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Anyone gotten a -12iS kit recently, or getting one soon?

I just ordered the Powerplant and I'm working on the Finish kit. Is there anything I can do in the Finish kit after the sections on flight controls and landing gear are complete while I wait? Looks like the cowling and canopy will need to wait. It looks like I should get the Avionics ordered as well. TIA

You can do the canopy. It's pretty time consuming, so work on that while you wait for power plant. The rear window is a little more grey area as there are some arguments for holding off, and holding off leaves some trimming to consider between the front and rear but that seems easily manageable. Canopy cage and front canopy or essentially independent and involve lots to get done.
 
I just ordered the Powerplant and I'm working on the Finish kit. Is there anything I can do in the Finish kit after the sections on flight controls and landing gear are complete while I wait? Looks like the cowling and canopy will need to wait. It looks like I should get the Avionics ordered as well. TIA

This is an interesting question. I am finishing up the fuselage and my Finish Kit is arriving this week (finally! Ordered 11/20). I've been holding off ordering the engine and avionics as I'm trying to balance storage space vs. (ever increasing) lead times vs. warranty start dates. Will I reach a point in the finish kit where I can't progress without the engine or avionics? Can anyone estimate how far through the kit that occurs? 30%? 50% 70%?

I've been thinking I just need to order the last two kits but this may be the information I need to just go for it.

Thanks,
B
 
I would advise you to order the avionics and engine now, don't wait. The lead times on those items are long and increasing. It would not be accurate to say you'll run out of things to do as an absolute, but in practical terms and the way most people seem to build...you're going to run out of things to do.

I'm in that boat right now. Fuselage is up on gear, canopy work is done, controls are in. For me that was just a few months of work with most of that being the canopy. I've been sitting at this stage since mid-December. Avionics and engine order in August and paid full in October with no reliable indication as to when I'll get either.

Since you are planning this out, also be aware then when ordering avionics you have to pay in full to actually get in the queue. It's not done the same as the rest of the kits with a deposit and full payment when ready to ship. Stein actually shares pretty good info any my avionics from Garmin have now had their third delay, originally expected at the end of December, pushed to Feb 14th, now pushed out to March 25th but there is no more reason to expect that to hold than the previous expectations.




This is an interesting question. I am finishing up the fuselage and my Finish Kit is arriving this week (finally! Ordered 11/20). I've been holding off ordering the engine and avionics as I'm trying to balance storage space vs. (ever increasing) lead times vs. warranty start dates. Will I reach a point in the finish kit where I can't progress without the engine or avionics? Can anyone estimate how far through the kit that occurs? 30%? 50% 70%?

I've been thinking I just need to order the last two kits but this may be the information I need to just go for it.

Thanks,
B
 
Finish kit

Just for info... I ordered my 12iS Finish Kit on 05-19-21. The status web page at Van's still shows "Parts Being Produced"
 
OP updates

I've now got all my kits on order...

Paid for the tail kit balance in January, with a mid-February estimate for pickup (I'm close to Van's). They called a couple days ago and said there were a couple of backordered parts, and it now looks like June (!). I asked about picking up the partial kit - repeat pickups aren't a problem since I'm local; they said they'd get back to me, but they haven't (which really disappoints me, because I know that they'll probably get the few backordered parts long before June when the "-12 tail" train car comes around again). (Greg, can you help with this? I thought you were thinking about shipping partial kits to improve throughput? Builder #121426.)

They gave me estimates on most of my other kits: wing and fuse in May; finish in late June / early July.
 
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Just a guess here, but have you been following the SB-00053 thread? My guess is that there’s a redesign in works to address it, which is driving the delay. A friend of mine just got a call from Van’s the other day. He ordered his complete kit back in June. They told him the wing and fuselage kits would start crating around May but it would be July before the empennage would be available. Again, just a guess.
 
I was going to order a kit in June 2021 but when I learned the lead time I bought a just built (by an A&P) with 26 total hours unpainted RV-12iS.
 
I just ordered the Powerplant and I'm working on the Finish kit. Is there anything I can do in the Finish kit after the sections on flight controls and landing gear are complete while I wait? Looks like the cowling and canopy will need to wait. It looks like I should get the Avionics ordered as well. TIA

I was in the same boat waiting on the powerplant kit, and clecoed the tail on along with the skins for the rear window, and then completed both the canopy and rear window without any issue.
 
My Crating Dates Updated

This afternoon, my fuselage and finishing kits were assigned crating date windows in June and July-August respectively.

I'd guess that other builders with similar deposit dates / kits were updated as well. You can check on your kit assignment statuses at: https://www.vansaircraft.com/kitstatus
 
I just looked at the status page for my order. My wings are going to be about 6 months late (was assigned mid-Nov crate date at order time, now estimated to be between 5/20 and 6/17). My other kits were not assigned a date, but based on published lead times at time of order my Fuselage was supposed to be Jan-Feb and is now June. Finish should have been April or so, and is now July or Aug.

Unless I'm willing to take a later production run, I'm going to have to store the Finish kit for certain, and possibly the Fuselage kit off-site. I have a place to do so, but moving them back later will be a pain.

A bigger problem is the wing kit delivery. I have two multi-week international trips scheduled for May and June, and it will be impossible to take delivery during those windows. I really don't know how flexible Vans will be on the shipping for those two kits. The website says it ships when it's ready, or you give up your production slot. That would really suck.
 
Batches Updated

They must have set up a bunch of RV12is production runs- two of my kits updated today.

Fuselage ordered in July- Crating Jul 11 2022 - Aug 1 2022

Wings ordered in August- Crating May 20 2022 - Jun 17 2022

Looks like I'll be working on the wings first. :D

Only concern now is what shipping is gonna cost!
 
Finishing Kit Ordered September 1st

Back on September 1st the estimated delivery was 8 months. Today I got an email like others but I’m told crating will be Oshkosh weekish. So if they achieve the new estimate it will be 11 months from order to delivery. :(
 
Back on September 1st the estimated delivery was 8 months. Today I got an email like others but I’m told crating will be Oshkosh weekish. So if they achieve the new estimate it will be 11 months from order to delivery. :(

Count your blessings...some of us it'll be 13 months in Aug - I got the same email. I'd love to get the 11 month window at this point. :D
 
I hear ya for sure. I also gotta give some kudos to Van’s. While the communication early on was no good, the improvements that they are making in their processes and websites are starting to show fruit.

Count your blessings...some of us it'll be 13 months in Aug - I got the same email. I'd love to get the 11 month window at this point. :D
 
Interesting, I also got the update email today. I had just written to them a couple of days ago asking for an update since my original estimated crating date had passed. Ordered Wings and Fuselage in early August when they had an estimated 7 and 8 month lead time, and now I'm looking at May 20 - June 17 for the Wings and June 3 - June 24 on the fuselage (10 months +/- for both kits). I'm surprised some who ordered before me are reporting later dates, though.
 
I'll add in what seems like an odd experience on my power plant kit. Based on the initial lead times my kit should have gone to crating some time in January. When I checked in about it back in January I got a script style answer indicating that the initial lead time was the best current guidance...so I waited.

I reached out a few days ago for an update since I heard nothing since. First good thing to point out is that the reply was very fast. Second good thing is that they were reporting that they could fulfill the order and it would go to crating.

It seems weird that the order was reported as on schedule but never shipped, and two months later it seems like everything was there once I asked. I could speculate in unfavorable or favorable ways, but for the sake of my sanity I have decided to assume the latter.

We'll see what happens next.
 
I ordered the tail/fastener kit months before the wing kit but the wing kit is coming about 2 months before the tail. Will Vans ship the fasteners with the wing kit? I hate to look at the wing for 2 months unable to start it.
 
I ordered the tail/fastener kit months before the wing kit but the wing kit is coming about 2 months before the tail. Will Vans ship the fasteners with the wing kit? I hate to look at the wing for 2 months unable to start it.

Eric,

Based on a Van's notification email I received last night regarding SB00053, it sounds like the tail cone reinforcement "clips" are included with tail kits shipped after 2/16/2022.

Regarding having to look at your wing kit for 2 months, I don't believe there's any reason you can't start on the wings when you receive them as they don't rely on anything from the tail kit. I'm about 1/3 finished with my wings, and the only thing I've noticed is that the early steps of the tail kit are more specific, i.e. they point out when to deburr, etc. Just study Section 5 and get a feel for the steps in the tail section, and you'll be fine.
 
I ordered the tail/fastener kit months before the wing kit but the wing kit is coming about 2 months before the tail. Will Vans ship the fasteners with the wing kit? I hate to look at the wing for 2 months unable to start it.

I would wait until a few weeks before your first kit is supposed to crate. If it looks like your wings will still come first, then I would give Van's a call. As long as they're already paid for, I can't imagine them having a problem sending the fastener kit with your wings instead of your tail. However, I wouldn't expect it to happen automatically.
 
I ordered the tail/fastener kit months before the wing kit but the wing kit is coming about 2 months before the tail. Will Vans ship the fasteners with the wing kit? I hate to look at the wing for 2 months unable to start it.

Same for me. I contacted Vans to make sure the fastener kit will ship with the wing kit. I wouldn't rely on it happening automatically.
 
My powerplant kit was ordered 8/6. I just got an email saying that it has been assigned to crating, and estimated to crate between 4/4 - 4/15.

If those dates hold, I should receive it about 8.5 months after ordering. That's pretty close to the 9 months currently listed on the website.
 
wing kit

just received an update on the wing kit with crating to happen between May 17 and June 20. as always, i shall see.
 
Orders

Builder 121290
RV-12iS

Finish kit: ordered 5-19-21; current posted status is "Parts eng produced" and "Est. Crating date" of July 18- Aug 8 2022.

POWERPLANT: ordered 12-6-21; current posted status is "Parts eng produced" . Estimated delivery AT TIME OF ORDER was 8-15-22.
 
RV-12 ULS Firewall Forward ordered Jan 2021

Kit number:120888 (Yes, it's been 6 years in the making, and counting...)

I ordered firewall forward on Jan 2021, received most of it on May but the critical bags with the fasteners/screws/spacers to attach the engine and prop (among other things) were not available and "back-ordered".

I finished installing the avionics and I have the engine there waiting to be attached. Surprised to see they quote 9 months now for firewall forward kit while I have been waiting for 14 months and still no indication of when I will receive the pending components.

Maybe the legacy ULS hardware items are harder to find now than the -12iS components?
 
Maybe the legacy ULS hardware items are harder to find now than the -12iS components?

They are different and quite a few third party items that can mean layered delays. Things are improving but not perfect yet. I’ll be checking on your order.

For everyone - lots of threads and questions to track and I’m not able to see all of them and still keep things moving for ya, already been doing way too many hours each week for many months! Email is the quickest way to ask a question and get it seen reliably. I’ll keep trying here but if I am not subscribed to the thread there’s a chance I’ll miss it.

A few pieces of info related to some questions asked here earlier re kit orders:

  • Avionics kits are not tracked on the kit status portal. They are just about 100% done at SteinAir, and we know when its sent and when it’s done and ships, but don’t have detailed visibility in our systems at Van’s to communicate the status of the orders.
  • Avionics displays and components have been significantly impacted by supply chain issues at the avionics manufacturers. I know they are working with Stein to proactively manage the inventory and keep things moving as best they can.
  • Lots of moving parts at Van’s right now. We’re working hard to increase throughput in our manufacturing, our partners that have has delays, and our crating team. Quite a few processes that were done by third party partners and were greatly delayed have been brought in-house (where we can do so). Our crating team has just about doubled their weekly capacity to crate and get kits onto trucks over the past few months. We’ve added more partners that are a helping a lot with manufacturing volume. We’ve also added another employe full time on quality control and assurance, which is especially important as we leverage more partners.

We know that these improvements and changes, which take time, don’t change the fact that quite a few folks have been waiting already, and in many cases are still waiting. We’re doing everything we can to get your kits out the door as soon as we can put them together for you.

If you’re at Sun ‘n Fun this week, stop by and say hi!

Greg
 
Received my engine today (912iS)

I ordered it Sep 24, 2021 and was told about 6 months. about two months ago I called to see if there was an update. I was told 12 engines were expected in the next week and I was #14. Also told that if two didn't take their engines I would then be in that lot that was expected. Received an email saying the engine was in stock on March 11, and it took about a month to crate it with the rest of the powerplant kit. From their shipping estimate I was expecting to pay $750 - $1000 (with the fuel surcharge). Happily it arrived after two days (plus Easter weekend) in beautiful condition for $434.(!!) the distance to Ogden, UT from Van's is about 675 miles. Thanks Old Dominion! So it took about 6 months and 3 weeks altogether.
John Singleton
N912SH reserved
 
Like many of us I recently received a long-awaited estimated crating date range for my next kit on Van's order status site. Does anyone know if that date is the actual estimated crating time, or merely the estimated time the order will go into the crating queue?

If I have say May 20-Jun 5 as the crating date, does that mean I should expect an email at the end of April asking for the balance payment, or not until the end of May?

(These are the kinds questions that keep me occupied when I have nothing else to do.)
 
Like many of us I recently received a long-awaited estimated crating date range for my next kit on Van's order status site. Does anyone know if that date is the actual estimated crating time, or merely the estimated time the order will go into the crating queue?

If I have say May 20-Jun 5 as the crating date, does that mean I should expect an email at the end of April asking for the balance payment, or not until the end of May?

(These are the kinds questions that keep me occupied when I have nothing else to do.)


I believe full payment is required for the crating to begin, I. E. a prerequisite to going to crating. Then, you will be placed into the crating queue.
 
I believe full payment is required for the crating to begin, I. E. a prerequisite to going to crating. Then, you will be placed into the crating queue.

Right, but is the date range given in the status when they'll ask for the payment? If not, I assume they'll ask for payment sooner, but then does the range represent when they'll add the order to the queue or will they add it to the queue sooner so that they'll target the range for actual crating?

That's hard to explain clearly, so maybe I should simply ask if anyone can tell me how the date they see on their kit order status page aligns with their actual crating date?

Not that I'm desperate for any news or anything like that. :)
 
FWIW, based on a conversation with Greg at SnF, you can expect the term "crating date" to go away in the future. It's so nebulous that no one really knows what it means.
 
the long way around builder number is 120313 and the wing kit was ordered in January 2022.
Update- my wing kit just got pushed back 4 weeks. But Vans let me know right away SO not too bad.
 
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Just got a notification that my wing and fuselage kits have been delayed by another month (now late-June to mid-July). (Ordered last August.) I'm sure many of use will be receiving similar messages. Greg posted a note about it over in the RV-14 thread if you haven't seen it.
 
Just got a notification that my wing and fuselage kits have been delayed by another month (now late-June to mid-July). (Ordered last August.) I'm sure many of use will be receiving similar messages. Greg posted a note about it over in the RV-14 thread if you haven't seen it.

Here's a link to that post > https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?p=1605398#post1605398

Also, to answer some questions earlier in the thread, the crating date range is the estimated timeframe in which we believe we will be able to crate your kit. The estimate is based on the information available at the time, and when circumstances move those dates either closer or further out, we adjust them and notify customers (unless the change is just a day or two or three - we don't want to spam you with emails and we try to keep the kit status communications useful).
 
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Fuselage kit shipped

Ordered my fuselage kit, including prebuilt tank, March of 2021. I just received some emails that it was shipped May 19, 2022 via Old Dominion. With diesel well over $5.00/gallon, I am terrified of the coming shipping bill…

😖
 
Ordered my fuselage kit, including prebuilt tank, March of 2021. I just received some emails that it was shipped May 19, 2022 via Old Dominion. With diesel well over $5.00/gallon, I am terrified of the coming shipping bill…

I don't know if anyone else noticed, but Van's added this link to their order-a-kit page which estimates the shipping charges they've seen recently. It might help sticker shock.... or not. The number they're showing for an empennage kit is 5 times what I paid a year ago.
 
Defer kit shipment?

Holy cow- the numbers on that page made me spit up my coffee. Adding up all shipping costs to Central US puts the full RV12is kit at about $5,800.

Does anyone know if Vans lets you defer shipment to a later time?

At the end of the day might just be something I need to get over, but that made me do a double take.
 
Old Dominion

I got a call this morning from Old Dominion about my fuselage and it's $941.53 to my garage or $901.53 if I pick it up at their Tampa, FL hub.

I've been waiting 13 months for this delivery and ready to get back to building.
 
For reference, I received my powerplant kit just less than a month ago and freight to Altanta was $762.
 
Recent changes in diesel prices…ouch

2022-Jan 01/03 3.613 01/10 3.657 01/17 3.725 01/24 3.780 01/31 3.846
2022-Feb 02/07 3.951 02/14 4.019 02/21 4.055 02/28 4.104
2022-Mar 03/07 4.849 03/14 5.250 03/21 5.134 03/28 5.185
2022-Apr 04/04 5.144 04/11 5.073 04/18 5.101 04/25 5.160
2022-May 05/02 5.509 05/09 5.623 05/16 5.613
 
Just spoke with Old Dominion

Old Dominion tells me my fuselage crates (2, one with the pre-built tank) with arrive in Asheville, NC this Thursday! Yay. $1032.63 with Dock pickup.
Can't wait to get working on the fuselage, finally... ( ordered March of 2021)

:cool:
 
$795 shipping for a Vans RV12is fuselage kit (2 crates) to SoCal, delivering this week.

Ordered the kit in March 2021, so 14 months lead time. Phew!
 
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