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Touring review - Europe trip

gblwy

Well Known Member
FWIW here's some comments from over the pond on a vacation I just completed in my RV12.

Objective - fly to Corsica and back from Scotland, maybe 3000 nm

Status - before the trip the plane had around 50 hours on it, wheel spats had been fitted, and the prop hub had just been replaced following the Sensenich recall, no autopilot.

Preparation

* the plane had a six-hour round trip to the LAA rally at Sywell the week before (this is the UK version of Oshkosh - much smaller obviously, but the first time an RV12 had been on display in Europe

* following this trip I repitched the prop to reduce the maximum speed to 120 knots! and improve the takeoff performance

* I had fabricated a box from thin plywood (I have no aluminum sheet bender) to sit in the U-shaped structure that holds the plane together. This storage module held a laptop, all my charts (15), and Jeppesen airfield plates. It also included a three-level storage module that held consumables in the bottom level, tools in the next level up, and tie-down stuff in the top level. There's also a receptacle for a one-litre drinks bottle. I put 10kg (22lbs) in this. I reckoned that this would still leave 50lbs in the baggage area behind provided I still met the gross weight and CofG limits. In the event I reduced the baggage load behind the storage module to about 40lbs to stay within the max weight with two aboard and full fuel. CofG wasn't an issue.

* I took a plastic 20 litre (5 gallon) fuel container and strainer in case I had difficulty obtaining fuel, if I went to Italy.

Outcome

My wife and I left Scotland just in time to escape the remnants of a hurricane that our American cousins had sent us, got to Corsica, and Elba, flew the Italian and French Riviera coasts, got bounced around in the Alps, and then got back to Scotland.

Statistics

We spent two weeks touring, averaging a couple of hours per day, and flying every day. In fact we flew 32 hours, all at 4700rpm giving a cruise of 100 knots and a fuel consumption of 16.3 litres (4.3 USG) - this was after deducting 10 minutes from each engine start-stop for warm-up, taxying etc.

Observations

* Either I started without my fuel cap or it got nicked at the first stopover. I bought an emergency car fuel cap for $8 which fitted - but didn't match my paint scheme ;-) It was vented, but for a "belt-and-braces" solution, I secured this with gaffer tape. Worked for two weeks. I'll order a new cap, and retain this one as a backup for future trips.

* In rain the paint started to peel off one of the prop blades. To be fair, this peeling had started before the trip. I'm still not happy with the vibration level (I can see the cowling vibrate slightly), and intend to get the prop balanced. I don't know if the peeling paint exaggerated the problem, but the vibration was present before I started the trip. I'd like feedback on anyone else who has seen paint peeling from their prop blades.

* I got very slight leaks from the front of the canopy in rain, which my wife mopped up as we went along, particularly where drops looked like they might run into the fuses. I do have sealing strip along the top of the coaming. I also had slight leakage at the rear of the canopy, nothing serious, but a consideration if you don't want baggage to get wet.

* Apart from the above, there were no squawks whatsoever.

* In turbulence the plane fishtails a little, nothing much, but I've not noticed it in previous aircraft I have flown.

* I used maybe 1/3 to 1/2 litre of oil.

* There's space immediately behind the seats for some stuff (rags etc). There's also space between the seats and the fuselage skin to accommodate a fair amount of stuff. I kept an Icom backup handheld radio, my camera, and sunglasses case on my side. All were accessible in flight.

* We flew (VFR obviously) in a variety of weather conditions ranging from calm to significant turbulence (enough to chuck stuff around the cockpit), blue sky to low cloud, sun to rain, no wind to 40+ knot winds (always headwinds), and the plane performed flawlessly. Even the passenger didn't complain - bless her.

* Takeoff and landing on grass were no problem. In one case we landed in grass thick with long weeds (12 inches). Accepted it was dry, but we had no problems taking off - a pleasant surprise given how close to the ground the spats come.

* We operated between 500 feet and 8500 feet, and temperatures ranging up to 30 degrees C (85F). At no time did the oil temperature go outside the green. The highest I saw was 111C (232F).

* Not relevant to the plane, but to my wallet. Fuel costs ranged from 1.8 euros ($9 per USG) to 3.6 euros per litre ($18 per USG). Landing/parking charges ranged from zero to more than $120 for an overnight stop.

All in all, the plane does everything I expected/wanted it to do, and on the basis of just one long trip appears to be reliable too.

Cheers...Keith
 
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Awesome !!!
but where are the photos????
:) :) :)

FWIW here's some comments from over the pond on a vacation I just completed in my RV12.

Objective - fly to Corsica and back from Scotland, maybe 3000 nm

Status - before the trip the plane had around 50 hours on it, wheel spats had been fitted, and the prop hub had just been replaced following the Sensenich recall, no autopilot.

Preparation

* the plane had a six-hour round trip to the LAA rally at Sywell the week before (this is the UK version of Oshkosh - much smaller obviously, but the first time an RV12 had been on display in Europe

* following this trip I repitched the prop to reduce the maximum speed to 120 knots! and improve the takeoff performance

* I had fabricated a box from thin plywood (I have no aluminum sheet bender) to sit in the U-shaped structure that is holds the plane together. This storage module held a laptop, all my charts (15), and Jeppesen airfield plates. It also included a three-level storage module that held consumables in the bottom level, tools in the next level up, and tie-down stuff in the top level. There's also a receptacle for a one-litre drinks bottle. I put 10kg (22lbs) in this. I reckoned that this would still leave 50lbs in the baggage area behind provided I still met the gross weight and CofG limits. In the event I reduced the baggage load behind the storage module to about 40lbs to stay within the max weight with two aboard and full fuel. CofG wasn't an issue.

* I took a plastic 20 litre (5 gallon) fuel container and strainer in case I had difficulty obtaining fuel, if I went to Italy.

Outcome

My wife and I left Scotland just in time to escape the remnants of a hurricane that our American cousins had sent us, got to Corsica, and Elba, flew the Italian and French Riviera coasts, got bounced around in the Alps, and then got back to Scotland.

Statistics

We spent two weeks touring, averaging a couple of hours per day, and flying every day. In fact we flew 32 hours, all at 4700rpm giving a cruise of 100 knots and a fuel consumption of 16.3 litres (4.3 USG) - this was after deducting 10 minutes from each engine start-stop for warm-up, taxying etc.

Observations

* Either I started without my fuel cap or it got nicked at the first stopover. I bought an emergency car fuel cap for $8 which fitted - but didn't match my paint scheme ;-) It was vented, but for a "belt-and-braces" solution, I secured this with gaffer tape. Worked for two weeks. I'll order a new cap, and retain this one as a backup for future trips.

* In rain the paint started to peel off one of the prop blades. To be fair, this peeling had started before the trip. I'm still not happy with the vibration level (I can see the cowling vibrate slightly), and intend to get the prop balanced. I don't know if the peeling paint exaggerated the problem, but the vibration was present before I started the trip. I'd like feedback on anyone else who has seen paint peeling from their prop blades.

* I got very slight leaks from the front of the canopy in rain, which my wife mopped up as we went along, particularly where drops looked like they might run into the fuses. I do have sealing strip along the top of the coaming. I also had slight leakage at the rear of the canopy, nothing serious, but a consideration if you don't want baggage to get wet.

* Apart from the above, there were no squawks whatsoever.

* In turbulence the plane fishtails a little, nothing much, but I've not noticed it in previous aircraft I have flown.

* I used maybe 1/3 to 1/2 litre of oil.

* There's space immediately behind the seats for some stuff (rags etc). There's also space between the seats and the fuselage skin to accommodate a fair amount of stuff. I kept an Icom backup handheld radio, my camera, and sunglasses case on my side. All were accessible in flight.

* We flew (VFR obviously) in a variety of weather conditions ranging from calm to significant turbulence (enough to chuck stuff around the cockpit), blue sky to low cloud, sun to rain, no wind to 40+ knot winds (always headwinds), and the plane performed flawlessly. Even the passenger didn't complain - bless her.

* Takeoff and landing on grass were no problem. In one case we landed in grass thick with long weeds (12 inches). Accepted it was dry, but we had no problems taking off - a pleasant surprise given how close to the ground the spats come.

* We operated between 500 feet and 8500 feet, and temperatures ranging up to 30 degrees C (85F). At no time did the oil temperature go outside the green. The highest I saw was 111C (232F).

* Not relevant to the plane, but to my wallet. Fuel costs ranged from 1.8 euros ($9 per USG) to 3.6 euros per litre ($18 per USG). Landing/parking charges ranged from zero to more than $120 for an overnight stop.

All in all, the plane does everything I expected/wanted it to do, and on the basis of just one long trip appears to be reliable too.

Cheers...Keith
 
Sounds like a great trip Keith! I have noticed my 12 fishtails a little in turbulence. You mentioned re-pitching your prop, could you share with us your static RPM? The 12 is quite a machine. Where next?
 
fuel costs ...

I remember several years ago when I went to Italy, the gasoline was about $5.00 per gallon and I thought how fortunate we were in the USA to be paying considerably less. Now I hear and read it can cost up to $18.00 per gallon in some places. Scary stuff. I wonder how long before we reach costs like that here.

I too would like to see the storage unit you crafted out of thin plywood as well as trip photos, if you have any. Sounds like that was a great adventure.
 
Keith, thanks for taking the time to prepare that summary. Truly helpful to those of us who are wondering about a 12's capabilities as a cross-country a/c. And yes, a pic or two would be most welcome.

What are your post-trip thoughts about the leaks? I would be pretty disappointed by that (we live in Florida with abundant liquid sunshine) and wonder if it was sufficient to make you rework the canopy seals. (I also wonder how common this is. I notice Mitch Locke's RV-12 also had a seal issue on the front of his canopy).

One other Q: Did you find you were charged user fees beyond the typical ramp parking/overnight fee at each destination? Each day? Only in some countries? User fees are once again on the USA agenda; it would be helpful to know how widely deployed they are in Europe for "simple" VFR flying.

Again, many thanks.

Jack
 
Pics

I'll get some photos later this week.

User fees - very variable.

Landing fees are the norm in most places in Europe, although it is still possible to find places where they charge nothing. In the UK, $15 is probably typical for a small airfield with a hard runway. $25-30 is probably more likely for an airport that can handle commuter airlines.

Parking charges are increasingly being levied, usually after a 2-hour free period. Possibly $7 to $15 for 24 hours might be typical.

The Italian airfields I just visited are getting very creative. Takeoff charges, passenger charges, service charges for dispensing fuel (above the cost of the fuel), charges for organising weather, flight plans, hotels, taxis, and other facilities.

By contrast, one French field hangared our plane, invited us to a booze up on the field for ex-servicemen, found and took us to our hotel. Met us the next day to open the hanger to free the plane (normally closed on that day), organised weather etc. all gratis...

Cheers...Keith
 
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Pics

This picture looking backward shows the drink storage. Just left and right of this are open trays, one large one small. These are not really accessible in flight.

2dbjsbt.jpg


Looking backward, this is the right side of the unit (so it's really the left side looking forward. It is a three-level storage box, with a lid on the top. The top extends forward over the wing spars. The bottom sits inside the U-channel. To the left of the picture, behind the drink bottle is a deep long pocket that holds my laptop, charts, and books. These are loaded into the pocket from the rear, behind the horisontal strut.

25s30d5.jpg


A better view of the laptop/chart/book pocket.

o01mop.jpg


Top lid removed. Here's my tie-down stuff.

r7iv7n.jpg


Top level empty, showing lid of middle layer.

2dguqlf.jpg


Middle layer lid removed, showing space for tools.

2llgeug.jpg


Lid to the lowest level compartment.

20pbo9i.jpg


Small compartment at the bottom, within the U-channel. I put some screws, washers, and other consumables in here.

2yzikwz.jpg


Would be neat if this was available as an option in aluminium. Easier to assemble, stronger, lighter weight, and marginally larger internal volume for the same external space.

Cheers...Keith
 
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Awesome is right! Thanks Keith so much for your sharing your trip and most of all your trip mods to your plane. It makes us builders feel so good to see the end product put to good use.
I especially like your use of the space behind the seat, no idea one could put that much stuff back there! I now plan to make one out of fiberglass or aluminum, using your well thought out ideas.
Thanks again!
 
Bespoke!

Sorry, no plans. I sized this to accommodate UK charts/books, my laptop, and lightweight tiedown stakes (aluminium corkscrews) that I bought. This drove the user requirements. Other dimensions were dictated by the constraints of the location - front-to-back distance of the U-frame (bearing in mind existing adel clamps, bolts etc), sufficient clearance to insert and remove the module, accessibility from back to store/remove stuff etc.

Cheers...Keith
 
Send me the specs I can whip up a 3 view in Autocad, from there not hard to add folds and rivet flanges etc.
 
While you are at it Chris, would you do one for me too? I am short legged and moved my seat back attach to a new point about two inches forward of stock. That leaves me a LOT of room between the seat back and the heavy aluminum channel, ideal for storage.
 
great for ALL Rv's!!!

nice.! VERRRRY nice!
even thought i do store a bag behind the seats of my -9a, I'm sure the top 8 or 10" is vacant, so this would be great!
...armchair quarterbacking now.....why not make the bins 'trays' like the top of a tool box...then you can lift out all the contents, and carry it where needed! ( especially if fabricating from aluminum etc.)

one caveat; if you have room to carry ****, and it's out of sight, it tends to multiply, and you end up with 50 pounds of stuff you may not really need.....trust me, I'm a 'just in case' kind of guy, so have a lot of stuff I carry around that most people leave in the shop!
 
Finally getting around to a couple of photos, videos

As requested, I will post some trip stuff. For starters, here's a video clip of my attempt to land at Corte, a small town at the base of the mountains in Corsica. Midday with temperatures around 30 degrees C (86F).

As background, Corsica is an French island perhaps 100 miles long by 40/50 miles wide in the Mediterranean. It has a range of mountains down the spine, soaring up to 9000 feet towards the north end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofOC-qKF1DU

No fancy music, I'm afraid. The video was shot with a Sony pencil camera mounted on top of the fin cap. It's a bit wide-angle, which can give the illusion that the plane is closer to the ground than it really is.

Cheers...Keith
 
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Looked like a greaser landing.:) And right on the centerline. Good job & great video.
BTW, I don't really care for the music anyway, I rather hear airplane engine noise.:)

Marshall Alexander
 
Kieth,

Great trip! Thanks for sharing.

A few comments:

On vibration - on my airplane a dynamic prop balance made a HUGE difference. I have not noticed any paint peeling.

On long trips - I love long trips in small airplanes! My wife and I took our 12 to western Michigan when it had just a few hours on it. The autopilot is a great feature for hours-long legs.

On storage - Nice job! My extra stuff is still rattling around inside the I-beam!

On the camera - Never thought too much about it before, but maybe that's something I might want to do. Where did you run the wires for it?

Anyway, great to hear from you and thanks for sharing your trip.

Best,

John
 
Wiring the camera

I put a tail video cable in from day one. A short length runs up the fin to a bracket I installed in the fin cap, which has nutplates instead of rivets for easy removal. There's a small hole in the top for a ring mount around the camera. The mount is screwed to the bracket. I can remove in five minutes or so and put a grommet in the hole in the fin cap.

A second video cable runs from a recorder mounted in the cockpit through the tunnel with all of the other wires, and emerges through a small hole in the tailcone under the fin, where it attaches to the fin cable.

I can also mount the camera on a bracket inside the cockpit, on the rollbar. This is fine when flying solo, but is obstructed with a passenger on board.

Cheers...Keith
 
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Landing at Marina di Campo, Elba, Italy

Need a full wallet for this one. $120 for landing and overnight parking. For that you get to drive your own stakes into a patch of sandy earth. And $15.5 for a gallon of avgas. Welcome to the Eurozone!

http://youtu.be/_FYv045auC4

Cheers...Keith
 
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Wonderful sharing of the trip with us, thanks a bunch. I was particularly thrilled by the videos you took, AWESOME! I am dfinitely adding a video cable to the fin top in my build too, I have never seen better inflight shots.!
I would love to see a photo or two of how you mounted it on the fin and tell us more about the camera you used. I want to duplicate that camera effect.
 
Landing at Gap/Tallard, French Alps

Gap is a major GA field in the Alps, with lots of parachuting, gliding, flexwing and fixed wing flying going on simultaneously. Circuit is interesting. I'm following another plane, so having to do a larger circuit than I would otherwise do in the restricted space available.

http://youtu.be/0NFhc__pzKY

Cheers...Keith
 
Video kit

This is the stuff I have been using. It's a couple of years old now, so not HD, but nonetheless quite good quality. Many videos I have seen chop a rotating prop into horizontal segments. At least mine goes round, though sometimes it stops or goes backwards ;-)

I have had difficulty with the power cable into the recorder, resulting in the recorder switching itself off if anyone touches the cable. I powered it with a spur off the cigarette lighter socket. You need to remember to unplug the recorder, as this is an unswitched circuit straight off the ship's battery.

http://www.fastfilms.co.uk/hqr-2-solid-state-video-recorder.php

http://www.fastfilms.co.uk/sony-hq2-bullet-camera.php

xfnssm.jpg


(Taken in the early days with leaking brake system, air bubbles etc)

I have a 16 gb card in the recorder which is good for 4 hours recording, which is the endurance of the plane at a reasonable cruise speed. It has a small remote control unit which I keep in the pocket on the sidewall (I have the full trim package).

Cheers...Keith
 
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dimensions

Flying weather was not that good this week zo I spend some time carpeting. It seems not possible to upload pics via this reply, so I'll make a new post with all dimensions this bagage-box: thanks to Keith!
Keep them flying!!!
 
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