Joe,
Thanks for the photos and diagrams. Although the tank is more complex than the original, it really cleans up the baggage area and makes the RV-12 an even better touring aircraft. Distributing the fuel load across the width of the cabin and keeping the weight lower down in the aircraft, plus maintaining a more constant cg position as the fuel is used also seem to me to be significant advantages.
In addition, it would be easy to add another 5 gallons or so with very little change to the aircraft balance. Add to that the fact that the tank is perhaps anchored better than the original and the weight is more uniformly distributed and braced by the C channel (?), it may well be safer in a crash too.
I hope Van's take a serious look at the design, but in the meantime, can you confirm the tank material thickness and type, and also what sender unit you are using? If I've understood the photos correctly, the bottom rear edge of the tank is screw-fixed to the baggage floor, but I'm not sure where else it's fixed to the structure. Any further construction details would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Thanks for the photos and diagrams. Although the tank is more complex than the original, it really cleans up the baggage area and makes the RV-12 an even better touring aircraft. Distributing the fuel load across the width of the cabin and keeping the weight lower down in the aircraft, plus maintaining a more constant cg position as the fuel is used also seem to me to be significant advantages.
In addition, it would be easy to add another 5 gallons or so with very little change to the aircraft balance. Add to that the fact that the tank is perhaps anchored better than the original and the weight is more uniformly distributed and braced by the C channel (?), it may well be safer in a crash too.
I hope Van's take a serious look at the design, but in the meantime, can you confirm the tank material thickness and type, and also what sender unit you are using? If I've understood the photos correctly, the bottom rear edge of the tank is screw-fixed to the baggage floor, but I'm not sure where else it's fixed to the structure. Any further construction details would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.