Young aviator here, man if I ever build a plane in the future. You sir will probably be the number 1 reason why! What an awesome experience, especially making your loved ones proud (or scaring the shit out of em haha).
Very enjoyable vid about your build. Here it is Aug. 2022 when I found your story, hope you’re having a wonderful time flying your RV12. Thanks for going to the trouble of sharing the build, you did an excellent job of telling what you did and how you did it. From Missouri
Just wanted to say thanks for showing the process of building a plane. Have always wanted to fly like every other little boy did when young. The kids are grown now and everyone is doing their own thing. These videos make me think maybe I can do that, only time will tell but would be a fun dream to chase.
You got an vast education by saving $45,000. I'm seeing win/win. Plus you know you can trust that it was built well because the person who built it is the person who trusts his life with it. Perfect. Plus you can do ALL of your own maintenance. What could be more liberating for someone who loves flying and wants to own an airplane of their own? Again, Perfect
Hands down the best build video I've seen. Thank for not doing a seizure inducing time-lapse or adding a horrible music track. I was an F-106 mechanic in the Air Force so I really enjoyed the annoying/painful parts, Ahh memories. Thanks for a great video.
I worked on SR-71s and RF-4Cs while I was in. The SR was the much easier of the two, but it was quirky. Thanks for the nice comments on the video. There are a few rough spots in it, but that's true of the airplane too.
What a wonderful video! I appreciate the time you spent editing and creating it. Very, very informative. Not sure I will ever attempt the build after watching. Thank you, nonetheless!
This was one of the best build vids I've ever seen. I had several LOL moments. The thought of building my own while spending some quality time with my kiddos sounds like a blast.
29:32 You were a great dad to make your daughter her own airplane, and to involve her in the build project. Also good points you made about considering how your family feels about losing you to "the airplane project." Wishing you many safe and happy hours in YOUR airplane!
Nice video, I work in Aerospace in the office side of things. Sometimes I feel like the only person actually interested in aviation. Whenever we hear treated or painted parts I have always wondered what they go on. Your video was satisfying for that reason.
Patience and dedication as well as a strong commitment to quality really pay off in an endeavor of this nature. I hope you really enjoy your fabulous aircraft and that your wife eventually comes around to flying with you more than doubling your enjoyment of this special lifestyle.
Thanks for the reply, I really enjoyed your narration of the build. The final product is beautiful and you'll be proud of it for the rest of your life. I dreamed of building one, but settled for radio controlled and a train layout. Building a full scale plane must be rewarding. I'll just watch your video and imagine. Thank your wife and daughter often.
Enjoyed your video. I got my Licenses and taught out at Bolten Field in the '70s. I also took rotorcraft training at Don Scott. We lived off Bethel Rd then. I looked into building a Long EZE when they 1st came out, but unlike you was in too much of a hurry to have a plane, so I just purchased a Skylane. Go Buckeyes!
Deacon Martin Mueller Well, you really can’t go wrong with a Skylane. I’m always saying that when it comes to airplanes, you need at least two but no more than five. If I could have a second plane, a 182 would be way up high on my “want” list. I get to fly a G1000 182 now and then with the Civil Air Patrol. Great travel plane!
One incredible journey I must say.....you couldn't have chosen a better paint scheme. The plane looks beautiful. We see quite a few Vans aircraft of all types in Australia these days. Such a fun little aircraft to fly. Great video and congratulations!
Sincerely, thanks for such a detailed journey. It is nice as a prospective builder to really get a feel of the ups and downs of long term projects such as this. I think most people looking from the outside in here the word "kit" and envision a snap tite model from their childhood.
Having built a couple of "Experimental Amateur Built" planes, I found one thing to be true: At the time your first flight is underway, ALL of the hard work - ALL of the hours - ALL of the heartache (when you break something :) - ALL of the delays - ALL of that goes into the background, and virtually disappears. Great video, thanks. N-6395T (now retired after 13 years in the air) - another project? Who knows. :)
Excellent. You should be proud of this video; one of the more comprehensive build videos on TH-cam...and I've watched a LOT of them. I'm finally building my RV-8, after years of dreaming. Now I'm dreaming of the day when I can post a similar video of my own. Lots more to say... but I think I'd rather get back to working on my own airplane. Hope to meet you at OSH someday. MJF, EAA 113, VAF
Very well said video! I have watched this about five times and finally I have come down to Build the RV 9A! Thanks for inspiring me. I have around 64 hours of flight time and 14 years old Thanks Again ! - T
Great video. One of the best video diaries I've seen out here. I'm building an RV-7 (just wrapping up the empennage and have the wing kit still in the crates) and this was great motivation.
Really enjoyed this video. You have a great ability for inline humor while learning. I wish I had these types of video in high school history... maybe a new career ;) but seriously, a really solid overview of what it will take! Thanks for taking the time. I know these video take hours to edit, cut, splice, etc!
Great video! Just saw my very first RV12 today at our local EAA chapter in Bend OR. Even had the opportunity to sit in it. I just joined the chapter and hope they will let me help with the five planes under construction. If I wasnt too old, I just might consider building my own. Thanks for a great video.
Bill Logan if your still around...your never too old...it is a state of your mind Bill.....I know a builder in Utah that has built 7 rv kits...he just loves building. myself I am too impatient and inept....and I am not alone. been looking to add either a 9a or 8 to the hangar for a while...and everyone is a personal aircraft of the person selling it...which is cool.....freedom is a wonder thing!!
EXCELLENT video! This is the best RV build video I've seen, very inspiring. Makes me want to go right out and order that RV-12 tail kit tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!
Brilliant - most enjoyable, great sense of humour and most importantly it convinced me once and for all that I simply don't have the patience to build my own!
Well done you brought everything to the table. Family, skills, vans critique, and all the other things that you don't think about. Thank you for your time; again fun video.
I just wanted to congratulate you on your build and also for a wonderful video of your experience. Someday i hope my 7 will take flight. Goodluck sir and fly safe
armypilot71 if you video documented it...you can still do a voice over... would love to see that..Glassair III is the shizzel! !!! have always loved those...not sure if I can think that fast or far ahead though to fly it..lol. please post it or send a link. love to see any footage of that ship going together Rich
This is wonderful! Thank you for putting it all together. After liking the video, I noticed that it says the video is unlisted. I came here from a link on Reddit. Not sure if you wanted it private, sorry if so. Thanks again!
Fabulous narrative. Makes me feel like I could build one, so obviously you've done a great job with the video - because I doubt that I could build one! lol
Great video. Having built 4 wings and two tails, I really understand what you went through. Unfortunately, I didn't finish. Nice job and beautiful airplane
Got my first RV12 kit ordered, LOVED your video. I appreciate the tip on tools and would really like to know how you finally got that angle spread apart?
Really good stuff. I've played with the idea of building someday and your video did a good job explaining things. Thanks. Still don't know if I'll do it or not.
Excellent video buddy :) Your Aeroplane looks fantastic. I helped an old mate with the finishing touches on his RV12, I thought the quality the kit was superb. I have worked on GA stuff for around 15 years,the quality of some of the new production Aeroplanes is frankly very poor....I would go for anything Van's all day long!
LOL, that was not my intent!! It seems like a lot when compressed into a 30 minute video, but with all of the help available out there, it really isn't as difficult as it might seem.
The RV12iS kit is going to be around $80k we are told. The SLSA version (fully built) is going to be around $150k we are told (with Garmin G3x etc). Do you think the SLSA version is worth the price?
No, I don't think the SLSA is worth the price. If I didn't want to build, I would buy an already-built E-LSA. I made this same decision with my RV-6 - at the time, I was working fulltime and didn't have the free time to build. Besides which, building any of the other RVs is three or four times harder/longer than the 12. With the 12, the S-LSA is the exact same kit, just built by someone that isn't Van's. They have built dozens, so they know what they are doing, but a careful shopper could find equal or better quality on the used E-LSA market. By far, the biggest benefit of E-LSA vs. S-LSA is that you don't have to take it to a service center for every little thing. You can, of course - they are likely to turn away business, but is very nice to have the choice. The ability to do your own maintenance is a huge money/time saver. I have paid a mechanic to work on my plane when the work involves the engine - I prefer to hire a pro for that - but little things are better done myself. Not having built the plane might hold you back on some jobs, but for the most part help is easy to find. Also, in the pre-built market you aren't married to Garmin if you prefer Dynon, which I very much do, having had experience with both Garmin service (not so good and very spendy) vs Dynon (who would pretty much give you the shirt off their back), and you could even save a few more bucks by going even older and getting the Dynon D-100 and a Garmin 496. My personal choice would be a plain Skyview, but I would make sure at least the autopilot servo mounts had been installed during the build. You can add them in if not, but one of them is in a very awkward location. There isn't usually a huge price difference based on whether the servos are installed or not, so it's buyer's choice. The highest mark-up is generally related to the cost of the paint job. Getting one painted is very expensive and a lot of people are going with vinyl wraps - they're about 1/3 the cost of paint. That would be something to consider if you look at one that hasn't been painted yet. You would easily be $10,000 into a simple white paint job, so this is something important to be aware of.
I had the same feeling. I thought i too might want to build a Rv 12 but after watching its got me thinking some more about that decision. Very nice documentary on your build. It looks great.
Young aviator here, man if I ever build a plane in the future. You sir will probably be the number 1 reason why! What an awesome experience, especially making your loved ones proud (or scaring the shit out of em haha).
Very enjoyable vid about your build. Here it is Aug. 2022 when I found your story, hope you’re having a wonderful time flying your RV12. Thanks for going to the trouble of sharing the build, you did an excellent job of telling what you did and how you did it.
From Missouri
Just wanted to say thanks for showing the process of building a plane. Have always wanted to fly like every other little boy did when young. The kids are grown now and everyone is doing their own thing. These videos make me think maybe I can do that, only time will tell but would be a fun dream to chase.
You got an vast education by saving $45,000. I'm seeing win/win. Plus you know you can trust that it was built well because the person who built it is the person who trusts his life with it. Perfect. Plus you can do ALL of your own maintenance. What could be more liberating for someone who loves flying and wants to own an airplane of their own? Again, Perfect
Great video. Very informative. I love the line about being hands off with the stripper! 😀
It’s about 50-50 got it/didn’t get it. Thanks for letting me know. 😊
Hands down the best build video I've seen. Thank for not doing a seizure inducing time-lapse or adding a horrible music track. I was an F-106 mechanic in the Air Force so I really enjoyed the annoying/painful parts, Ahh memories. Thanks for a great video.
I worked on SR-71s and RF-4Cs while I was in. The SR was the much easier of the two, but it was quirky. Thanks for the nice comments on the video. There are a few rough spots in it, but that's true of the airplane too.
What a wonderful video! I appreciate the time you spent editing and creating it. Very, very informative. Not sure I will ever attempt the build after watching. Thank you, nonetheless!
As a current RV-10 Builder.. Well done! This was a great video.. You really did a good job capturing the process of a 12 build.
Jason Ellis I’m watching you build wings right now! 😆
This was one of the best build vids I've ever seen. I had several LOL moments. The thought of building my own while spending some quality time with my kiddos sounds like a blast.
Your a real inspiration, and testament to the pride of do it yourself. A real professional yet personal presentation.
This video has inspired me to build an airplane.
29:32 You were a great dad to make your daughter her own airplane, and to involve her in the build project. Also good points you made about considering how your family feels about losing you to "the airplane project." Wishing you many safe and happy hours in YOUR airplane!
Nice video, I work in Aerospace in the office side of things. Sometimes I feel like the only person actually interested in aviation. Whenever we hear treated or painted parts I have always wondered what they go on. Your video was satisfying for that reason.
I grabbed a cup of coffee, sat down and enjoyed every minute of this video and you build. Great work and well done.
Patience and dedication as well as a strong commitment to quality really pay off in an endeavor of this nature.
I hope you really enjoy your fabulous aircraft and that your wife eventually comes around to flying with you more than doubling your enjoyment of this special lifestyle.
Thanks for the reply, I really enjoyed your narration of the build. The final product is beautiful and you'll be proud of it for the rest of your life. I dreamed of building one, but settled for radio controlled and a train layout. Building a full scale plane must be rewarding. I'll just watch your video and imagine. Thank your wife and daughter often.
Enjoyed your video. I got my Licenses and taught out at Bolten Field in the '70s. I also took rotorcraft training at Don Scott. We lived off Bethel Rd then. I looked into building a Long EZE when they 1st came out, but unlike you was in too much of a hurry to have a plane, so I just purchased a Skylane. Go Buckeyes!
Deacon Martin Mueller Well, you really can’t go wrong with a Skylane. I’m always saying that when it comes to airplanes, you need at least two but no more than five. If I could have a second plane, a 182 would be way up high on my “want” list. I get to fly a G1000 182 now and then with the Civil Air Patrol. Great travel plane!
Wonderful video Dave. That is a very daunting project that only a very few would take on.Your craftsmanship, and patience rewarded you.
Great Video, thanks so much for sharing, bought tears to my eyes when your Dad got to see your aircraft. Congrats!
One incredible journey I must say.....you couldn't have chosen a better paint scheme. The plane looks beautiful. We see quite a few Vans aircraft of all types in Australia these days. Such a fun little aircraft to fly. Great video and congratulations!
I very much enjoyed your story. Wishing blue skies and safe flying.
I agree with James. Hands down the best build video I've seen!
++
Sincerely, thanks for such a detailed journey. It is nice as a prospective builder to really get a feel of the ups and downs of long term projects such as this. I think most people looking from the outside in here the word "kit" and envision a snap tite model from their childhood.
Having built a couple of "Experimental Amateur Built" planes, I found one thing to be true: At the time your first flight is underway, ALL of the hard work - ALL of the hours - ALL of the heartache (when you break something :) - ALL of the delays - ALL of that goes into the background, and virtually disappears. Great video, thanks. N-6395T (now retired after 13 years in the air) - another project? Who knows. :)
Excellent. You should be proud of this video; one of the more comprehensive build videos on TH-cam...and I've watched a LOT of them. I'm finally building my RV-8, after years of dreaming. Now I'm dreaming of the day when I can post a similar video of my own. Lots more to say... but I think I'd rather get back to working on my own airplane. Hope to meet you at OSH someday.
MJF, EAA 113, VAF
Very well said video! I have watched this about five times and finally I have come down to Build the RV 9A! Thanks for inspiring me. I have around 64 hours of flight time and 14 years old Thanks Again ! - T
How did it go?
Honest, frank and sincere. Just a wonderful build video. Thank you for sharing your pain and joy. Blue skies brother!
Great video. One of the best video diaries I've seen out here. I'm building an RV-7 (just wrapping up the empennage and have the wing kit still in the crates) and this was great motivation.
Loved the hurt like hell moments. My fingernail is almost completely grown back!
Really enjoyed this video. You have a great ability for inline humor while learning. I wish I had these types of video in high school history... maybe a new career ;) but seriously, a really solid overview of what it will take! Thanks for taking the time. I know these video take hours to edit, cut, splice, etc!
You are hilarious and gave a detailed look into what building is like. I have no building experience but I hope to build a plane one day.
What a great story!! Great work capturing & narrating the build process, very much enjoyed watching your video. Cheers!!
BEST BUILDER VIDEO I'VE SEEN GREAT JOB!!
It takes a dry sense of humor it would seem to accomplish something like this. You came to this project well equipped.
FANTASTIC video! Thank you so much for making this, man. I want to build my own soooo bad, just can't afford it yet. This was great to see.
Great video! Just saw my very first RV12 today at our local EAA chapter in Bend OR. Even had the opportunity to sit in it. I just joined the chapter and hope they will let me help with the five planes under construction. If I wasnt too old, I just might consider building my own. Thanks for a great video.
Bill Logan if your still around...your never too old...it is a state of your mind Bill.....I know a builder in Utah that has built 7 rv kits...he just loves building.
myself I am too impatient and inept....and I am not alone. been looking to add either a 9a or 8 to the hangar for a while...and everyone is a personal aircraft of the person selling it...which is cool.....freedom is a wonder thing!!
Amigo, your video is one that shows your life purpose with God, family, friends...very inspirational.
Your video brings back a lot of memories of our build. Great video with some good information that would have been helpful for us before we started.
such an amazing story!! Thank you for sharing. It has sparked my drive to start my RV-10 again.... now to find the funds.
EXCELLENT video! This is the best RV build video I've seen, very inspiring. Makes me want to go right out and order that RV-12 tail kit tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!
Brilliant - most enjoyable, great sense of humour and most importantly it convinced me once and for all that I simply don't have the patience to build my own!
awesome vlog and an extra ordinary narrative ...hats off to the amazing job done
Superb video. The best I have seen! Congrats on the build!
Well done you brought everything to the table. Family, skills, vans critique, and all the other things that you don't think about. Thank you for your time; again fun video.
Great video, very enjoyable and concise, you really hit the spot on what its like to build one for some like me contemplating an RV12.
Well done video, anyone planning to build one should watch this first!
I just wanted to congratulate you on your build and also for a wonderful video of your experience. Someday i hope my 7 will take flight. Goodluck sir and fly safe
Very nice, I wish I narrated my build (Glasair III) like what you did here. Awesome job!!
armypilot71 if you video documented it...you can still do a voice over...
would love to see that..Glassair III is the shizzel! !!! have always loved those...not sure if I can think that fast or far ahead though to fly it..lol.
please post it or send a link. love to see any footage of that ship going together
Rich
Bloody brilliant mate. I laughed and laughed - guess I'll do the same things with my Kitfox build!
Truly enjoyed this! Congrats on a great build. One hell of an accomplishment!!
This is wonderful! Thank you for putting it all together. After liking the video, I noticed that it says the video is unlisted. I came here from a link on Reddit. Not sure if you wanted it private, sorry if so. Thanks again!
Awesome video! I feel like you really laid our what it takes to build an RV12. Brilliantly done,
Awesome video! Sounds like this was a lot of hard work and fun.
Fabulous narrative. Makes me feel like I could build one, so obviously you've done a great job with the video - because I doubt that I could build one! lol
Awesome job, on the airplane and the video. Congratulations!
Thanks for letting me know how much work it is. Enjoy.
All I can say is Wow .. that is an amazing job!
Very nice journey, i am still trying to get me situated and having the project started. Congrats, your RV is beautiful and well done!
Fantastic video, thank you! Thinking about building an RV-14 and this was really inspirational...
Great video. Thanks for taking the time to make it. I loved laughing at your points along the way.
Inspirational video! This gives me a very good idea of what it might take to commit to such a task. Thanks a lot and happy flying!
Great video. Having built 4 wings and two tails, I really understand what you went through. Unfortunately, I didn't finish. Nice job and beautiful airplane
Got my first RV12 kit ordered, LOVED your video. I appreciate the tip on tools and would really like to know how you finally got that angle spread apart?
@24:42 LOL "best part is, nothing was burning" priceless!! xD
Such an amazing story! Goals!!
Awesome video! Thanks for putting it together. Very inspiring.
Great job man. Nice work. Glad it payed off!
Brilliant video. Thanks for putting the time in!
This is a *great* video. Nice job, and well documented!
Excellent video , congrats on a beautiful airplane !
Fascinating. Just starting ground school at KOSU and building an RV is on the list. Wish I could have helped. Well done.
Annual inspection is coming up - extra hands are always a plus. If you're interested, just let me know. I'm hangared at Bolton Field.
What a wonderful story/video!
Great job with the aircraft and the video!!
Great video, congrats on the build.
As a retired 15C driver let me say Bravo Zulu son, well done!
Great video!! Nothing worth having is easy, so enjoy!
Good work. Great Video. I imagine myself building a Vans kit as well.
excellent video - thanks for sharing the process of the build!
NICE paint job!
Really good stuff. I've played with the idea of building someday and your video did a good job explaining things. Thanks. Still don't know if I'll do it or not.
Well Done. Thank you for such a descriptive essay...
Beautiful build and excellent video!
Well done! And I am again inspired...
Great job. Really enjoyed your video.
You did a pretty good job with this video, thanks.
Excellent video buddy :) Your Aeroplane looks fantastic. I helped an old mate with the finishing touches on his RV12, I thought the quality the kit was superb. I have worked on GA stuff for around 15 years,the quality of some of the new production Aeroplanes is frankly very poor....I would go for anything Van's all day long!
thank you, that was great to watch, actually interesting (all the way through) and I loved the music!
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing!
love your videos keep up the great job Ross and Heather
Well done......from Australia.
Great job all around. Thanks for the super informative video!!
Excellent and motivational video.
love, love the video... thank you for sharing... It was so much fun!
Matthew - probably not another RV-12 just because been there, done that, but maybe something like a SeaRey.
+RV12 Pilot That's my next project!
Great video!! Also looking into one of these kits!
Hey Dave, what is that motorcycle thing in the video (about20:16)? Awesome video by the way!!
Excellent video and story. You made a believer out of me - I will NEVER build my own plane!
LOL, that was not my intent!! It seems like a lot when compressed into a 30 minute video, but with all of the help available out there, it really isn't as difficult as it might seem.
The RV12iS kit is going to be around $80k we are told. The SLSA version (fully built) is going to be around $150k we are told (with Garmin G3x etc). Do you think the SLSA version is worth the price?
No, I don't think the SLSA is worth the price. If I didn't want to build, I would buy an already-built E-LSA. I made this same decision with my RV-6 - at the time, I was working fulltime and didn't have the free time to build. Besides which, building any of the other RVs is three or four times harder/longer than the 12.
With the 12, the S-LSA is the exact same kit, just built by someone that isn't Van's. They have built dozens, so they know what they are doing, but a careful shopper could find equal or better quality on the used E-LSA market.
By far, the biggest benefit of E-LSA vs. S-LSA is that you don't have to take it to a service center for every little thing. You can, of course - they are likely to turn away business, but is very nice to have the choice. The ability to do your own maintenance is a huge money/time saver. I have paid a mechanic to work on my plane when the work involves the engine - I prefer to hire a pro for that - but little things are better done myself. Not having built the plane might hold you back on some jobs, but for the most part help is easy to find.
Also, in the pre-built market you aren't married to Garmin if you prefer Dynon, which I very much do, having had experience with both Garmin service (not so good and very spendy) vs Dynon (who would pretty much give you the shirt off their back), and you could even save a few more bucks by going even older and getting the Dynon D-100 and a Garmin 496.
My personal choice would be a plain Skyview, but I would make sure at least the autopilot servo mounts had been installed during the build. You can add them in if not, but one of them is in a very awkward location. There isn't usually a huge price difference based on whether the servos are installed or not, so it's buyer's choice. The highest mark-up is generally related to the cost of the paint job. Getting one painted is very expensive and a lot of people are going with vinyl wraps - they're about 1/3 the cost of paint. That would be something to consider if you look at one that hasn't been painted yet. You would easily be $10,000 into a simple white paint job, so this is something important to be aware of.
I had the same feeling. I thought i too might want to build a Rv 12 but after watching its got me thinking some more about that decision. Very nice documentary on your build. It looks great.
Good and wonderful work I want to get a complete guide to building this plane Thanks
This video is just awesome. Thank you for it. Is it weird that it almost moved me to tiers?
Great video. Who were the guys from Jackson, OH you mentioned? That’s my hometown. I fly into I43 a few times a year in my 2005 SR22
Chris Rose Kyle and Don Lewis