gathering info

i was talking to a guy this weekend at a fly-in/open house about the rv-12 he has an rv now and has flown all the rvs the vans has he is a long time pilot with lots of rv time also 737

he loved how the rv-12 handled but didn't like that it was slow or not to the top of the allowable speed like some of the other lsa kits and alos that it had the fuel tank in the back so you loose luggage space

i understand that the fuel tank need to go to the back so the waings can be removed, but who is the target market

1 some body who doesn't want to have ahanger space an just trailer

2 ????????

but what about some body that wants to transition from a non lsa to an lsa that already has a hanger and just wants to continue flying to the same spots he did with his other plane

next question is who other then vans has a lsa kit that provides that

ken in maine gathering info

3. People who can't afford full hangar rent. If you only use 1/3 of a hangar maybe you can rent the space for 1/3 the price.

4. Vacationers/traveling retirees. Tow your plane to vacation spots, through any weather. Fly when the weather is nice.

5. Good investment. RVs tend to hold their resale value much better than most of the competition.

There are a number of competitors out there but if you're concerned about speed, verify the numbers published by the manufacturer. Some companies are a little "optimistic". Vans has a reputation for posting honest performance numbers.

You might want to look at the Zenith CH-650 or the Rans S-19, but I think they cruise at about the same speed as the RV-12. The Sonex is faster but it's a little cramped for 2 full-sized men.