RV-12 with a Conti 0-200?

[pierre smith]

A question for the DAR's and others:

My two stepsons, 19 and 17 want to learn to fly but I'm hesitant to start them in my -10, so I toyed with the idea of them and me building a -12 but with the 0-200...(for the life of me, $26,000 for a Rotax goes down hard!)

My wife likes the idea and I spoke with Danny at Kosola and Associates, in Albany, Ga. about fabbing an engine mount...not a problem...it's what they do....repairs to cracked/broken mounts as well.

So now the airplane becomes an EAB and I assume can be flown as a light sport, no? Any other restrictions/concerns I might have missed? I've read that Van hopes to show the 51% compliance this year??

I'd also appreciate weight information of the Rotax vs. the 0--200

Thanks,

[Peterk]

Pierre,

You indeed can build it as an EAB. Because you sit ahead of the spar, there are serious CG problems with extra weight on the front. Van's claims it can't take weight (200lbs plus). When I weighed my Rotax with all the additions...oil tank, muffler, radiator etc it was around 175. Some other things to consider about EAB is the conditional issue...only goes to the builder period. ELSA goes to anyone that owns it if they attend a two day class. My fly-off was only 5 hours and of course Van's name is on the data plate, not mine. All things to consider...mostly the CG. I would crunch some CG numbers before I bought a different engine.

[Geico266]

Check the price again Pierre, the $27,000 is for MUCH more than just the engine.

You could go EAB and put a used 912s in it, but they are not cheap either, $8-12K and you might not know what you have. Add the prop, spinner, cooling shroud, radiator, oil cooler, cabin heat, hoses, engine mounts, hardware, your time to design a set up, 40 hour fly off -v- 5 hours fly off, and you are not saving very much at all. A 912s is a much better set up than an 0-200 IMHO, but the loss of resale value due to EAB -v- E-LSA is not worth it. JMHO.

Order the kit and start pulling rivets!

[Mel]

Pierre,
From the "legal" standpoint, this would not be a problem. Van himself certificated his -12 as amateur-built. I have gone through the eligibility list and find that it does indeed meet the 51% rule. And when you throw in the modifications necessary for the engine change, that increases your percentage.
Unfortunately the O-200 is way too heavy. Probably the best alternative engine would be the Jabiru.

[David Paule]

The kids are too old to start building an airplane and then learning to fly in it. They'll either be in college or starting their own lives before the project is done.

Find a suitable flying airplane and have them learn in that instead. When they're done you can sell it for about what you paid for it.

[Neal@F14]

Originally Posted by David Paule

The kids are too old to start building an airplane and then learning to fly in it. They'll either be in college or starting their own lives before the project is done.

Find a suitable flying airplane and have them learn in that instead. When they're done you can sell it for about what you paid for it.

This.


For the cost of that new Rotax engine alone, you can buy a whole, already flying Cherokee 140 in pretty decent shape with a mid-time engine. The used airplane market is full of them right now.