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Which RV?: Need opinion
Hello Canadian RV owners/builders,
It has been more than a year now that I am planning building an RV-12, still trying to justify the cost of building and owning an airplane. Over this period of time, I was searching building techniques, specifications, tools and educating myself in the technical aspects of building an airplane. Seeing not many rv-12 build in Canada, almost nobody in this forum, brought some second thought to my mind. As there is no ELSA category in Canada the build will be an amateur-built which broadly brings a re-sale restriction considering that it can not be re-registered as ELSA in the USA. As a second thought I am strongly considering an RV-9/9A Here are some pro's and con's in comparison: Rv-12 Pro's: Easy to build, kits are complete, doesn't need much experience to build Takes less time to build Easy to maintain (not sure about this) Low operating cost (fuel economy) Con's: Slow speed Smaller size Less payload Rv-9/9A Pro's: Faster, much better for cross country Easy to sell in the future Larger, higher payload Con's: Harder to build, requires more knowledge in engine, avionics install Takes more time to build Higher operating cost My mission is mainly casual sport flying and cross country for travelling. I am kindly requesting your opinion on this. It will greatly help me to come to a conclusion. Many thanks, |
Different country, but I went through the same comparison between the 12 and the 9. I chose the 12 mainly because the kit was so complete, but also for the other reasons you mentioned. It's also cheaper, assuming all new components, which helps when you want to`justify' the cost (which there is no rational way of doing anyway).
The removable wings are also nice to have, even if you don't take them off very often. The 9 is faster, but I've flown my 12 across Australia and am happy with its performance (get the autopilot for cross country flying). The new iS engine also stretches the range compared to the ULS engine, which was my only gripe for long distance flying over a sparsely populated country in the 12 with only a 20 gal tank (I ended up making it bigger, but that's another story). I don't know of any ELSA 12's in Australia, they are all EAB as far as I am aware. The 9 is also a great aircraft, and you wouldn't go wrong with that either, but I'm happy with the 12. It's a delight to fly and is a very well thought out design. The latest kits are very refined because Vans now have plenty of hands-on experience with building and selling the SLSA versions, so they have been able to tweak the design to make it even better. Nice choice to have to make. |
Based on your mission it seems like the 12 is a great fit. I also built a 12 and it is a sweet airplane for sport flying. My wife actually likes riding in the 12 better than our 7A.
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RV14
I will always look first to resale value and ease of build. It?s my humble opinion that a ?used? RV14 will most likely sell quicker (in the future) and at a higher price than either the RV9 or RV12. Since the 14 is also ?pre-punched? and supposedly enjoys Vans? latest kit build innovations it should be a faster, easier build. Yes, it?s a little more expensive than the 9 or 12 kits but that expense should be easier to recapture. And remember, everyone eventually has to give up their toys so resale is important!
Of course, the extra room of the 14, to me, is it?s greatest feature. I love my RV7A but dream of the 14. |
You included in your use, "cross-country". If you mean more than 600 miles routinely, then the extra speed of the -9 becomes more important. Just something to think about (especially when you have a strong head wind).
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My two cents on RV9 "harder to build" and " easy to sell"
Bilding RV9 is just as hard as building an RV7 while RV7 will beat RV9 in "easy to sell" category. Just posted my order on RV7 QB kit. |
Hi Nedim
You are welcome to drop by my hangar at Springbank anytime & talk the various models. I have flown the 9's & 12, plus 6's, 7's, & 8's. So could give you some perspective on each. You would also get a realistic picture of building them. As far as maintaining them, there are lots of courses & resources out there to put you on the right track, which ever model you choose. Contact me at rvinkster@shaw.ca if you are interested. |
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The RV-12 has superb visibility.
If you're going to use it for traveling, consider the extra time-to-build of the RV-9. You can fly an RV-12 a considerable distance in that time. This tends to remove the speed advantage. Using Van's numbers for 55% power at gross, the -9 cruises at around 166 mph and the -12 at 120. Estimating the time-to-build difference at 1,000 hours, means that after 433,000 miles, the RV-9 starts to save you time. Dave |
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I love the looks of -12 and its specs. It is great match for what I want. Only concern is resale and no flexibity in the cost. I will visit Ralph at his hangar to get his expert opinion. |
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