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How many actually trailer their RV12 to the airport regularly?

Nashpdman

Active Member
As the title ask, how many folks regularly trailer their RV12 back and forth from home to the airport? I live in Nashville TN where there is no hanger space and years long waiting list. So, is it even practical to consider trailering and storing the RV12 in said trailer? Is the RV12 built for this? Will it tolerate the wings off/on regularly? I will be able to store the plane at my house as I do not live in a subdivision. Thanks for the advice!

Mike
 
Mike, At least in my area of CA the waiting lists for hangars are often a couple of year or at least they are quoted as such. My suggestion is to get on the lists. While they may be many people ahead of you people often pass because they are not quite ready or they need a specific type of hangar. In my current location at LVK I was in a similar situation to you. I put my name on the list, paid the small fee and started waiting. It actually only ended up being a few months. I know of another builder who passed a couple of times because he wasn't quite ready to make the move from his garage. At any rate those are my suggestions.
 
As the title ask, how many folks regularly trailer their RV12 back and forth from home to the airport? I live in Nashville TN where there is no hanger space and years long waiting list. So, is it even practical to consider trailering and storing the RV12 in said trailer? Is the RV12 built for this? Will it tolerate the wings off/on regularly? I will be able to store the plane at my house as I do not live in a subdivision. Thanks for the advice!

Mike

Doing so was something I seriously considered. Luckily hangar space came available!

These are light planes and require indoor storage so hopefully you have a barn or your garage has a higher door opening.
 
Since the wings can be removed fairly easily, you might be able to squeeze it into a hangar that already has another plane in it. I think that would be better than transporting it on a trailer every time you want to use it.
 
If I were to trailer the airplane, I would buy an enclosed trailer and customize it to fit. The plane could then be stored out of the weather and protected by the trailer. I understand the rudder is fairly tall which would require some custom trailer mods to allow loading. Really more concerned about taking the wings on/off regularly. I saw one post stating modification may have to be made to keep from banging up the skins around the connecting points.
 
VERY, VERY few. Many people intend to do this, but soon find that it is not practical.
 
If you put it in a trailer, can you park the trailer on the field? Many gliders are stored like that. Avoiding towing the trailer would be more convenient and if you could park in a place that you could taxi from it would work better.
 
VERY, VERY few. Many people intend to do this, but soon find that it is not practical.

Agreed... I'd consider it a waste of my time, each and every time, unless absolutely necessary for inspection. Takes 2 people to remove and put back on, each side. One wiggles the wing and presses it inward, hard, against the seal, while the other inserts the pin.
 
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Agreed... I'd consider it a waste of my time, each and every time, unless absolutely necessary for inspection. Takes 2 people to remove and put back on, each side. One wiggles the wing and presses it inward, hard, against the seal, while the other inserts the pin.


Agree, it's waste of time and pretty much eliminates easy quick flights. However, remember there are no hangers available so it may be the only option until a hanger comes along. You'll also save the $$ on hanger space so I guess that's a trade off. End game is to have a hanger, just aren't any right now.
 
My two cents

In 2016 while at Oshkosh I met a couple who told me about their 12 and operating out of a trailer. They explain how proficient they got, both working together, to get the plane out and ready to fly in about 20 minutes. I believe with practice this trailer operation could be a workable option if no hangar space is available.
 
In 2016 while at Oshkosh I met a couple who told me about their 12 and operating out of a trailer. They explain how proficient they got, both working together, to get the plane out and ready to fly in about 20 minutes. I believe with practice this trailer operation could be a workable option if no hangar space is available.


Yes, probably just take some practice to get use to the movements and loading. We trailer a 29' pontoon boat now, we have that down to a science, quick in and out.
 
Also keep in mind that every disassembly and reassembly creates wear & tear.

And most flights become test flights.

Not saying it can't be done. It's just that most people find that it is not practical.
 
It’s all good…

Met a couple in North Alabama a few years ago that trailered their RV-12 to and from the airport. Said they had refined their routine down to about 15 minutes from parking to RV engine start. Heck, it takes me that long to find my hangar keys, open the doors, move some stuff out of the way and pull our 12 out and up a small rise. Given a shortage of hangar space, I’d trailer in a heartbeat if necessary. Plus you can work on it, clean, add mods etc at home in the shade.

BTW, the gap seals should not be a issue for wing R/R, mine compressed and do not retain much tension against the wings/spars.

Lastly, reference the wing removal video, it was one of the selling points for me. Vans has said they expect most of us would not do it regularly but I’ve never seen or heard them discourage regular removal/install. Once I tweaked the fit of my wing to fuse gaps and wing spar stub passages it works fine with a very light coat of lube on the pins. AND if the bushings become worn you can buy a new set. I think they sell a go/no-go gage for that.

So, bottom line, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from building a 12 due to lake of hangar space. Besides, some just like to keep their “12-baby” at home 😎
 
I usually fly alone (unless you count my imaginary friend😝). I can’t imagine how I would get the wings on and off each trip to the airport. I would have preferred that the design have permanent wing attachments and wing tanks for my situation. Might be a great option for a future variant.
 
Being able to take the wings off easily is a really good feature. Even though I usually only do it at annual, it provides a lot of flexibility for transport, storage or even off-site retrieval, assuming you were able to get it down in one piece.
 
Unfortunately, Vans designed the stabilator to be too wide to fit through the door of all the enclosed trailers that I was interested in. You’ll find this to be the Achilles heel of finding a trailer that will work.
 
I made my own trailer that I use to bring home for the annual Condition Inspection or bad weather, my garage is 23'x23' stores it no problem, I have wing racks too...for me trailering for each flight won't work since I try to fly at least twice a week and usually solo...I've been on a hanger wait list since 10/2018...like the others here have said get on the list ASAP. I know pilots who have gotten hangers sooner but have to drive 70 miles each way to fly, obviously that commute deters them from flying often.
 
Unfortunately, Vans designed the stabilator to be too wide to fit through the door of all the enclosed trailers that I was interested in. You’ll find this to be the Achilles heel of finding a trailer that will work.

Please expound, how wide is the stabilator? The enclosed trailer I'm looking 8.5x22'.
 
Please expound, how wide is the stabilator? The enclosed trailer I'm looking 8.5x22'.

The stabilator is exactly 8 feet wide. You’ll find that with the framing around the trailer rear door, you won’t have enough width. Make sure you take a tape measure to the trailer door opening and don’t rely on the trailer manufacturer specifications.

If Vans had designed the stabilator 6 inches narrower it would be much more functional for trailering in an enclosed trailer.
 
i think banging up the hor. stab. is a matter of when , not if. when i put mine in the hangar i want a few feet on each side of the stab. move the nose left or right a couple and the stab goes left or right a foot. and while this is going on you are working against gravity of a 700 lb plane.
probably tolerable in you remove wings to slip in a spot in the hangar but you won't be flying much if you have to use a trailer.
 
i think banging up the hor. stab. is a matter of when , not if. when i put mine in the hangar i want a few feet on each side of the stab. move the nose left or right a couple {inches} and the stab goes left or right a foot.

When I was planning a trailer I intended to add a "lane" down the center of the trailer using 2x2's to hold the nose wheel steady. Additionally I was going to add a similar "lane" for one of the main gear tires but this "lane" would ramp up to be a couple inches higher so that the RV-12 will be angled whereby narrowing the width of the horizontal stabilizer. The horizontal stabilizer is 8' on its own and a few inches wider when you have the tips. My thoughts were that the "lanes" would hold everything steady and in line so that there would be no wild swings of the tail section.
 
Trailering

I've had my -12 flying for over 6 years now, trailered every time I fly. Except for the couple of times I was gifted hangar time by a friend. Closing in on 400 hours. I built an open trailer that's fairly light ( overall weight all up is just under 2000#). My wife and I can have the plane off the trailer, assembled and the truck and trailer parked in 11 minutes. Last time in the hangar it took me 8 minutes to get it out and ready to pre-flight. It was nice to be able to fly solo whenever I wanted to fly. But I can almost always find a co-pilot to help assemble. Sure is nice to have it at home when I need to work on it. It's nice not to have the expense of the hangar, $260-$500 (at my airport- the waiting list is pretty long here...... I'm not on it 😃).
 
I've had my -12 flying for over 6 years now, trailered every time I fly. Except for the couple of times I was gifted hangar time by a friend. Closing in on 400 hours. I built an open trailer that's fairly light ( overall weight all up is just under 2000#). My wife and I can have the plane off the trailer, assembled and the truck and trailer parked in 11 minutes. Last time in the hangar it took me 8 minutes to get it out and ready to pre-flight. It was nice to be able to fly solo whenever I wanted to fly. But I can almost always find a co-pilot to help assemble. Sure is nice to have it at home when I need to work on it. It's nice not to have the expense of the hangar, $260-$500 (at my airport- the waiting list is pretty long here...... I'm not on it 😃).

That’s great. Can you share a picture of the trailer?
 
As another datapoint I flew gliders stored in trailers for years. Due to the wingspan of gliders hangar space is even harder to get. I was not the only one I think the majority of privately owned gliders are flown that way. Was never a big issue despite the pretty high wing weight and size compared to an RV. The trailers we used were quite ingenious though. They had rails/padding/locks/clamps/dollys just in the right places. Some even allowed a single person to assemble a glider with a 90 foot wingspan. Might actually be a fun project to build a single person rigging trailer for a 12. I am sure it can be done.

My only concern would be wear and tear on the attachment mechanism. The once for gliders are designed to take the daily abuse. Maybe give Vans a call and ask if they really meant it … .

Oliver
p.s. We kept the trailer at the airport. I think the airport charged us 5$ a month or so… .
 
I've had my -12 flying for over 6 years now, trailered every time I fly. Except for the couple of times I was gifted hangar time by a friend. Closing in on 400 hours. I built an open trailer that's fairly light ( overall weight all up is just under 2000#). My wife and I can have the plane off the trailer, assembled and the truck and trailer parked in 11 minutes. Last time in the hangar it took me 8 minutes to get it out and ready to pre-flight. It was nice to be able to fly solo whenever I wanted to fly. But I can almost always find a co-pilot to help assemble. Sure is nice to have it at home when I need to work on it. It's nice not to have the expense of the hangar, $260-$500 (at my airport- the waiting list is pretty long here...... I'm not on it 😃).

That's what I was looking for, I figured someone was doing it! I want an enclosed trailer so I can leave the plane inside the trailer vs. taking up my garage space. So far it looks like the "off the shelf" trailers aren't wide enough inside for the stabilator. I'll either need to have a special trailer built or modify one. Thanks for the reply!!
 
Trailer

I will be glad to email you some pictures. PM me with an email address, I'm not good at posting pictures here. Jetguy posted some pictures back when I first flew my plane, probably late Aug or early September of 2015. Can't remember what the title of that thread was. I kinda promised to make some drawings of my trailer available back then, but I never did. I was working out of the country at that time, when I got home I forgot 🤔. I've made a few modifications since then that helped prevent possible damage and speed up the assembly/disassembly process. I'll get some new pictures to highlight the mods, might try to fly today.
 
Pictures

Hey Paul and Mike, did both of you get the emailed pictures I think I sent? Sent from my phone, but network coverage has been bad here at the house for the past week.
 
Trailer Guy

That's the kind of publicity that makes people! Those pictures were taken about three years ago at the Cracker fly-in, don't know who took them. Around the airport (KGVL) I'm known as the "trailer guy". The last Cracker fly-in,2019, my wife and I assembled and flew the plane. I wanted to prove that it is a flying aircraft. Quite a few passersby would comment or ask when will it fly/ is it done yet?
 
Nice trailer! Simple and appears easy access. I can see how after a few times assembling/disassembling you would get really fast at it.
 
RV12 trailer

Still hoping to sell factory built trailer that came with my RV12 new at Vans….
If you want to build one, happy to provide measurements. Best to email….I don’t check in VAF very often.
Tim
 
Trailer Wanted - RV12

Anyone have a trailer to sell? Need to move a pinted RV12 over 800 miles.

New to VANS. Looking forward to to joining in.

Rich
 
Hi Rich, welcome to the forum! It's a great source of information on all things RV. PM sent with contact information for someone with an RV12 trailer for sale. Best of luck with your new plane!
 
Wing Height?

That's the kind of publicity that makes people! Those pictures were taken about three years ago at the Cracker fly-in, don't know who took them. Around the airport (KGVL) I'm known as the "trailer guy". The last Cracker fly-in,2019, my wife and I assembled and flew the plane. I wanted to prove that it is a flying aircraft. Quite a few passersby would comment or ask when will it fly/ is it done yet?

Doug,
I think we met a few years back at one of the NE Alabama fly-ins. I remember we talked about your trailer but this is the first I've seen pictures.
Question about your wing cradles...when they fold down are they about the right height to slide right into the spar slots in the fuselage?
If not already, could they be? Then with a padded roller or two, one person might be a be able to tow the fuse into position and install each wing directly from the trailer/wing cradle. Maybe you're doing that already and I missed it?
2-cents,
Dave
 
Wing cradles

The wing cradles are very close to the correct height for installation. With some mods and tweaking, it might be possible to position the plane to plug the wings in solo. The flaperon brackets are a hinderance, and the wing skins are easily dented. But properly padded and careful installation practice should result in no damages. I always have a copilot/ wing walker to help put the plane together. So far there have been no mishaps, I can foresee eventually damaging the wings doing it solo.
I believe Dave and I met the first time at the RV-12 Expo in June 2014, and again at Fort Payne for the RV-12 get together.
 
Ya know I’d forgotten about meeting you out there at the RV12 Expo! What a great experience that was!
re eventual damage…I tend to agree. Not impossible, but far from ideal. Best to plan on recruiting an assistant/co-pilot with promises of free food and beverages after the flight. Or maybe a nifty new appliance she/he has been wanting ��
We’re in North FL now. Hope to catch up with you and the AL-GA gang at SNF or summer gatherings up there.
All the best,
Dave
 
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I've taken the wings off of my plane twice. I can't imagine doing it before and after each flight. It sucks having to depend on or inconvenience a second person to help. There is a significant chance of damaging the airplane or wings during the process. They have to carefully slide in at the proper angle and if the helper isn't strong enough to hold and manipulate the wing it can quickly turn into a fiasco.

At one point, one of the edges of a wing scraped the side of the fuselage as we carried the wing around my airplane. I now have a scratch in the paint to remind me of that day. If you don't have a wing rack, you have to find a place to lay them down on a padded surface. If you lay them down, they take up a lot of space. I was also concerned with hangar critters making a home inside the wings and eating wiring while they were off of the airplane. Turned out to not be an issue, but I still worried about it.

So yes, taking the wings on and off after each flight is possible, but it's not something I would want to do every time I went flying.
 
Trailering

I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. Been flying now for over six years, 390 hours and over 200 individual flights. Read that last number as wing installs/ removals. Many times was with rookie copilots/ passenger/ wing walker. No damages yet. The helper is always on the wing tip/ dumb end, I'm on the smart end/ spar. I'm much more concerned about the trip to and from the airport than assembling/ disassembling at the airport. I understand and accept the possibility that my plane could be damaged in transit. Sure is nice to have the plane at home when I want to work on it though. And that $300-500/ month hangar rent stays in my pocket.
Dave, where in N Florida are you? Got family in Lower Alabama (Andalusia) that I fly to visit on occasion.
 
Doug, We’re in Keystone Heights 42J between Jax and Gainesville, FL.
I should add our info to the “RV Hotel” List.
We’re living our dream of being near some of the grandchildren and being able to fish of our own dock!
42J is an interesting field with at least a couple of RVs, though i haven’t met them yet.
Come on down, or through ��
 
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