Thinking about buying the SLSA RV-12iS

Hey everyone! I could use a sanity check on buying the 12iS SLSA.

Mission Profile: My dream is cross country flying from coast-to-coast no matter the condition, but reality tells me that I'll mostly be doing local fair weather flying. Occasionally a cross country no more than 3-4 hours one way for a weekend getaway. Very rarely anything longer. My girlfriend usually comes along and it would be even better if we could fit our 40lb cattle dog in the back!

The SLSA is very tempting since I'm not sure how much time I could consistently dedicate to building. Not to mention there's the very real possibility of us moving in 3-5 years from Arizona to the East Coast to take care of my folks. Considering a former coworker took 10 years to build his RV-6, I'm hesitant to make the commitment (and possibly lose something in the move). Gotta say though, it was boat loads of fun to fly!

My assumption with the process: pay the funds, wait and keep proficient, then eventually end up with a brand new factory-made airplane. I'd have a modern plane that I could enjoy right off the bat and explore how it's built! I'm also considering, if I can get a breather from work, taking the time to get the LSA Repairmen Certification during the waiting period. I already do work on my motorcycles and sometimes the truck, so why not!

With it being SLSA, my assumption is it would retain its resale value a little better. But who am I kidding, my track record with vehicles says I'll probably keep this plane for at least a decade. The possibility of doing a leaseback is pretty neat, but maybe after I'm done flying the **** out of it

So, my actual questions:

1. Any interesting problems that have cropped up with the fuel-injected version?
2. How's the performance at higher altitudes? We have Flagstaff, AZ and the Grand Canyon a short hop away.
3. Has anyone built it out with the IFR package? I'm thinking about doing my instrument rating in it. Not for actual IMC of course! Mainly for insurance, backup incase I put myself in a REALLY bad situation, and maybe resale.
4. Anyone get the SLSA and find that for some reason, they just had to convert to experimental?
5. Any questions I'm missing that I should ask myself???

I realize at the end of the day, the only person who can make the final decision is myself. But I'm hoping that you guys could help push me along in the right direction! There's a place nearby that has one, so I'm going to schedule a demo flight and see if it reminds me of my coworkers plane years ago

Cessna 180 Or get a Terrier......

Not sure about the 40lb dog, but two people with weekend luggage will work just fine.

I have had the SLSA for over two years now and it has been a wonderful plane! It does very well at high altitude. (one of the benefits of the FADEC engine)

If you do it, take the LSRM course - definitely worth it to be able to maintain/inspect the plane yourself. You will still need some qualified help until you get some more experience, but it's a good start.

If you are serious about the instrument rating then buy the iST version.

The new avionics are amazing with the synthetic vision and the engine monitoring capability. Good luck with your decision.

Haha, the draw of obtaining a newer fuel efficient plane is too much for me to consider the rest of the fleet. Especially with how the market's looking! I looked up the baggage compartment measurements and looks like she could fit. But, I expect we'd have to leave her behind for most trips.

We usually don't travel with all that much, so I'm not too worried about luggage. W&B probably wouldn't be much of an issue with me at 170lbs and her around 100lbs. Surfing the waves will be real fun though hah.

I'll definitely look into the LSRM course! I'm self taught with my vehicles, but would absolutely love to get some formal training. Once I gain enough experience, I'd love to be able to help other folks out with their LSAs too

The avionics are for sure a big draw for me. I'm a sucker for new technology, but also having all the engine data available to me in/out of flight. In regards to my instrument rating, I'm definitely leaning towards that as well. For emergencies, but also for the training! If my girlfriend decides to take it up, then she'd have a platform available for the PPL and IR at least. The order sheet says that the highest tier version is the IFR version of the aircraft, but I'll have to check in to see if there's any real difference between that and the iST version.

Thanks everyone for all the replies on here and my DMs! So far, nothing but great things have been said about the RV-12/iS. Including some good experiences with the SLSA version itself.

I believe that the 3 day repairman course will not let you work on the SLSA version of the RV-12,only ELSA or EAB versions, it would require the much longer course, I could be wrong but don’t think so.
Stan

The LSRM (light sport repairman maintenance) requires the 15 day course that allows you to maintain and inspect any SLSA. LSRM can also inspect any ELSA.

The LSRI (light sport repairman inspection) requires a 2 day course that allows you to inspect your own ELSA. Anybody can maintain an ELSA.

Anybody can also maintain an EAB but it requires an A&P or builder repairman for the condition inspection.