarily mounted center channel closeout panels, including the all important cup holder. These will need to be removed for painting. Assembled heat muff.

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Jun 24, 2020 Odds and ends

Category: Avionics

Mounted electrical connectors for wings and installed headphone jacks. Continued wiring firewall components

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Jun 23, 2020 Mounting axles, wheels and tires.

Category: Landing Gear

Final torqued right main gear. Connected brake line. This was very difficult due to limited access. Next plane will connect prior to installing gear leg. Added axles and checked alignment. Left axle has <0.5 degree toe in, however, right axle has 0.5 degree toe out. This will require a shim to align properly (no toe out). Went ahead and installed brake line/fittings. Greased bearings. Balanced and mounted tires.

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Jun 22, 2020 Legs

Category: Landing Gear

Final torqued right landing gear leg bolts and connected brake line. Note the brake line fitting was installed while the gear leg was still on the workbench for easier access. Fitted left gear leg/wear plates.

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Jun 21, 2020 Initial fitting of right gear leg

Category: Landing Gear

Primed landing gear wear plates and doubler. Pipe thread fitting for brakes installed in landing gear. Assembly installed (final tightening/torque) of bolts to be completed.

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Jun 19, 2020 Position lights

Category: Lighting

Completed installation of position lights. Added flox/epoxy mixture. Once set, removed and final sanded mounts. Clecoed, drilled and countersunk holes. Riveted in place. Also completed mounting tires to wheels.

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Jun 18, 2020 Rudder cables

Category: Controls

Advantages of leaving the forward fuselage on its side as long as possible include easier access to install the fuel system, controls and wiring harness. However, as these are added access to the forward rudder cable connections become more restricted (see photo). I've elected to connect the cables now, using the middle hole of each bracket. Hopefully this will be close enough. Otherwise will need to redo after mounting the empennage. After completing this (it took 2 hours to manipulate the bolts, washers and cotter pins through the limited access), I got some help to roll the fuselage upright, and began work on the landing gear. note control sticks are parallel when in the ""neutral"" position.

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Limited access to rudder cables

Jun 17, 2020 Engine accessories

Category: Engine

Sealed edge of firewall with Proseal. Used a 60cc syringe, worked well. Mounted engine fusebox and ECU.

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Jun 16, 2020 Heater vent installation

Category: Firewall

Assembled and installed heater vents. Working with stainless steel is a real challenge, especially after aluminum!

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Jun 14, 2020 Completing avionics installation

Category: Avionics

Added G3X screens and secured wiring in avionics bay. Checked wiring harness throughout the fuselage.

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Jun 12, 2020 Panel

Category: Avionics

Routed pitot line and completed wiring harness installation (bundled, tie wrapped, secured and clear of all controls). Fitted left and right instrument panels. Installed ignition module assembly (master, LN A&B, starter switch), ELT remote switch and EFIS back up battery switch in left panel.

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Jun 11, 2020 Installation of avionics

Category: Avionics

Mounted and connected major avionics components including back up battery, GTR200B com, GTX35R transponder, GPS20A WAAS position source, GMC307 autopilot control panel and GEA24 engine indication system. Wiring then secured with clamps, bushings and tie wraps per KAI.

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Jun 10, 2020 ADAHRS and ADS-B

Category: Avionics

Mounted ADAHRS and ADS-B units. Both then hooked up to wiring harness. Completed fabrication of support brackets for radio, autopilot controller, etc.

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Jun 09, 2020 Autopilot servos

Category: Avionics

Finalized trim servo wiring into main harness. Mounted fuel pressure sensor and attached wire harness to sensor and fuel pumps. Assembled autopilot pushrods and mounted servos. Connected control stick d-sub connectors to wire harness.

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Roll servo

Pitch servo

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Jun 08, 2020 Wire harness installation

Category: Avionics

Completed (mostly) the wire harness installation. Added plastic bushings, missing cabin light wire, finalized ELT wiring and cleaned up throughout. It appears headphone jack wires are a bit short. Will need to check wire routing too find the extra inch or so needed.

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Jun 04, 2020 Wire harness installation

Category: Avionics

Continued routing of avionics wiring harness. Completed sections look much cleaner than during installation. Found one wire to cabin light missing. Fortunately, the same wire runs to the switch backlights, so there are several places I can tap into the harness and add the connection.

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Jun 03, 2020 Wires everywhere

Category: Avionics

Continued routing wiring harness. Due to limited access and multiple connectors, it's harder than I thought it would be.

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Jun 02, 2020 Wiring harness

Category: Avionics

Continued routing of wiring harness, separating right and left sides and mounting the AV6000 switch module to the cover tunnel. Added autopilot shutoff switch and ground wire.

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Jun 01, 2020 Wiring harness

Category: Avionics

Positioned wiring harness including routing cables through avionics bay floor. Added firewall forward electronics (master and starter solenoids, battery)

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May 31, 2020 Tunnel cover prep

Category: Avionics

Riveted tunnel cover in place. Added throttle control and fuel shut off cables. Keeping a close eye on access to rudder cable attach points. These will need to be accessed after the tail cone is installed.

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May 30, 2020 Tunnel cover prep

Category: Avionics

Added nutplates and Eco Stop Assembly to tunnel cover in preparation for installation.

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May 28, 2020 Preparation for installation of wiring harness

Category: Avionics

Continued preparing for installation of wiring harness. Spar pin and canopy microswitches installed. Unwrapped wiring harness. Impressive.

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May 27, 2020 Wiring

Category: Avionics

Installed and wired control stick grips, including crimping d-sub connectors. Mounted ELT. Added avionics cooling fans.

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May 26, 2020 Safety Directive 00001

Category: Empennage

Changed trim servo linkage to be compliant with Safety Directive 00001, minimizing side loads (and potential for bending) on output shaft. Added instrument panel nut plates and reinforcement for Garmin avionics.

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May 24, 2020 Flap motor and odds and ends

Category: Controls

Installed flap motor. Tested operation and limits. Added new sealing washers to fuel system banjo bolt and torqued to 12 ft-lbs. All connections checked and torqued. Mounted AV600009 module in avionics bay.

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May 23, 2020 Control rod installation

Category: Controls

Attached control stick pushrods to control sticks and ""wiggled"" into place. Inserted brass bushings and bolted sticks to the control column. All bolts torqued to spec. Flaperon torque arms installed in rear of fuselage and connected to mixer bell crank with flaperon pushrods. Other than final tightening and torquing, this completes section 32, Flight Controls.

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May 22, 2020 Two steps forward, one step back

Category: Controls

Drilled and filed control stick bushings to final size. Fabricated control stick pushrods by drilling and tapping both ends for 1/4-28 threaded rod end bearings. Sprayed interior with CorrosionX and painted exterior. Flaperon pushrods also fabricated per plans. Trial fit control sticks, but was unable to attach pushrods to stick while in place (limited access to nuts, bolts and washers). Decided to try attaching rods to stick outside of plane and wiggle entire assembly into place. With lots of twisting and turning, was able to get everything into position. Unfortunately, scrapped paint off the control rods. Removed entire assembly and repainted the control rods.

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May 21, 2020 Control linkages

Category: Controls

Installed stabilator cables and pulleys. Assembled and mounted flap handle pushrod blocks and crank. Deburred, riveted and installed flaperon mixer bell crank. Added nutplates (12) and riveted in place seat ramp floor and throttle lever bracket.

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May 20, 2020 Cables and control mounts

Category: Controls

Secured brake lines. Routed rudder cables. Fabricated and installed control stick mounts. Initial fitting of stabilator cables.

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May 19, 2020 Upper forward fuselage skin

Category: Fuselage

Completed sealing firewall. Dimpled and deburred upper forward fuselage skin then applied silicone to form water seal at forward edge. Screwed to frame. Added nutplates (18) to panel attach strips and riveted to upper fuselage skin. Prepped and riveted egress handle in place.

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May 19, 2020 Pro seal fun

Category: Firewall

Riveted battery box and oil tank mount to firewall. Sealed lower edge of canopy rib with pro seal. Masked rivet heads and applied pro seal per instructions. Messy, sticky and stinky.

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May 18, 2020 Upper firewall and avionics bay

Category: Firewall

Riveted avionics bay floor and canopy ribs to firewall and longerons. Fitted battery box and oil tank brackets to firewall.

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May 16, 2020 Avionics bay

Category: Fuselage

Matched drilled holes between avionics bay and longerons prior to riveting in place

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May 15, 2020 Upper firewall and avionics bay

Category: Firewall

Prepped avionics bay floor and side panels. Canopy attach points also completed and riveted in place.

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May 14, 2020 Fuel system and upper firewall

Category: Fuel System

Completed plumbing of fuel filters and pumps. Will need to wait for new fuel system sealing washers per SL-0004 before I torque to final specs. Began fitting of upper firewall, including sealing with pro seal.

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May 13, 2020 Brake lines and firewall

Category: Controls

Fabricated and installed brake lines. Began assembly of upper firewall. Added upper forward fuselage doubler and drilled/clecoed upper cowl hinge.

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May 12, 2020 Rudder pedals and brakes

Category: Controls

Assembled and installed rudder pedals and brakes. The extra pedals are reflections on the sidewalks (although they could come in handy in a crosswind)...

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May 11, 2020 Completed (almost) rigid fuel lines

Category: Fuel System

Fabricated the remainder of the rigid fuel lines. Fortunately the plans include full size drawings of each line to assist visualizing the bends in 3D. Added fuel drain, pre-filter and fuel pumps. All fuel lines cleaned with compressed air and fittings torqued to 125 in-lbs. Completing the fuel pump/filter assembly (including connecting to the main fuel line) awaits several back ordered parts. Lots of mistakes and left over bits and pieces of fuel line. Learning curve....

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May 10, 2020 Fuel line

Category: Fuel System

Fabricated the longest fuel line, connecting the pump/filter assembly behind the baggage compartment bulkhead with the bypass fitting assembly. This line has several bends around the fuel pumps, and is then threaded through multiple bulkheads to the bypass fitting assembly. All went well until I performed the final flair at the forward end. *(&*^((*%^$ I forgot to put on the nut and sleeve. Fortunately there was enough ""slack"" in the bends, I was able to cut off the flair, place the nut and sleeve on the tube and reflair. Time to call it a day!

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May 09, 2020 Fuel lines

Category: Fuel System

Added fuel return line. Tortuous and difficult to bend, cut and flair in place.

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May 08, 2020 Fuel lines

Category: Fuel System

Pulled tank and added fuel pick up and return fittings. Tested for leaks by sealing all openings, fitting nitrile exam glove over inlet and pressurizing to ~1-2 psi. Then sprayed tank with soapy water looking for bubbles along seams/rivet holes. None found and tank replaced in fuselage (after removing glove). Began fabricating fuel lines.

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May 07, 2020 Roll bar and fuel tank

Category: Fuel System

Completed riveting of roll bar support. Installed fuel tank, drilled attach points and riveted nut plates. Roughened, cleaned and pro-sealed firewall/sidewall intersection. Opened engine crate and retrieved fuel pump to be modified for installation.

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May 06, 2020 Baggage compartment bulkhead

Category: Fuselage

Installed baggage compartment bulkhead and roll bar support. Assembled, riveted and attached fuel pump bracket.

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May 05, 2020 Roll bar

Category: Fuselage

Reassembled roll bar and riveted per KAI. Added canopy latch fittings. Attached to fuselage and riveted roll bar braces in place.

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May 04, 2020 Roll bar

Category: Fuselage

Riveted air vent. Removed roll bar and deburred all holes and edges. Countersunk outer side for CS4-4 rivets. Primed for final assembly.

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May 03, 2020 Right fuselage side panel

Category: Fuselage

Completed riveting of the right fuselage side skin. Attached 10 nut plates for access panel. Initial fitting of right air vent.

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May 02, 2020 Right side panel

Category: Fuselage

The replacement fuselage right side panel arrived. The wing spar cutout was completed, edges deburred and broken, and holes dimpled per plans. The skin was then clecoed in place and Cherry rivets installed.

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May 01, 2020 Roll bar

Category: Fuselage

Sometimes progress is measured in pages completed, other times in checking off a single step. Today was a 'single step' day. Drill all roll bar #40 holes to #30, checo each hole after drilling.

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Apr 30, 2020 Seats and roll bar

Category: Fuselage

Assembled, final drilled and riveted seats. New seat adjustment mechanism looks like a nice upgrade for the RV12. Clecoed the roll bar frame together and attached to roll bar base for initial fitting.

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Apr 29, 2020 Left side panel

Category: Fuselage

Riveted left side panel in place. Right side will need to wait until replacement skin arrives, later this week. Added nutplates for inspection panel which will be under the wing root. Began fabrication of vents doors.

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Apr 27, 2020 Side skins

Category: Fuselage

Trimmed, deburred and dimpled side skins per KAI. Clecoed and match drilled to longerons. Lots of drill shavings on the floor. Removed skins and primed longerons.

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Apr 26, 2020 Side skins

Category: Fuselage

Began installation of side skins by riveting framework to fuselage. Final fitting of longerons completed. Unfortunately, while removing the side skins from their protective cardboard, I noticed one was bent at the top forward end, an area that will be highly visible. I was unable to flatten the area, and have decided to order a new side skin. Hopefully the cost of the part and shipping will be less than the cost of a new fuselage kit!

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Apr 24, 2020 Odds and ends

Category: Fuselage

Completed installation of mid fuse brace. Added roll bar attachment plates, seat back adjustment guides and bulkhead flange caps. Side panels next!

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Apr 23, 2020 Longerons

Category: Fuselage

Continued longeron fabrication. While the main bends have been made at Van's, the longerons still required the angle aluminum (think 90 degree angle) to be opened up to 95.4 degrees at the forward end, tapering back to 90 degrees 12 7/16"" from the end. Lacking an industrial size vice or a machine shop, I repurposed a swag crimper tool to expand the angle. First longeron took 3+ hours, the second about 45 minutes. Learning curve. Fitted the canopy deck to each longeron. Added the mid fuse brace, which also serves as the seat back rest.

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Apr 22, 2020 Forward lower fuselage

Category: Fuselage

Completed forward lower fuselage, including lower cowl attach points. Riveted to main fuselage. Began Section 23, side skins. Fabricating longeron, hit index finger with a hammer. Called it a day.

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Apr 21, 2020 Forward lower fuselage

Category: Fuselage

Forward lower fuselage assembled and riveted. Rudder pedal support and lower engine mount brackets installed. Proseal applied per KAI. Very unpleasant stuff.

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Apr 20, 2020 Fuselage Ribs/Bottom Skin (Completes Section 21)

Category: Fuselage

Completed riveting step floor. Added baggage bulkhead, roll servo and fuel valve brackets. Began Forward Lower Fuselage (Section 22) preparation including the lower firewall and rudder assembly mount.

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Apr 18, 2020 Fuselage and step floors

Category: Fuselage

Completed riveting fuselage floor. Rotated fuselage upright. Riveted 28 nutplates to step floor panels and began cleco/riveting in place.

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Apr 17, 2020 Fuselage floor

Category: Fuselage

Continued riveting fuselage floor. While I'm not counting rivets, there sure are a lot of leftover mandrels!

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Apr 16, 2020 Corners and floor

Category: Fuselage

Right and left corner skins clecoed and riveted in place. Bottom skin deburred and prepped with installation of inspection hatch nutplates, antenna reinforcement, and screws to hold wire/tubing bundles. Bottom skin then clecoed to frame. Reinforcements added (10 external and 6 internal), and riveting of skin to frame initiated.

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Apr 15, 2020 Step ribs and fuselage corner skins

Category: Fuselage

Began assembly of step ribs. Brackets cut from aluminum angle, primed and riveted to ribs. Attached ribs to the F-01203A-1 bulkhead. Riveted the F-01202F-1 bulkhead which includes step mounts. Added fuselage bushings per KAI. Deburred and clecoed right fuselage corner skins.

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Apr 14, 2020 Bulkhead forward of seat ribs

Category: Fuselage

Assembled forward seat rib bulkhead. Filed wing stub spars to fit stub spar receptacle and riveted in place. Riveted bulkhead reinforcements. Added seat floor support and seat ramp floor. Wing rollers installed.

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Apr 13, 2020 Fuselage seat floor

Category: Fuselage

Fuselage seat floor panels prepped, nutplates installed and panels riveted to seat floor ribs. Ribs and panels then riveted to center section bulkhead. Forward bulkhead side assembly installed. These components include the wing attachment pin guides.

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Apr 10, 2020 Seat ribs

Category: Fuselage

Began assembly of seat ribs, including installation of nut plates, setback pin plates and guides, crotch strap bracket, routing angles and mounting of flaperon mixer arm and pulley brackets

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Apr 09, 2020 Baggage compartment

Category: Fuselage

The F-01206A-1 BULKHEAD ASSEMBLY was riveted to the front baggage compartment ribs and skins, and additional baggage compartment ribs installed aft of the bulkhead. Flaperon bearing brackets were riveted along with the bearing bracket support.

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Apr 08, 2020 Baggage compartment ribs

Category: Fuselage

The ELT mount was riveted between two baggage compartment ribs and then all ribs were riveted to the baggage compartment floor and center bulkhead.

Flaperon mixer, bearing and pulley brackets were assembled and riveted. The F-01206A-1 BULKHEAD was assembled, including fitting the wing stub spars to the bulkhead receptacles.

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Apr 07, 2020 Center section bulkhead

Category: Fuselage

Began assembly of the center section bulkhead. Added side bulkhead and parts preparation (nut plate installation, countersinking and match drilling). The plans called for match drilling a number of holes that were already machine punched. These kit upgrades shortened the process considerably.

Pulling the cherrymax rivets was challenging. With either my electric rivet or hand puller, mandrels broke prematurely, despite rivet lubrication per Vans instructions. Will need to order replacement rivets and will try using a branded cherrymax rivet puller.

ELT bracket assembled and baggage compartment floor riveted to the center bulkhead. Due to limited space for the hand riveter, thin, flat sets (per the KAI) were used to squeeze the universal head rivets. Worked well.

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Apr 04, 2020 Position light

Category: Wings

Cut and fitted fiberglass wing tip position light and strobe mount. Mounted light and completed all electrical connections. Final fiberglass work will be completed when the weather warms up. This completes the right wing.

Began unpacking the fuselage. Lots of paper, parts and hardware. hard to believe an entire fuselage is in that box!

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Apr 03, 2020 Wing tip

Category: Wings

Completed riveting of wing tip and mounted flaperon.

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Apr 02, 2020 Top wing skins and wing tip

Category: Wings

Completed riveting of top wing skins and began fitting wing tip skins. As with the landing light, the second time bending wing tip tabs, fitting and riveting skins was much faster.

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Apr 01, 2020 Landing light and top wing skins

Category: Wings

Installed landing light. Much easier the second time around. Began riveting top wing skins.

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Mar 31, 2020 Top wing skins and flaperon brackets

Category: Wings

Flipped wing right side up and pulled/clecoed leading edge skins into place. Partially riveted as per plans. Installed flaperon brackets.

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Mar 30, 2020 Bottom wing skins

Category: Wings

Fitted deburred, clecoed and riveted all bottom wing skins and wing skin doubler. Most rivets in a day!

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Mar 29, 2020 Wing ribs, wire harness and inboard lower skin

Category: Wings

Riveted nose ribs and stub spar. Installed right wing wire harness and mounted electrical connector in root rib. Prepped and clecoed inboard lower wing skin.

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Mar 27, 2020 Right wing ribs

Category: Wings

Riveted main ribs and rear spar to the right wing spar.

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Mar 26, 2020 Wing tip closeout and position light

Category: Wings

Bottom wing tip tabs were bent using a wooden tool (per plans) and digital protractor. The skin was then clecoed and riveted in place. Fit was remarkably good. The rear closeout panel was installed, completing the wing tip. The position light fiberglass bracket was cut to shape, drilled and clecoed to the wing tip. The position light was bolted to the fiberglass and all electrical connections completed. Final fiberglass work will wait for warmer weather.

This completes the left wing.

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Mar 25, 2020 Top wing skins and wing tip

Category: Wings

Completed riveting of top wing skins and began wing tip. Top wing tip skins were fitted and riveted in place. The bottom skins was marked with desired angles for each mounting tab.

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Mar 24, 2020 Top wing skins

Category: Wings

Continued riveting the top wing skins and wing walk doubler on inboard skin

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Mar 23, 2020 Landing light and top skins

Category: Wings

Completed landing light installation. Getting a tight fit for the lens was a challenge. I first cut the lens to almost final size. I then marked the top mount holes and drilled #30. These were then clecoed in place and bottom mount holes marked. The lens was removed and bottom holes drilled ~1/16"" behind the marks, pushing the lens forward for a very tight fit. Also began riveting the top wing skins.

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Mar 21, 2020 Landing light and flaperon brackets

Category: Wings

This was a good time to fit the landing light, as access was optimal. Flaperon brackets were also riveted in place.

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Mar 19, 2020 Top wing skins

Category: Wings

Flipped wing over and began fitting leading edge. It took a fair amount of pulling the skins tight over the ribs to get the holes to line up, but once completed, fit was excellent.

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Mar 16, 2020 Left lower wing skins

Category: Wings

Completed riveting of left lower outboard and middle wing skins. Installation is simple, but involves significant skin prep (mostly edges) and lots of rivets. Everything fit well. It's easy to see progress with such large pieces.

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Mar 16, 2020 Wing skin

Category: Wings

Completed riveting left lower inboard wing skin

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Mar 15, 2020 Wing assembly and initial skinning

Category: Wings

Added left wing wire harness including connection to stall warning microswitch. Mounted electrical connector on inboard rib. Orientation is critical and took some time to ensure correct. Added AOA tubing and port (similar to the static ports, the AOA port is a rivet with the mandrel removed). Began skinning with inboard lower skin. These pieces cover the entire bottom and wrap around to also cover the forward third of the wing. Five different types of rivets are used on this single piece. The wing skin doubler was also final drilled and riveted.

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Mar 14, 2020 Wing assembly

Category: Wings

Added stall warning microswitch and vane. Riveted nose ribs and leading edge stub spar assembly to main spar.

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Mar 13, 2020 Wing frame

Category: Wings

Attached main ribs and rear spar. Riveted rear spar doubler plate and flaperon hinge. Starting to look like a wing!

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Mar 12, 2020 Wing prep

Category: Wings

Continued wing prep. Removed select rib flanges per Kit Assembly Instructions (KAI). Final drilled flaperon attached bracket rivet holes to ribs

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Mar 08, 2020 Wing prep

Category: Wings

Fluted and deburred all nose and main ribs. There are a lot of ribs!

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Mar 07, 2020 Wing prep

Category: Wings

Assembled and riveted flaperon brackets. Straightened stub spar and countersunk leading edge rivet holes (oversize to accept skin). Added stub spar doubler

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Mar 03, 2020 Main spar preparation

Category: Wings

Continued main spar preparation adding rib mount and tip flanges

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Mar 02, 2020 Rib flanges

Category: Wings

Began main spar preparation adding rib attachment flanges and riveting spar. Most of the spar comes assembled and anodized. Flanges and spar completion only require use of pull rivets.

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Mar 01, 2020 Flaperons

Category: Wings

Framed, clecoed and riveted right flaperon.

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Feb 29, 2020 Flaperons

Category: Wings

Completed skinning of the left flaperon

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Feb 25, 2020 Faperons

Category: Wings

As with the empennage, no jigs are required to construct the flaperons. The predrilled holes allow for self alignment. Skinning the left flaperon.

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Feb 23, 2020 Flaperons

Category: Wings

To maximize use of my limited workspace, I decided to build the flaperons prior to the wings. Construction was similar to the rudder/stabilator except for the use of a stainless steel tube as a counterbalance. Non alclad parts were anodized, precut, drilled and tapped. This saved substantial time as the plans had these steps all performed by the builder. The additional prefabrication in the newer kits is greatly appreciated!

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Feb 21, 2020 Wing kit

Category: Wings

The wing kit finally arrived. Hard to believe these boxes contain all the parts for two wings!

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Jan 14, 2020 Completed tail cone

Category: Empennage

Completed riveting of tail cone skins. Ran strings that will be used to pull stabilator and rudder cables through rear bulkhead. Attached trim servo wiring to tail cone skin J-stiffeners and trial fit trim servo/actuator. This completes the empennage kit.

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Jan 13, 2020 Tail cone

Category: Empennage

With the new rear bulkhead assembled, final fitting to the stabilator was completed. This involved attaching the bulkhead to the stabilator with AN4 bolts through the bulkhead bushings. The appropriate number and thickness washers are fitted to achieve centering with minimal/no lateral play. The CNC machines must have been working well. A single washer on each side of the bushings was needed to achieve a good fit. The washers are then CA glued in place to allow easier final assembly.

Continued riveting tail cone skins

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Jan 12, 2020 Rear bulkhead

Category: Empennage

The rear bulkhead had been previously constructed, but concerns over small cracks induced by fluting the flanges necessitated building a new one. Parts arrived and new bulkhead drilled and riveted. Nutplates installed.

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Jan 09, 2020 Tail cone

Category: Empennage

Added static ports. These are rivets with the mandrel tapped out. Routed static port tubing per Garmin avionics instructions.

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Jan 08, 2020 AST servo

Category: Empennage

Assembled AST servo and actuator. Crimped d-sub pins and assembled connectors.

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Jan 07, 2020 Tail cone

Category: Empennage

Tail cone flipped upright and side skins fitted and riveted

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Jan 05, 2020 Tail cone

Category: Empennage

Began attachment of tail cone skins to bulkheads. At this point the tail cone is inverted, resting on two saw horses with bulkheads hanging down. Lots of clecos and rivets. It takes some practice to ""break"" skin edges to prevent them from lifting after riveting.

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Jan 04, 2020 Tailcone

Category: Empennage

Initial preparation of tail cone bulkheads and AST servo mount.

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Jan 03, 2020 Stabilator

Category: Empennage

Initial fitting of stabilator skins, followed by riveting skins in place.

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Jan 02, 2020 Stabilator

Category: Empennage

Continued stabilator spar assembly including counterweight mount and hinge points. The new control horn attachment can be seen here.

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Dec 29, 2019 Stabilator

Category: Empennage

Began construction of the stabilator spar. Control horn attachment has been modified since the recent service bulletin to address spar cracks. Added ribs

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Dec 28, 2019 AST

Category: Empennage

Assembled anti-servo tab. Construction was straight forward, once I figured out how to use the hinge hole template. Right and let tabs joined. Previous service bulletin for AST cracks incorporated during the build. Much easier than as a retrofit!

Added fiberglass fairing to vertical stab.

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Dec 26, 2019 Vertical Stab

Category: Empennage

Added nutplates for forward skin attachment. Clecoed, then riveted main vertical stab skin. First airplane part (almost) done!

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Dec 22, 2019 Rudder

Category: Empennage

Assembled rudder spar and frame. Riveted skins. Added trim tab

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Dec 19, 2019 Vertical Stab

Category: Empennage

First components of the build. Framed up the vertical stab, including rear spar doublers.

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Dec 17, 2019 Workshop

Category: Workshop

Building and flying my RV12ULS (N12BB) has been one of the greatest experiences of my 'flying' career. Completed in 2016, my RV12 has given me 375 hours of flying enjoyment. It's truly a wonderful airplane. However, the urge to build again has been getting stronger, and I've decided to start another project. After much consideration, I settled on the RV12iS. Why another RV12? Well, its a fantastic kit, builds (relatively) quickly, is light sport compliant and flies very well.

What will be different this time around... My previous build was from a Synergy Air quick built kit, with the empennage and wing construcktion largely completed for me. The upcoming RV12iS project will be fully assembled by me including for the first time the empennage and wings. The fuselage is different than that of the RV12ULS and the firewall forward has been redesigned for the Rotax 912iS engine. While the Dynon system in my RV12ULS has been great, I want to learn something new, so will be installing Garmin avionics. All in all, very much a new project for me.

The timeline for assembly is agressive, but living in Wisconsin, I hope to have the project completed before winter 20/21. Construction will take place in the rear of my hanger (see images), behind N12BB. Once completed, I'll be selling N12BB and moving the new plane into the front of my hanger.

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